Traverse the Metaverse

Business as Usual?

2009-11-12T17:28:00.015-05:00

Second Life has released the Beta Version of its Enterprise tool. This allows companies such as IBM and other organizations such as governmental agencies and educational institutions to use Second Life for virtual meetings behind their own firewalls. The use of virtual spaces and avatars for meeting and communicating with others, who are not located near you, gives a greater sense of being there which is effective for collaboration and learning.

You can read more about this in the recent Information Week Story, "Second Life steps into the Enterprise" and also in a recent CNN article, "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life."
~Laurel

2009-10-12T11:14:00.011-05:00

Second Life, one of numerous virtual worlds, provides a unique way to bring stories to life. Creating community through storytelling is the motivation behind the Virtual Worlds Story Project. The two creators of the project, Jena Ball (Jenaia Morane in SL) and Marty Keltz ( Marty Snowpaw in SL), have a background in writing and journalism and in film and television. The latest Story Quest event was the October 1st premiere of the machinima, "The Life and Times of Uncle D", with the theme of someone living with HIV/AIDS.

If you want to watch the film it is a bit long (8 minutes) as well as sad and poetic, and so I recommend it for viewing at home or on your meal break. It is an excellent example of the potential of virtual worlds as a platform for telling the stories of our lives.

~Laurel

Mindboggling Stats

2009-09-28T12:22:00.026-05:00

A Massively feature article (Massively: Daily News About MMO's) reports mindboggling stats from Linden Labs, the producers of Second Life. A sampling of the stats include: virtual landholdings in SL are the size of the state of Rhode Island, 250,000 user generated items are created daily and 109 million text messages are sent in SL each day. For more read "Linden Labs shows Second Life Numbers are Huge."

While digital content created by SL residents includes everything from buildings, dragons, vehicles and food, virtual clothing is a huge industry in the virtual world. The photo above (click on photo for a larger view) was taken in one well known Second Life clothing store, Paper Couture.
_Laurel

Read Posters

2009-08-04T15:12:00.006-05:00

Hello!
As a librarian, I am always attracted to all things library, and to my delight I discovered the ALA island in Second Life. Filled with information and displays covering so many different topics, I spent quite a while exploring. One of my favorite ALA items are the READ posters (confession: the Sean Connery poster accompanied me through college), so I was delighted to be able to create my own. I think this first one shows my old fashioned librarian persona, you can just see me glaring at a noisy reader over my book!

I’ve also always imagined myself as a librarian extraordinaire, and finally, I am in the spotlight here:

But this last one sums up my feelings all too well! Enjoy your travels, and I hope to see your face on a Read poster soon!
Best wishes,
Bibliobabe Valeska

A few words from Nik

2009-06-23T09:34:00.003-05:00

Hello all! Nik Mortenwold here. I am very excited that we have finally completed our first two machinima videos for Central Florida Memory. When I began working for the Orange County Library System I had no idea I would have the opportunity to utilize my degree in film, particularly in a less conventional medium like machinima. When I was approached about making these videos I jumped on the opportunity to explore and be apart of this burgeoning new art form.

It is exciting to think of all the innovations in film and video that have laid the groundwork for the freedom in creation we have today. From the Lumière brothers and their cinématographe to the home video camera. From VHS, to DVD, and now video on demand through the web. The ability for a single individual with a computer to tell a complete story is one of the beauties of machinima and is providing an independence to filmmakers like never before.

I look forward to producing future videos for Central Florida Memory. With each video our team’s skills and workflow improve. Within the coming months I hope to contribute several articles detailing our hurdles and successes so that other libraries and organizations can participate in this exciting new frontier.

- Nik Mortenwold

2009-05-15T15:06:00.004-05:00

The second Central Florida Machine is ready and available to be viewed on the Library web site. At the bottom of the Central Florida Memory in Second Life page you can see both the first video, "An Introduction" and the newest one, "A Look at Daily Life." Can you guess which staff voices are used for recording the glimpse into the life of Helen and Bill?

Machinima!

2009-03-24T10:43:00.005-05:00

Woo Hoo, the Library's machinima has been posted on the library website and even on YouTube. Pretty Cool. Read about the Central Florida Memory exhibit and see the video here. The machinima is largely the work of Nik Mortenwold aka OCLS staff member Nick Martinolich.

~~Sunny Farshore

Virtual Worlds are Big Business

2009-01-21T17:19:00.005-05:00

In a 5 quarter period (I believe overlapping parts of 2007 and 2008), 1.5 billion dollars were invested in Virtual Worlds. Obviously some investors are seeing a big money making potential. Yesterday Linden Labs announced that as part of their strategic innitiative they are acquiring two companies that have been selling digital content created by Second Life residents through the web. In 2008 Second Life residents sold 360 million dollars worth of digital goods and services and the global market for digital goods was estimated at 1.5 billion a year.

Kzero and the growth of Virtual Worlds

2008-11-19T12:41:00.007-05:00

Kzero, resident experts in virtual worlds is a website on virtual world info. It has a chart of virtual worlds by types such as chatting/socializing, sports, education or for content creation. Another chart is of registrations by age categories. It age category chart lists the number of registrations for each vw over the world's existence up to 5 years. It shows both games/worlds that are live or in open beta as well as games/worlds that are in development or private beta. It is amazing to see the numbers that are in Beta status. Looks like we are on the verge of a huge leap in the numbers available. Habbo, Neopet and IMVU are among those with the most registrants. Hello Kitty fans will be pleased to see that it is in beta testing.

