SLA in Virtual Worlds

Notes from today's SL event

At 8 a.m. SLT, a nearly a dozen people gathered in Second Life on the land owned by SLA (not every avatar who attended is in the photo above).  Jill Hurst-Wahl (Jillianna Suisei) provided background on SLA's activities in Second Life and talked about what is being considered for the future.  The meeting was conducted using both voice and text chat.  Although most people could hear voice, several people could not.

Background: In 2007, Stephen Abram began thinking about his upcoming year has president.  He decided to focus his year on getting more SLA members involved with social networking tools and web 2.0.  In January 2008, Stephen announced three initiatives -- the Innovation Lab, 23 Things, and Second Life (wiki).  The Second Life workgoup was charged with introducing more SLA members to Second Life through real life and in-world interactions.  During the next few months, members joined the Second Life workgroup and began planning what they wanted to do.  The group purchased land in SL (4096 sqm or 1 acre).  During the spring, several members of the workgroup created our in-world environment, which currently consists of a sandbox, two multi-use buildings, and a skydeck.  (You can teleport to the skydeck/skygrass from inside the smaller building.)

Please note that the fire pit is located on the part of our land that is the sandbox.  You are free to experiment with building things here.  The land is set to automatically delete your experiments about  once every two days.

The Workgroup: The workgroup is comprised of three teams (individual pages are underdeveloped):

• Training & Events headed by Ming Wong
• In-world Environment headed by Heather O-Daniel
• Publications & Communications headed by Richard Hulser

Although it was noted that these teams are established, more SLA members can volunteer to help.  To join, email Jill Hurst-Wahl at hurst {at} hurstassocates.com

Team members are encourage to contribute:

• blog posts on their experiences
• reviews of SL books/events/etc.
• information/reviews on other virtual worlds
• helpful tips and techniques
• in-world discussions
• training "classes" either in-world or in real life

If everyone on the team contributes something each month -- even just  blog post -- the overall effect will be tremendous.

Our In-World Group: There is also a group in Second Life that anyone can join called "Special Libraries Assoc. in SL".  This group is open to SLA members and others who are interested in our activities.  The group will primarily be used for announcements.  You can find the group through the Search command in Second Life.  AS of today, this group has 38 members.

Ideas from the Discussion:  Several ideas were bounced around during our discussion this morning.

1. There was support for a Virtual Chapter.  Recognizing that this chapter may migrate in the long-term to another virtual world, those who met today felt that it should not be called the Second Life Chapter.
2. There was support for hosting events on our land in SL, but it is was felt that we should not duplicate what is available in other places.  For example, there are many free workshops elsewhere in SL.  We might make our members aware of those workshops, but not hold  competing workshops.  Instead, people liked the idea of holding events that would be unique, for example, keynote addresses or presentations by SLA members.  It was suggested that we ask Stephen Abram (Squid Cagney) to do the first keynote address in SL on our land.
3. Sofie Sass (avatar) had messaged some of us about a newbie garden elsewhere in SL.  Having newbie resources on our land would be a wonderful help, so we might implement some of what others have done.  Perhaps "starter kits" for new avatars?
4. People like the idea of having dual-world events (i.e., an event that occurs both in real life and in Second Life).  People also liked the idea of doing something around SLA Centennial.  John Lowery (Roderick Lorefield) would like to something with Click U in Second Life, which might be perfect for a dual-world event.
5. While SLA's headquarters (HQ) may not have people who have the team to delve deeply into SL, it's hoped that they will get familiar with SL and see how they could use it.  If HQ needs help developing something in SL, the workgroup can be first resource it turns to (recognizing that it may also need to call upon other resources, e.g., other in-world developers).

I believe I captured everything, but if I did not, please leave a comment with what I missed.  Thank you!

In Closing:  I want to thank everyone who came this morning, including one person who was traveling on vacation.  Please remember that this Second Life initiative is here for your benefit.  Please let us know what we can do to help you understand more about virtual worlds.  We need that input.  Thank you! 

