Second Life Library 2.0
Lori Bell, Michael Sauers, and Tom Peters
Begin the session by showing a 3 minute video tour of Info Island
available on Youtube–search for SL Library
SL Library is truly a collaborative effort
every continent is represented except for Antartica and Africa
currently over a million residents in SL
It’s really important that libraries be there
the crowd is laughing,
Lori says you can do anything in SL. “If you want to gamble, you can gampble. If you want to have sex, you can have sex.”
Most employers don’t quite understand it yet, so most are doing it on their own time.
Why are SL avatars are pursuing info-related activities
“many are tired of the sex and gambling” in SL
Increasingly used by univeristies
Amazon has a full time presence there.
Doing lots of experimentation
what kinds of collections will they have, what kind of services will they offer
Lori says they are opening a fourth island that she “is going to leave us in suspense over”
Instead of everyone building their own library, she suggests that folks need to collaborate to save time.
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Michael Sauers
wants to give a reality check
Tech specs: Minimum vs. Recommended requirements to
Reality check #1
you do need a nice machine
Reality check #2
if you can’t follow several conversations and are easily annoyed by typos
Reality check #3
You don’t have to spend real money, but it helps
Reality check #4
The more people at an event/location, the greater the lag will be
Reality check #5
Your boss and co-workers will probably not view this as work
Reality check #6
The more fun you’re having, the more time you’ll watnt to spend on the grid
Reality check #7
People are generally polite but they still fall on your head
Reality check #8
Don’t keep track of who’s who based on appearances
Reality check #9
Updates, updates, updates
Reality check #10
Grey goo
purchased items disappearing
system promblems
Reality check #11
Sometimes it just doesn’t work
SL is cool, but sometimes is does not work like it’s supposed to.
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Tom Peters
avatars often say they are so glad that the library does not have sex and gambling
What are we learning:
will they have collections
what services will they have
events are big draws
exhibits are pretty interesting
SL has been a release of pent-up librarian created energy
What types of library services do SL avatars want, need, and expect?
What types of library buildings and locations are needed?
Are collections needed?
They are finding people like to be outdoors
You only have inclement weather if someone wills it
Challenges
self-inflicted burnout
external funding
expertise funding
Implementing Library 2.0 concepts
Rapidly evolving environment and human understanding of that environment
Predictions
Library services to avatars will thrive
architecture will evolve away from real-world architecture
libraries will include elements from museums, them parks
exhibits and events will be more useful than traditional collections
immersive, experiential learning experiences
Librarians have fun in SL