SLymposium

2008-11-14T09:27:00.013-05:00

Last weekend, November 8th, 2008, the ALA Virtual Communities and Libraries group hosted a SLymposium in Second Life. The speakers talked about the different types of libraries and library associations that are in virtual worlds and what they are doing and they also covered how students and graduate library students are using Second Life and Teen Second Life. The keynote speaker was Tom Peters (Maxito Ricardo in SL), author of the just released ALA Tech Source publication, Libraries and Virtual Worlds. The first photo is of the avatar of Sue Bergren who is a graduate student at the University of Illinois who has been researching libraries in virtual worlds. As part of her work she has visited the Central Florida Memory exhibit in SL and has interviewed an OCLS staff member about it. Two of the other photos are of the avatars (Nick and Echo) of OCLS staff who attended the virtual conference. The crowd snapshot is provided to give you an impression of the numbers in attendance. Nick and Echo, attending their first virtual conference, gained some first hand (or is it second hand?, lol) experience about the sound challenges as well as lag and crashing that occur when large groups gather in virtual spaces. You can read a report on the event on ALA's Virtual Presence blog. You may also read more about it on Steven Harris' Collection 2.0 blog or on the SLA in SL blog.
--Laurel

Helping History Come Alive

2008-10-27T10:30:00.010-05:00

One of the practical uses for 3D spaces is that it allows for the creation of experience. It is one thing to read about history, for example, but another to immerse yourself through the senses. Ok, granted taste has not worked yet in early versions of virtual worlds. :) Besides the Central Florida Memory Exhibit in SL, which does help bring history alive through the cracker cottage with cornbread steaming in the oven, clothes moving in the breeze on the line in the humid sunny afternoon, and chickens walking and clucking through the yard, there are a number of virtual history projects. For example you can visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and you can tour the Palace of Versailles. There have been several recent exciting announcements about two new 3D history projects.

The first is in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of Darwin's On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection (On a side note, that is basically my gardening style, "survival of the fittest.") The University of Cincinnati has recreated in sl the Galapagos Islands where Darwin conducted some of his famous research. Currently the site is available for students, however, shortly after the start of 2009 the space will be open to anyone in sl. Through your avatar you will be able to trace the steps of Darwin's journey on the Beagle with the help of a tour guide.

The other recent announcement is that the University of Virginia will create virtual tours of 5 sites from 1776 Colonial Williamsburg. The three dimensional models are being touted as a way of expanding museum audiences and enriching the onsite experiences with online experiences. The work is being funded by a nearly 1 million dollar grant from the Institute of Museums and Library Services.

--Laurel

All the Virtual World is a Stage...

2008-09-04T15:49:00.010-05:00

Here is a great quick tour of 50 virtual worlds in 7 minutes, called the 2008 Metaverse Tour-The Social Virtual World's A Stage. It includes everything from Webkinz (Characters now available in the FOL bookstore), Spore, There and Second Life. It is estimated that 300 million people participate in social virtual spaces.

--Laurel

The Central Florida Memory SL Exhibit is Now OPEN!

2008-07-10T11:26:00.008-05:00

Central Florida Memory Comes to Second Life
The Orange County Library System (OCLS) is bringing the Central Florida Memory project (http://www.cfmemory.org/) to the virtual world of Second Life. Central Florida Memory is an ongoing collaborative digitization project whose partners include the Orange County Library System, the University of Central Florida Libraries, the Orange County Regional History Center, Rollins College, and the Museum of Seminole County History. Staff members from OCLS have recreated a turn of the century Florida homestead, complete with cracker house, barn, school house, and more! Visitors to the virtual exhibit will be treated to an interactive and immersive experience that will allow them to “touch” virtual objects for more information about Central Florida Memory. Virtual “computers” will provide links to more information, as well as presentations on building a virtual exhibit, how to start a digitization project, the types of documents included in Central Florida Memory, and more.

A free Second Life standard account is required in order to view and participate in the exhibit (http://secondlife.com/). Once the account is obtained, the location of the exhibit can be found starting July 7th, 2008 at the following SLurl http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%204/188/56/24/ . Please note access to Second Life is not available on work computers.

“In World” questions can be sent to Laurel Zenovka or Penny Theas. The exhibit is available on an ongoing basis.

Here are a few pictures from the exhibit:

Artificial Intelligence Experiments in SL

2008-05-21T10:30:00.006-05:00

Researchers are using SL to experiment with artificial intelligence. Research staff at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Artificial Intelligence and Reasoning Laboratory made a digital robot, named Edd Hifeng in sl, with limited capacity for speaking and reasoning. You can read the full article by clicking here.

__Laurel

OCLS Second Life Group & History Conference

2008-05-12T13:57:00.006-05:00

OCLS now has it's very own Second Life Group, called "Orange County (FL) Library Group". The intention of the group is to gather those of us participating in Second Life. Second Life groups allow us to send notices about events related to OCLS, or that might be of interest to OCLS employees. At this time, this group is only available to employees.

If interested in joining, please IM Penny Theas in-world for an add to the group!

Additionally, an announcement was just made that the Alliance Library System (in cooperation with LearningTimes) will be holding a conference on June 10th, 2008 entitled "Stepping Into History: Exploring the Past through Virtual Worlds". For more information on this exciting opportunity for virtual immersion in a historical context, click on the link here.

