OLYMPIA — More than 50 libraries across the state will receive a Dungeon & Dragons library box set, and many will also receive up to $2,000 to bring tabletop role-playing games to patrons, through a grant program administered by the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players can immerse themselves in the world and characters of their creation, problem-solve, and collaborate with others. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will join community members and staff at the Camas Public Library, 625 NE 4th Avenue, on June 3 to play a Dungeons & Dragons game using a donated kit from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
“I have been a fan of tabletop games for most of my life, so I’m overjoyed to bring this opportunity to library patrons throughout Washington,” Secretary Hobbs said. “Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games provide players with fun and compelling ways, including therapeutic usages, to strategize and build relationships.”
In March, through a partnership between Wizards of the Coast and the Office of the Secretary of State, 75 Dungeons & Dragons Library Kits were delivered to the Washington State Library’s Tumwater location for distribution statewide. Recipients of funding from the Tabletop Role-Playing Games for All non-competitive Mini grants and competitive Innovation grants offered by the Washington State Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services also received Dungeons & Dragons kits for free, enhancing tabletop role-playing game programming at their libraries.
The Innovation Grant is designed for larger projects that innovatively use up to $2,000 in funding to integrate tabletop role-playing games into library services. Nine libraries and library systems will have until September 2025 to complete their Innovation Grant projects.
A noteworthy winning proposal from Shoreline Community College Library features a series of sessions in which community speakers will encourage personal and academic growth through tabletop gaming. Topics for the sessions include gender identity through character creation, racism, power dynamics, and more.
“Libraries are valuable spaces for learning and gathering,” State Librarian Sara Jones said. “The expansion of tabletop role-playing game services will allow communities to explore topics in new, meaningful ways.”
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program to provide incentives for efficiency improvements. The Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.