Survey on How Librarians Balance Real and Virtual Worlds

Survey is for librarians who spend part of their work time in a one or more Virtual Worlds like Second Life, Active World of Kaneva or are planning future events or activiites in a virtual world.  Survey will take about 10 minutes to complete.  Resuls will be published in an international journal and shared with members of LITA.

Survey URL  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=htHSX0lzOcNsq9I1Kc_2fL6g_3d_3d

Furries, Nekos and Tinies

If you have spent any time in Second LIfe, you have probably noticed that not all avatars take human forms. Wolves, otters, cats, dragons, foxes and other animal shapes abound in Second Life. 

Furries may be the largest group of anthropomorphic avatars in Second Life.  They are normally the same height as human avatars.  Many of them prefer wearing only fur, rather than a fur/clothing mixture.  Species, appearance and behavior are individually driven.  Although many furry and human avatars interact on a basis of mutual respect and friendship, some furries do complain about "fursecution".  They often form their own communities within Second Life. The Caledon Wiki provides a good discussion on Furries  (Caledon is one of the libraries on the Info Island Archipelago in SL)

Diminutive sized avatars are called Tinies.  They are the child-sized avatars that appear on the adult Second Life grid.  They may be either human or furry  shaped.  Tinies may also form their own communities

Nekos, from the Japanese word for cat based up the race in manga, appear as a mix of human and feline characteristics.  They may have a more human shape, but pronouned feline ears and tail.  They may make cat sounds and mimic some aspects of a cat's personality.  The Caledon wiki also has an interesting section on Nekos.

The reasons for selecting a non-human avatar vary.  One Asian-American librarian said that she could not find a human avatar that she felt represented her so her chose a fox avatar instead.  Other avatars have said they like the freedom and creativity of exploring their animal natures.  For other avis, wearing fur frees them from the need to acquire and wear a Second Life wardrobe.

Libraries in Virtual Worlds -- Alliance Library System 2008 Trend Report

This is the group that initiated the library presence in Second Life in 2006. This is an excerpt from the portion of the report dealing with Virtual Worlds.  Link to the whole report.

http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/pdf08/TrendsReport2008.pdf

In 2008 libraries must become the tool that assists customers make sense of that mountain of information they have found. We need to focus on digitally delivering the competitive advantage to our customers or we will be lost in the avalanche!

A. Virtual Worlds

The Gartner group predicts that by 2011, 80% of Internet users will be in a virtual world. Clearly, virtual worlds are here to stay in one form or another. Virtual worlds and social networking are already second nature to our children as it holds their attention, begs them to participate and brings them back again and again.

Librarians need to have the courage to defend intellectual freedom in the virtual world but mitigate the security issues. We need to speak with a clear voice that abolition or filtering is not the answer. Just like prohibition, there are as many ways around a technological block as there are virtual worlds. The only viable answer to keep customers safe in cyber space is through education and supporting parents who are engaged in their children’s virtual lives. Libraries need to educate parents and children about how to stay safe and viable in the virtual world.

In addressing Internet safety, the following issues are critical:

1. Virtual libraries are diligently following the Linden Lab Terms of Service and not allowing individuals under the age of 18 access. If librarians encounter someone under age their account is immediately terminated.

2. The libraries in the virtual world of Teen Second Life, for individuals ages 13-17, follow the Linden Labs Terms of Service and do not allow adults on library properties unless they have gone through the required background check.

3. Libraries support and provide Internet safety education and have been proactive in developing materials to assist parents, educators, children and our customers.

B. Second Life; Info Island Archipelago

Second Life (SL) is a virtual world entirely built and owned by its adult residents. In April, 2006, SL had 180,000 users; by June, 2008, it has over 12 million avatars from around the world. Alliance has been the "mother-ship" for Info Island which has proved to be a very viable information platform for testing and providing virtual services. We have made great strides stabilizing development and seeking sustainable funding for virtual librarianship. Critical to the two-year success is the collaboration that has resulted. There is an Info Island Google group with over 700 members from around the world, an "inworld" volunteer group of over 900 librarian avatars and a friends group of over 1600 members. International interest in the Info Island Archipelago has truly surprised us, and the early successes academics and adult educators have had is phenomenal.