2008-05-01T17:26:00.005-05:00

ALA's Marginalia talks about all the different social networking tools used within ALA membership; everything from Nings, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and Wikis. Second Life is also covered with details of the National Library Week events in sl which received 2800 visits. To visit the ALA site in sl go to http://slurl.com/secondlife/ALA%20Island/128/107/29/.
--Laurel

ALA Remodels SL Island

2008-04-16T16:32:00.006-05:00

ALA has remodeled the ALA Island in SL. The original space was designed in a very traditional way including a multi-story office building. The new design is very open air with lots of different areas for events of different sizes and types. For National Library Week ALA is hosting a variety of events. You can read about the new design and about the National Library Week events in this press annnouncement.

---Laurel

My Journey in Teen Second Life - The Beginning

2008-03-17T08:15:00.005-05:00

I've always had more than a passing interest in the Model UN program, and thought it would be a brilliant idea to combine that interest with my interest in virtual worlds by creating a Model UN in Second Life, and specifically in Teen Second Life, to target the 13-17 year olds. I found out that it's a lot easier to come up with an idea than to actually implement it in the strange world of Teen Second Life
.
The first hurdle is the background check. You need to set up an avatar to use only on the teen grid, because once it goes there, it can never return to the adult grid. Then, you apply for the background check online. Of course I passed with flying colors, but you have to pay the Lindens $40 and wait for the company they use to qualify you. That can take weeks.
Then, you need to volunteer for or propose a project to one of the adult owners of islands attached to the teen grid and get accepted. I didn't know this at first, but there are a lot of them, maybe hundreds, with more signing up every day, mostly schools and youth organizations. I chose the Eye4You Alliance island, run by Kelly Czarnecki, a teen librarian at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and supported by the Alliance Library in Illinois. Kelly is the indomitable force behind the island, a true innovator.
My teen grid avatar's name is Freda Fraina, don't ask me why. I was told that it was next to impossible to buy anything like clothes or hair so I should bring as much inventory as I could over when they moved the avatar over to the teen grid. Unfortunately, none of my inventory transferred over so I was stuck being the 'girl next door' avatar. Not an auspicious start at all!

Next: My introduction to the teens

Virtual Worlds: Libraries, Education and Museums Conference, March 8

2008-02-27T12:13:00.004-05:00

Whether you have never been to Second Life, or you’ve created an avatar and quickly decided that you didn’t NEED a Second Life, or you are a seasoned vet, you will find something of interest at the upcoming Virtual Worlds Conference at the NMC (New Media Consortium) Conference Center in Second Life. You can get full info including registration information at this website:
http://www.alliancelibraries.info/virtualworlds/vwlemschedule.htm

The purpose of this conference is to provide a gathering place for librarians, information professionals, educators, museologists, and others to learn about and discuss the educational, informational, and cultural opportunities of virtual worlds.

One session that you might find interesting is: "The State of Librarianship in Second Life" Presented by Lauren Pressley. This session examines the idea of librarianship in Second Life, specifically focusing on reference practices and the development of a library's presence in a virtual world. The session will conclude with a discussion of possible virtual world library services that have not yet been designed and implemented.

My avatar name is Eirene Janus and I will be attending some of the sessions and working the booth for a group that I am involved with called Public Libraries in Second Life. This group not only meets in Second Life, but you can also join the Google Group if you don’t want to commit and just want to lurk. Please be sure to stop by the booth and say hi if you do attend!

--Eirene

Finding your way around the Big Slearning Curve

2008-02-08T10:30:00.001-05:00

Are you ready to give SL a try? Or just getting started and do not have a clue how to do anything? Here are some great learning resources both for beginners and more experienced avatars to learn how to get around, and get along and have fun in Second Life. These resources are courtesy of one of my SL instructors, JJ Drinkwater.
----Laurel

SL History Wiki

Second Life Knowledge Base Orientation Island Walk Through

Video Tutorials, for how to do many things in Second Life
SUCH AS
# How to use gestures
# How to manage your inventory
# How to use HUDs
# How to change your appearance
# How to open and sell boxes
# How to use the building grid
# How to fill in your profile
# How to create and send a notecard
# How to use Undo

Second Life Guides-- An excellent and well-organized resource for basic knowledge

Other useful tutorial on private websites:

Moving and flying at Orientation Island

How to leave Orientation Island

SL Tools: Getting the Most out of Groups

Getting started:

The Unofficial Complete Fool's Guide to Second Life

Guide created by Berkman center

Natalia's Getting Started in Second Life Guide

Watermelons, Avatars and Torley

2008-01-10T15:12:00.000-05:00

One of the most interesting characters in and outside of Second Life is Torley Linden (sl name.) Check out his creativity and thoughts about the grid in a variety of places.
His website, Torley Lives.
Torley's Twitter.

"So Many Worlds, So Little Time"

2007-12-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

Are you part of any VWs (virtual worlds)? There are at least 50 Virtual Worlds currently in existence. They vary from strictly gaming like Everquest and World of Warcraft, to social worlds such as There and Active World to a hybrid of social and gaming activities, such as Sims Online and Second Life.

If you are interested in learning what some of the VWs are the
Virtual Worlds Review (this is where I took the title for this posting) provides a list of Virtual Worlds.

If you are interested in some serious discussion on the features that distinguish VWs from other online spaces read Moving Beyond the Game: Social Virtual Worlds. Or if you are interested in some lighter reading on virtual world hangouts there is the Tech Crunch article, Virtual World Hangouts: So Many to Choose From."

A recent development is the goal to create avatars that can move seemlessly between worlds (along with their financial data). IBM is partnering with Linden Labs of SL to facilitate the development of common standards and tools to make this possible. Digital Trends published an article on this topic called Universe Hopping for Avatars?

And if you are really into this and your want more to read, I have two more suggestions for you, Making a living in virtual worlds and Avatars and Beyond: Building Virtual Communities with Teens in Libraries.

