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Lemontree — the University of Huddersfield’s Gamified Library

The UK’s University of Huddersfield has an innovative library program: Lemontree. This game rewards students for using the library: once they sign up, their library card automatically accrues points and badges based on what they do, from each walk-in, to each checkout, to each article downloaded. It’s important to note, from a privacy concern, that the game is entirely opt-in; no students have to participate.

Walk in early, you might win the “Early Bird Badge." Check out ten books, you get the “Strongman." There’s a constantly updating leaderboard on their website and the academic schools are pitted against each other: as of July, 2013, Music, Humanities and Media (yay Humanities!) is out front with Business snapping at their heels. 

As the student uses the library more and more, their own eponymous lemon tree grows from a sappling to fruiting tree, and the badge for their library card goes from shivery cold to flaming hot.

The game’s developers, themselves Huddersfield alums, blog about their design at librarygame.tumblr.com. According to their page, two more UK academic libraries have signed on to give Lemontree a try.