Opportunities for collaboration from around world have been an unexpected benefit and have created a global library community. Virtual librarianship is not for everyone, but for those who see the need, it has been a breath of fresh air.

1. Immersive Environments In the last 12 months one of the most interesting trends has been the success of immersive environments; that is digital communities that focus on experiential learning. Like language immersion, immersive environments add a whole new dimension to learning that returns it to the world of fun, and when learning is fun, we gain so much more than just the facts. For example:

* Land of Lincoln:  The Land of Lincoln, an immersive learning environment is designed to celebrate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. It includes a Lincoln era White House, a 19th century town, numerous displays and activities plus the Lincoln Memorial.

2. Reference Services

The potential of virtual reference service continues to be of great interest to the library community. Are reference services in the virtual world viable? How do they compare to the real world? To date, this is what we know: We get asked approximately 30 questions a day including: SL directional questions, (i.e. where is HealthInfo Island?), SL reference questions, (i.e. what is an avatar?), traditional directional questions, (i.e. where is Afghanistan?) and traditional reference questions, (i.e. what is a dog pot?).

2007 Reference statistics

Services/questions

Patrons/Avatars served 6,769

Second Life directional questions 1,921 questions

Second Life reference questions 2,292 questions

Real life directional questions 186 questions

In 2008, we will continue to develop virtual reference services, test procedures to streamline the reference interview and provide more live coverage as we move towards the goal of 24/7 reference service on Info Island!

3. Collection Development

Collections have grown from a few public domain books to a broad range of subject area resources. Most collections consist of websites URLs selected by librarians to provide a representative and authoritative overview of a topic. Special exhibits, programs and resources are created within these subject areas to augment collections. Audio and video is streamed in and hyperlinks work both ways between the web and SL. It is this visualization and networking that is so compelling.

4. Why is virtual librarianship so controversial? Interestingly, in its short existence, virtual librarianship has polarized the library community into those "who get it" and see the potential and those who simply don’t and won’t. So, why is virtual librarianship so controversial? In answering this question 46 avatars responded as follows:

*  Uisng an avatar is a very different way to meet and serve the library customer It takes time and effort to master the skills needed to be effective in this brave new world!

* Every new technology or format has been controversial or threatening when first presented and virtual librarianship is no different.

* Second Life requires a huge learning currve, great bandwidth and very new hardware.

* Virtual librarianship is truly a global community.  It does not serve the traditional geographic boundaries of a public library.

* The controversy owes much to a lack of understanding.  There are fears that this "game" will compete with traditional services.

* Fears have been fed by some sensationalistic journalism and political motivations – they like to highlight the radical fringes that exist in virtual and real world librarianship.

5. What have we learned?

The virtual service we are building and the number of people we are serving continues to be evaluated positively in professional and academic publications. What have we learned in the last 12 months?

* There is a very real need for virtual library services.

*Behind every avatar is a person and that is what makes the virtual world so powerful and challenging..

* There is a growing demand for courses and programs about virtual librarianship.

* Most librarians are inquisitive, just like avatars and want to know what virtual librarianship is all about. We take this as a very good sign.

* Collaboration and partnerships are essential for success.

* The potential for professional networking is astounding.

Although virtual librarianship is in its formative years, it has ignited a renewed interest in building and sustaining libraries around the world. We are reaching a whole new community of users. It has also challenged the stereotypical view we have of ourselves and the services we deliver.

* Health Initiatives:

Alliance has received three grants from the National Library of Medicine Greater Midwest Region to establish and staff HealthInfo Island, an immersive health information environment; to build an Accessibility Center and to create an orientation and health information island for people with chronic health problems and disabilities. HealthInfo Island has a clinical medical library along with a hugely popular consumer health library and accessibility center. Full-time staff work with a wide variety of health care providers and care givers, offering training on how to access and evaluate digital health information. This program reaches into the homes of folks who are truly homebound and gives them wings, literally.