--Laurel

Staff Day Session

2007-11-13T16:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who attended the Staff Day Session - "Traverse the Metaverse". We hope we provided some valuable insight into what Second Life is all about. Here are the answers to the quiz we passed out during the session.

AFK: Away from keyboard
AV: Avatar
BBS: Be Back Soon
BRB: Be Right Back
BTW: By The Way
GTR: Got to Run
H & K: Hugs & Kisses
IDK: I Don’t Know
IMO: In My Opinion
JK: Just Kidding
LOL: Laugh Out Loud
NP: No Problem
ROTF: Rolling on the Floor (laughing)
TTYL: Talk To You Later
TY: Thank you
WB: Welcome Back
YW: You’re Welcome
:-) Smile or happy
:-S Confused
=^..^= Cat
>:-< Mad
:-e Disappointed

Also, please feel free to check out the following You Tube links to learn more about some of the items discussed during the session. Even if you did not attend, please feel free to view the links to learn more about some of the exciting ventures taking place in Second Life.

What is Second Life?

(about four minutes)

CSI New York
(about two minutes)

I Am Legend:

(about four minutes)

Posted by: Penny Theas

Halloween in SL

2007-10-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

While some might say it is like Halloween everyday in sl, there are plenty of fall and Halloween activities in world. The Public Librarians of SL Group is hosting a Halloween Event which begins on Clearwater Beach (slurl: 128, 128, 0). It kicks off at Noon SLT (or 3 EST) and runs until 5 pm SLT (or 8 pm EST) on Saturday, Oct. 27th, 2007

Activities are as follows:
Noon til 2:00 pm slt Scavenger Hunt at Clearwater Beach
1:30 til 2:00 pm slt Storytelling at SL Society Hill LIbrary 2.0
2:00 to 3:00 pm slt your choice of either
Masquerade Ball @Clearwater Beach (prizes for best costumes)
Or
Horror Movies at Glenview Public and Cleveland Public Libraries

---Laurel

High-Tech Banned Book Weeks Opportunities

2007-10-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

How would you like to attend such Banned Book events as a discussion on "Challenges and Customer Service Opportunities" or an Intellectual Freedom program on "Frequently Challenged Books" without leaving your computer. ALA’ s Office for Intellectual Freedom has organized a Banned Books Week on the Second Life’s ALA/Arts Info Island. Keeping with this year’s piratical theme, they have created a three-dimensional pirate ship and wharf . ALA is reaching out to members and the general public in a high-tech way to complement traditional real-world banned books activities. There will be greeters on the wharf to direct Avatars to such interest areas as a fireworks display, book discussions, exhibits, videos and pod casts. As your Avatar roams through the virtual pirate ship, be mindful of the squawking gulls, the scurvy rats, and the haunted pirate ghosts.
Teens in Teen Second Life, a separate three-dimensional world, are developing an underwater pirate ship and banned books display. They will have a party where Avatar attendees are encouraged to dress as their favorite banned book character.
ALA has also created a Facebook group (search for Banned Books Week 2007) where librarians and the general public can share ideas, experiences, events and recommendations. ALA has a MySpace page, too containing more information about Banned Book Week. In addition to all of the above ALA has created a Google Maps mashup where people can input and find the locations of planned Banned Book Activities.
These are high-tech ways of reminding us of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom slogan "Free People Read Freely".
Jude Sicling

Multiple Lives

2007-10-15T11:43:00.000-05:00

I recently read this interesting blog post on a librarian's viewpoint of Second Life. I tend to agree with the author that "Second Life is just another information place we can meet these people and serve them. It doesn’t have to be one world or another". If we're always looking for new ways to serve in our profession, isn't Second Life just another outlet? Or perhaps an extension of what we are already doing? Food for virtual thought.

Penny Theas

Banned Books Week in Second Life

2007-10-03T16:29:00.001-05:00

Check out this interesting article on how Banned Books Week is being celebrated in Second Life, and various other social networking websites, such as MySpace and Facebook. Come and enjoy some of the following events taking place in Second Life:

October 2, 5 p.m.: Book Discussion, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou, moderated by Tom Peters
October 3, Noon: Intellectual Freedom Program, “Frequently Challenged Books,” moderated by OIF Deputy Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone (Second Life name Pachelbel Dagostino)
October 4, 5 p.m.: Intellectual Freedom Program, “Challenges and Customer Service Opportunities,” presented by Rose Chenoweth, Alliance Library System (Second Life name Enya Theas).

Penny Theas
(Who just got a make-over; isn't Second Life great?)

Saving Virtual Worlds

2007-09-20T11:04:00.000-05:00

Who is going to save any of the vast digital content that is being created? The Library of Congress has just awarded a grant of over half a million dollars to Linden Labs (Second Life) and four universities, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Maryland and Standford University to explore the preservation of virtual worlds and video games.

--Laurel

2007-09-14T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well I had an interesting personal experience as a consumer. Another family member wanted to buy a Dell computer, and my personal opinion was that the specific model he was considering was not going to meet the needs of all the family members. So I offered to look into a variety of models and make a suggestion about what would be better for all of us in the house. Since I knew he had already settled on a Dell, I went to the Dell site to look over the choices. There were really more options than I had anticipated and different household members have different needs, ranging from the use of Second Life to heavy use of MP3 files and music recording and mixing programs. I felt like I really was going to need some assistance to wade through all the information. I signed into SL, tped to Dell Island and spoke with a Dell Representative, explaining the various requirements for price and use. He quickly was able to answer all my questions in a way that I understood and was then able to go back to the website and place my order. I did not have to leave home or even leave the comfy chair in my living room. I can certainly say that this is an approach to getting the customer service I need that I would never have thought of even months ago.

--Laurel

Things to Do in Second Life

2007-08-21T12:51:00.000-05:00

A Report on the First Year of Operation
of the Alliance Second Life Library 2.0 Project
also known as the Alliance Information Archipelago
April 11, 2006 Through April 18, 2007
I took some time to brief through the first year report on the success and challenges of librarians in Second Life. The report (which is 51 pages long) discusses a lot of the steps taken by determined librarians to create a space for our profession in Second Life. In reading this report, I was captivated by the many events that took place this past year in Second Life, and decided to entitle this post "Things to Do in Second Life".
If you've been in Second Life, and aren't quite sure where to go or what its about, here's a few ideas of what goes on here:
JOIN A BOOK CLUB:
Throughout Year One the Caledon Branch Library held a series of book
discussions about Victorian literature, politics, science, etc. In March 2007
the Sci-Fi and Fantasy group on the AIA started a book of the month
discussion. Mystery Manor also held several book discussions throughout
Year One. In the spring of 2007 they started a series of discussions about
classic hard-boiled detective mysteries called “Waiting for the Other
Gumshoe to Drop.” (Page 28)
ATTEND AN AUTHOR EVENT:
Author talks are popular in other areas of Second Life as well. For
example, on March 15, 2007 Dean Koontz became the first author to
participate in a Bantam Dell Authors-in-Second-Life event (Page 29).
PARTICIPATE IN A DISCUSSION:
Throughout Year One there were a number of in-world events that
focused on hot topics in librarianship. For example, on ??? the ALA
Washington Office sponsored an in-world talk by Dave Lankes about the
library as a conversation. Toward the end of Year One a “Library Buzz” (Page 28)
SEE A MUSICIAN
See this article from Wired magazine about Second Life's exploding musician population.
Duran Duran, anyone?
The possibilities are endless, and I look forward to seeing the continued accomplishments in next year's report.

Penny Theas

An Anthropologist Looks at Second Life

2007-08-09T09:53:00.000-05:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education's Daily Report talks about a new book coming out about Second Life by Anthropologist Tom Boellstorff. It includes a ten minute podcast interview with the author.

Anthropologist: Deep Bonds Forged in Second Life

In a Podcast with The Chronicle, Tom Boellstorff, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California at Irvine, talks about, among other things, how people bond and change genders in Second Life. Mr. Boellstorff spent two-and-a-half years exploring the culture of the virtual world through a digital character he created named Tom Bukowski. The professor has written about his experience in a book, due out in April, called Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human (Princeton University Press).—Andrea L. Foster

-->Posted on Wednesday August 8, 2007

My Second Life

2007-07-19T14:43:00.000-05:00

I began my "second life" in early May and have been a member for almost three months now. I began Second Life in order to explore possibilities and opportunities to enhance my librarianship. I still consider myself a "newbie". Second Life is a virtual world conceived by artist Philip Rosedale at Linden Labs in San Francisco, and in June, 2003 it went live. Second Life was originally called Linden World. It is a virtual environment where residents can create the world in which they would like to live and be. It is not a game. One can join for free or pay for different levels of membership. There are over 8 million residents with 30 to 40 thousand residents on line at any one time. One can buy Linden dollars to purchase or rent land, islands, houses, apparel, hairstyles, art and just about anything one can imagine being sold with real life credit card accounts. One US dollar is worth about 300 Linden Dollars and the exchange rate fluctuates. One can travel around second life by teleporting to different simulations. Second Life is for adults with a separate Second Life for teens. You can get to Second Life by logging on via the internet.

There are introduction instructions on Help Island that you can work through and get note cards with instructions when you first join Second Life. In the beginning, I was obsessed with my avatar’s appearance and spent a lot of time in the "Appearance Castle" trying on hair styles and facial features and shoes and skin texture. I would be whirling around changing appearances in front of other avatars (avatars that I didn’t know) who would begin chat conversations with me. Weird! I finally learned to look at my inventory for help and with a lot of help from avatar Penney Theas, my friend and coworker, I became properly dressed and could move on to other experiences. By the way, my name in Second Life is Jude Sicling. You can see a photo of my avatar at the top of this report.

I then started exploring Info Island where the libraries are located. It felt safe to me there and I had confidence that I could safely approach other avatars and engage in chat. At the time I enrolled in Second Life there were only nature sounds, you could not hear speech. The reference librarians answered my Second Life questions and offered tours in a "flying chair’. I rode in a bubble to a library rooftop and danced to great music. I learned how to walk and run and fly and jump and climb stairs and go through doors by using key controls on my computer. Most useful of all, I learned how to stop and not walk into water areas over my head and how to get out. It’s a good thing that avatars can’t drown!

I had the good fortune to be able to enroll in the University of Illinois Grad School of Information Science, Second Life class—Virtual World Librarianship—Your Second life with two other staff (Penny Theas and and Laurel Zenovka.) The class topics were: Introduction to Libraries in Virtual Worlds, Second Life 101, Collections, Resources and Exhibits in Virtual Environment, Reference and Information Services in Virtual Worlds, Managing and Working in a Virtual Library or Department and Skills needed by 21st Century Librarians in Virtual Worlds. This was a very interesting experience taking a class virtually and participating through chat by reading the lectures, discussions and comments. We met for two hours in various locations and buildings on Info Island . In one of the classes we spent the two hours dancing and leaping into the air while chatting about how to manage a library in Second Life. We had homework assignments and asynchronous discussions, posted our comments to a forums on Moodle, the course management system used at GSLIS. We each were required to shadow a reference librarian for two hours. We were given a Babbler for our avatars so that we could have instant language translations through chat.