First Event Scheduled at the SLA Building in Second Life

SLA in Second LIfe Group Chair, Jill Hurst-Wahl has scheduled SLA's first event in Second Life.  Per the new Upcoming Events Calendar on the SLA in Second Life Wiki, the first event is scheduled for Thursday, July 31, 8-9 am Second Life Time (SLT), which is the same as 11-12 Eastern Daylight Time.

"Come and hear what SLA is doing currently and its plans for the future in Second Life.  Also share your ideas about what we should be doing."

The SLURL for the SLA site is: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cybrary%20City%20II/59/100/22

See you In World on July 31 at the SLA site!

The SLA building has streaming video and other capabilties.  Come see what they are.

50 Tips and Tricks to Create a Learning Space in Second Life

In CollegeDegrees.com, Heather Johnson has compiled a helpful list of resources, tool, sites, and ideas on that can help budding or emerged virtual word educators take advantage of the opportunities available in Second life and other virtual worlds.

http://www.collegedegrees.com/blog/2008/05/27/50-tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-learning-space-in-second-life

Bringing the Web into Second Life More Easily

The July 15, 2008 issue of Technology Review has an article on "The Virtual World as Web Browser" by Eric Naone.  "Linden Lab is working on making it easier to import data from the World into Second Life."  It would also make it easier to bring data in from users desktops.

What did that Avi Say? Learning the Lingo of Second Life

Have you ever "listened" to a Local Chat session in SL and wondered what the residents were talking about?  Between the IM type abbreviations and the words that deal with a Second Life or Virtual World situation, a newbie (new Second LIfe resident) may feel as if he or she has to learn a new language, in addition to learning how to move, act, dress, and communicate in this new environment.

The best way to learn what your fellow avatars are saying may to be ask.  However, if the 'conversations are going fast and furious, you may not get a chance to have your question answered.

Here are some basic words/acronyms that you may find helpful.

AFK--Away from Keyboard.  Quick way to let people know why your avi may not be responding.  Also used in texting.

Alt--Altenative account in Second LIfe.  When a resident has more than one account in SL, he/she may refer to their second or third avatars as their Alts.

Avatar--Resident or person of Second Life, also called avi.

Chat--A "public' means of communication where the dialog is visible to all Avatars within 20 meters of the speaker.  This is opposed to the more private IM method.

Griefing--Any action that adversely affects an avatar's Second Life presence or experience.  It can include caging, pushing, stalking, interferring with an Avi's appearance, etc.  Avatars are enouraged to report all griefing experiences by filling out an Abuse Report

IM or Instant Messaging--  A "private" means of communication with another person or AVi, who may not be in the same region as the sender.  If the avi is offline, the IM will be held until the avi is online.  If the mailbox gets full, later IMs may force out messages that were stored earlier

Region--Virtual region or simulation in Second Life of a physical region or landmass, that is hosted on a single server. The SL grid is divided into thousands of regions or sims, each with its own rules, themes, ratings, etc.

Rez--To create an object in SL.  It also referes to sharpening one's image as it appears on the monitor.  An avi that has not fully rezzed may have temporarily have a different skin or clothing until the rezzing is complete.

Other Second Life Glossaries

Second Edition

Second Life Wiki Glossary--more technical terms

Second LIfe Wikia Glossary

SciLands  Second Life Glossary

Article: Linden-IBM Avatar's Small Step & the 1US Website

A test has proven that inter-virtual world travel is possible!  Perhaps soon avatars will be able to wander freely between any virtual world.

Article: Google Launches Virtual World Called Lively

I haven't tried Google's virtual world yet, but would be interested in hearing from anyone who has.  I'm intrigued that:

Worlds can be embedded into web pages, although only Windows users on IE or Firefox can view them, after an add-on download and installation.

Imagine having a virtual world embedded on the SLA web site and used as meeting space for SLA members?