Avatars from all over the world are residents of Second Life. We took a virtual tour of Morocco wearing a fez that supplied information to us, we toured the info island libraries, attended a Browning exhibit, received note cards with all kinds of useful information and given free tee shirts for our avatars. Class attendees wore everything from Dragon suits to Goth outfits to business attire. Some avatars wore a different outfit each week. We learned who our classmates were, how long they had been in Second Life, what Second Life groups they belonged to, where their favorite Second Life spots were to visit and who they were in real life. Avatars appear on screen with a bubble over their head that includes the avatar’s name. When you click on to the bubble you can read their profiles and even make notes about your experience with that avatar. The notes are for your eyes only.
By participating as a librarian avatar in this virtual world, I have a heightened sense of uses for this medium and possibilities for reference information service beyond web searches for librarianship in the future. I think that libraries will be developing virtual library worlds in the very near future. Libraries could have virtual tours, offer e books, conduct classes, have virtual exhibits and offer programs virtually.

On another level, as a form of social networking with people with disabilities, this medium offers unlimited possibilities. Virtual friends can be made without real world risks, cities and neighborhoods can be created with only the boundaries of their imaginations. One can take classes, visit virtual worlds, participate in chat discussions, go to a pub or club, dance, see art. Avatars can participate in a sport, attend live shows and concerts and shop. Almost anything can be done virtually that could be done in real life. One can find avatars that have your same interests. All this can be done on a computer.

This experience has been extremely interesting. I think that the more time put into exploring and living in Second Life, the more one can get out of it. There many possibilities, socially and educationally. I think that virtual worlds are the future and becoming a resident of Second Life is the beginning.

-----Jude

ALA in Second Life

2007-07-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

The American Library Association established a presence in Second Life back in February of 2007. Since then, they have been experimenting with a variety of ideas of how librarians can play a role in this virtual world. It' serious food for thought: just today, I read on a blog that "Orientation Island" (the first stop for new avatars) was functioning improperly, and that dozens of "noobs" were being hopelessly left wandering among the grassy knoll. Where can they go? Who is there to help them? Librarians to the rescue?
This article from RUSA discusses some of the steps that RUSA is taking to play an active role in Second Life. They are experimenting with a reader's advisory course in SL, which I think would be very interesting and perhaps an appropriate setting for such a class. As Second Life introduces SL Voice (the ability to talk while using your Avatar), the possibilities really expand as to where libraries might be able to go from here. Second Life is already being largely used as a performance space, and many musical artists are catching on and playing sets for large crowds of diverse avatars. Suzanne Vega was one of the first. Check it out here.
Penny Theas

Worlds Colliding

2007-07-10T13:26:00.000-05:00

What happens when you mash up Second Life and Google Earth? I found this article mentioned in the current (July 4, 2007) issue of American Libraries Direct . The article is available in the July/August 2007 issue of Technology Review. You do have to register to be able to read the article. It just takes a minute and the article is worth it.

Universities and libraries are appearing more and more all the time in second life. The following article is courtesy of a fellow class member. The article is about the University College Dublin (UDC) which just opened its 6th library location, which is branch housed entirely in second life.

-Laurel Zenovka

My Reference Experience at Info Island

2007-07-09T14:43:00.000-05:00

I provided service on Information Island on a recent Saturday. My shift was scheduled from from 5 pm to 7 pm EST. Because of confusion as to what time zone the volunteer schedule is in (SL in one time zone, the school is in a 2nd, and I live in a third zone), I arrived at the service point when no one was scheduled there. I also did not leave my shift as scheduled at 7 as no one came to revieve me and a number of customers showed up at that time. When I arrived and no one was there for me to shadow, I imed for assistance and two greeters, Rolig Loon and Ankt Remblai took turns making sure I was on the right track. Rolig gave me a number of note cards on basic SL questions such as Making Money in SL, Changing your appearance and Moving the Camera. As in RL, questions tend to come in clusters. For awhile we are not busy and then there are multiple people to assist and then it is quiet again. From 5-6 I offered assistance to 6 avatars. At 6:03 I crashed and tried repeatedly to log in unsuccessfully until around 6:30. After I crashed I no longer kept track of the number of people to whom I offered assistance. I had one opportunity to use Babbler to translate to Portuguese, so it was beneficial that we had just covered this translation tool in class.

The potential is there for service to be as sound in SL as it is provided in RL. Our experiences with Chat at OCLS show us that great service can be given, but that it may take a longer time to provide the same level of service. Also, in chat service we have the option to co-browse which we can not (yet) have the ability to do in SL. I found that in SL, instead of quoting sources, I typically used my own SL experience to answer many of the questions. Since going to the Linden Knowledge Base would delay avatars getting their answers, I started qualifying my statements with “In my experience…” With experience perhaps I could be quicker to use Note cards for answering questions.

100% of the questions I was asked related directly to SL. How do you earn money, how do you know what language avatars speak before you speak to them, what is Info Island and what can you do there and my most complex question about setting up exhibits in SL. My first inclination is to say no the questions are not the same in SL and RL. However, while the specific topic of SL is not a typical subject for RL reference inquiries, the questions I encountered are similar to RL questions in the range of needs being met. Some result from simple curiosity, such as “What can you do on Info Island?”; others from basic needs, such as “How can you earn money on SL?” to some questions that are to meet more complex needs, such as how can my nonprofit set up an exhibit in SL that could include a documentary film as well as other resources on our environmental topic?”

The level of knowledge and experience needed to field these questions also varied depending on the complexity of the question. It was most fortunate that I had recently attended the class and completed the assignment on Exhibits as I could describe and give addresses for a number of exhibits which the customer said was exactly how she would like to get started on her search. This last question on exhibits was the least straightforward request that I received and the only one that required a true reference interview to determine the exact need.

After my SL reference experience was completed, knowing that 100% of my questions were related to Second Life, I wondered about the existing and future relationship of roles between Linden Labs and Libraries. It is good that we have an opportunity to practice reference in SL and explore what our role is and our potential and limitations are in virtual worlds. And it appears that we are totally free to answer questions about SL without any requirements or standards imposed from Linden Labs. So we have an environment in which we can learn. But in the long run should librarians be volunteering their time to fill the role of SL employees or should SL contract with libraries to fill this role? I also question, how can we market the presence of librarians in SL so that we can receive inquiries on other topics as well? What can we proactively offer that will draw SL users to us? For example, since a number of people on second life are interested in content creation and there are already classes available in SL and on YouTube, we could create and promote an exhibit on this topic and gather together the resources available on SL, YouTube, blogs, websites, blogs, and so on that cover this topic. That would enable us to reach other SL users and get them to start thinking of the library presence in SL as something that would have an ongoing role in meeting their information needs.

So,what are the most important skills for a reference librarian in SL? The skills needed are similar or the same as for traditional service with the added component of comfort in an online environment.
--Flexibility, acceptance of a diversity of avatars, welcoming towards a wide range of requests from serious to the seemingly silly, flexibility to the nature of SL in which there may not be a source about SL readily available to cite, and flexibility and tolerance towards the antics of SL characters.
--Knowledge of Second Life; not just the information resources, but the basics about inventory, profiles, clothing, money and travel.
--Access to note cards on common SL topics
--Chat experience
--Knowledge of Translation tool, Babbler
--Experience with the use of online resources-anything from SL Knowledge Base to databases
--Welcoming, friendly, good interview skills,

I have always considered a professional appearance an asset. You want to dress in a way that makes you both welcoming and credible. It was quite a challenge to build a small professional wardrobe in SL, and I wore what would be an appropriate RL outfit. About half way through my shift, however, I changed outfits because I was concerned that the more professional attire stood out in SL and that something more casual might be more welcoming.

I have to say that on my first visit to Info Island I was disappointed by the traditional desk in the non traditional virtual world. I realize you have to start somewhere and it is better just to get started. I also understand that we want people to know they can ask a question, and that this is an appropriate place to do so. But I think with some creative thinking we should be able to come up with something that has a less traditional flavor and sparks the imagination of both information seekers and of libraries and librarians.

Should there be continuous staffing at Info Island or should some people be on call in case needed? I would want to look at the statistics to make decisions about how to staff the service in SL. Without access to the statistics I would say that the busier hours should be staffed. If volunteers are available to cover the slower hours it would be more welcoming to have an avatar ready to help. As far as the suggesion that a buzzer be added to the des, if it was more practical for staffing purposes to use a buzzer and to have someone on call, I would like to see something that was much more exciting and high tech looking than a buzzer. Let’s not replicate the RL with this. What would be something that would perform the same function but would be interesting enough by its own right, have enough of a cool or wow factor, that it would be remembered as part of the service experience?

I think we would also want to consider how to market this service. By getting more customers would their be a greater number of non second life requests? I would like to see an experiment with mobile or roving librarians. The group name for these avatars could read “Ask me-Librarian” and each person encountered in SL with a request would be given a landmark to Info Island. Perhaps, since we are answering so many SL questions, Linden Labs would partner with us by providing Info Island staff a customized group name (color, lights, highlighting) that would really make the group name for Librarians stand out when service is being made available.

According the class presentation, 90% of requests at the Info Island Reference Desk are related to SL. If that remains to be true it seems unlikely that it would be cost effective to participate in either the plan in which you can make referrals to other libraries or the plan in which you would subscribe to have 24/7 reference services provided to SL residents. If a virtual world is an environment in which questions are being asked about topics other than about SL, and depending on funding , having a a service group such as Question Point provide the actual information service on an ongoing basis, may be the simplest way to set up and maintain daily service .

--Laurel Zenovka

The SL Lingo

2007-07-07T07:59:00.001-05:00

Greetings!
Yesterday, Laurel, Jude and I attended our fifth class in Second Life Librarianship. As the lecture was being conducted, it got me thinking about Second Life "lingo", and how some common SL words get tossed around without any meaning attached to them. So, for those of you just starting out in Second Life, allow me to offer some definitions.

Simulator
The primary SL server process. Each simulator process simulates one 256x256 meter region. As the viewer moves through the world it is handled off from one simulator to another. Multiple simulator processes run on each server host, currently 2 to 16. Someone told me this means the same as an "island", although I'm not sure if that's technologically true.

The Grid
A collection of sims. Linden Lab runs several grids for internal and external testing. I hear a lot of people refer to Second Life as "the Grid".

Primitive
These are the building blocks of Second Life. Every object or item is built in "prims", and every "sim" contains a certain amount of allowable grims. So, when you're buying furniture in SL, be sure to check the "prims" to make sure they are not too heavy. Otherwise, you may only be able to fit a lamp in your living room! When I first entered SL, I purchased a yacht. However, it was so prim-heavy, that I couldn't dock it anywhere. It's still sitting in my inventory.

A couple more helpful abbreviations for when you're "chatting" in SL:

RL = Real Life
SL Time = Pacific Standard Time
AFK = Away from Keyboard
ROFL = Rolling on Floor Laughing (I get this a lot, since I often accidentally take off my hair)

I encourage those of you with helpful abbreviations to post them to the comments so that our "Noobs" (new people in SL) can feel comfortable with their lingo.

Cool Blog Post on presenting in SL:
http://www.jeff-barr.com/?p=707

Cheers!
Penny Theas

SL Job Interview Tips: Don't Dress Like a Mermaid!

2007-06-29T09:57:00.000-05:00

One of our classmates posted this great article from the June 20th, 2007 Wall Street Journal about how to prepare for a job interview in Second Life. There were 431,00 unique visitors to SL in May 2007, and this is a sufficient number of visitors to be considered a job applicant pool. So if you interview in sl either at a job fair or in an individual corporate interview, how do you dress appropriately? Do you walk into the room or teleport? Do you sit or hover during the conversation? How do you clear up which time zone you are agreeing to meet in? How do you avoid accidents, like one person being interviewed, who instead of pulling out his resume from his inventory, pulled out a beer instead. And unless you are planning to work at a seaport, you probably don't want to dress like a mermaid.
--Laurel Zenovka

International Spaceflight Museum

2007-06-20T09:14:00.000-05:00

I attended the International Spaceflight Museum located on Spaceport Alpha and Spaceport Bravo. According the Museum's official website this sl Museum hosts exhibits and events about real-world spacecraft, rockets and space travel." The Museum is located on Spaceport Alpha and Spaceport Bravo, with the second location, Spaceport Bravo, just recently opening. The SL News Network (SLNN) published a May 8, 2007 article, "International Space Museum launches a second island" by Therese Carfagno featuring the opening of Spaceport Bravo.

When I arrived at the Museum it was becoming dark and I located a vehicle that would transport me out to the Exhibits. There was an outdoor auditorium or Center that had multiple seating, a stage and two film screens with sound and from there you can view related footage.

I was not bound by conventional hours. I visited the Museum late at night, when a Museum would normally be closed to the public. While I photographed, I was having difficulty because it was dark outside in sl. I quickly discovered the additional advantage of being able to "force the sun" to provide me with noon time light conditions. Also as I was taking photographs and angling for the best views, I found that flying above the exhibits also sometimes gave me the best vantage points.

I was able to “experience” somethings despite or because of the museum being virtual. For example, I sat in a lunar roving vehicle, which might seem to be an impractical activity at an actual museum. Another convenience was being able to take notecards on any items of interest. I also enjoyed the interactivity of the Solar System Simulator. You enter in a date and it provides you with a look at the location of planets on that past or future date. This photo is of the planets on a date of personal significance to me.

As with any Museum there were finding aids, such as the model of the museum shown in the previous screenshot. The Museum has a web presence, solicits for donations and has a calendar of events. I observed on the calendar of upcoming events that there is a NASA space launch on Friday and sl residents are invited to watch Atlantis take off from Cape Canaveral at the Centre Stage at the Museum. One thing that I did miss was any contact with other people during my visit. I did find it a little difficult knowing what to look at and if I was missing something particularly interesting. I might have wanted to have an option of a list of things to be sure to see or someone available for me to ask my questions.

Laurel in SL

2007-06-14T10:14:00.000-05:00

As Penny wrote, we are taking a class on virtual worlds and librarianship. Getting to know your way around second life and the experiences in taking a class in second life are so interesting to us, we decided we wanted to journal those experiences.

Taking the class in second life has its own challenges, benefits and limitations. I have done everything from attending the wrong class, getting lost during a class tour to flying into buildings and crashing on the ground when landing. Not your usual educational hazards.

It is easy to get distracted in class when everyone is chatting simultaneously and on the other hand you can read the chat history to catch up with anything you missed in the discussion. It is an advantage that any notecards, landmarks to places and objects given to you in class are automatically added to your inventory. The last class which included discussion on the types of books and some of the computers available in Second Life was especially interesting. The class before which included much discussion about clothing was also interesting, however, I had already spend quite a bit of time exploring that on my own. Afterall having shopping as a hobby is not limited to real life. :)

This weekend I spend some time on Info Island providing reference service. I'll let you know how it goes!

Laurel Zenovka

The World of Second Life: An Intro

2007-06-09T08:24:00.000-05:00

Greetings! Welcome to the Orange County Library System's blog on the adventure's of OCLS in Second Life.

Click here if you'd like to learn more about Second Life .

Click here if you'd like to sign up for your own account. (Please don't sign onto SL on OCLS computers because of bandwidth concerns.)

The library community is buzzing about Second Life and its potential uses. We all know that we need broaden our perspective on reference work in the digital age, but Second Life's virtual world ushers in a whole new perspective!

Currently, three staff members from OCLS are taking a class in Second Life through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign . Its one of the first of its kind to be offered, and it introduces a variety of perspectives on Second Life and libraries. The library is centered around Cybrary City, which is the main information hub for libraries in Second Life. This class has a variety of agenda items, from getting started in Second Life, to building, to exhibiting in Second Life, to reference work! In fact, the three of us will each be taking some time to shadow a volunteer librarian at the Information Center on Cybrary City. Check it out if you get a chance.

Additionally, the American Library Association has announced its presence in Second Life. More to come on this later!

We'll be detailing our experiences in Second Life, along with any useful information and articles we find along the way. We range in experience in Second Life, so we'll each be taking our experiences from a slightly different perspective We welcome your comments on Libraries and Second Life.

Thank you for your interest!

SL Name: Penny Theas