by I was quite excited when I heard this conference was being held at Brock and it turned out I had reason to be – it was a great conference and I’m still digesting it. One of the exciting things for me was that the conference was diverse – there were gamers, non-gamers, game designers, professors, teachers and librarians, all thinking about the same types of things in slightly different ways. The conference was a great start at collaboration from different spheres and I loved hearing from so many different points of view. As with most conferences, there were too many sessions to choose from for an one time slot. The keynote speakers (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Chris Csikszentmihalyi, James Paul Gee, Denis Dyack) were thought provoking (I’ve left my notes at work and will post details of sessions later). As usual, conversation was great – this is where I find I often get the most from the conference. I was lucky enough to sit with Sarah Robbins (aka Intellagirl), Mark Bell, James Paul Gee and a number of other interesting, well-thought attendees for supper. Needless to say, I went to bed with lots to think about. I hope to attend this conference again.
Second Life
CLA in St.John’s
This was my first visit to Newfoundland, a visit that was far overdue. The city itself was great. I didn’t attend much of the conference but I did present, run a couple of meetings and attend others. As you may remember from my shameless plug, I presented at CLA on Second Life. I was part of a talented panel (Donna Bourne-Tyson, Denyse Rodrigues, and Nancy Collins) and my portion was on virtual reference. I spoke on my experiences in the Info Island virtual reference project and touched lightly on our recently launched McMaster virtual reference pilot project from our building on Cybrary City. I will likely post some more complete thoughts on the project when it’s done. The session went well (kudos to all presenters) and we had a much bigger crowd than expected (always a pleasant surprise). I’m hoping our powerpoint and handout will be online soon.
InfoIsland One Year Anniversary!
Time flies when you’re having fun! It’s hard to believe that it’s the one year anniversary of InfoIsland! The amount of work that has been accomplished in this short time is amazing! We’ve already grown to well over a dozen islands, have over 500 international librarians working on a variety of projects, and an increasing number of visitors. Kudos to all involved, especially our fearless leader Lori Bell.
Here’s a list of activities in the works for our 1 year celebration that’s happening this weekend (May 18-20). Hope you can drop in sometime!
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
5/18 Friday
5/18 FRIDAY- ALL DAY
Open House in the Reader’s Garden, Cybrary City II (28, 24, 22).
Open house in the Garden, and distribution of free books by a local SL author in ThincC Press format. Contact: Minerva Enoch
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM SL Caledon Reception on InfoIsland I- In the grassy area beside the ALS building. Contact: JJ Drinkwater
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM SL Fireworks on InfoIsland I – same location Contact: Rosmairta Kilara
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM SL Gallery Party – Library Gallery – InfoIsland. IContact Abbey Zenith
9:00 PM SL InfoIsland I Tour: Meet at Welcome Center. Contact Jon Kozhedub
5/19 Saturday
5/19 SATURDAY – ALL DAY
Open House in the Reader’s Garden, Cybrary City II (28, 24, 22).
Open house in the Garden, and distribution of free books by a local SL author in ThincC Press format. Contact: Minerva Enoch.
10:00 AM SL – ALS Program InfoIsland Open Air Auditorium. Contact Lorelei Junot
10:30 AM SL – The Future of Second Life Library Discussion – Info Island I Open Air Auditorium -lead by Fleet Goldenberg
and Maxito Ricardo – come join us and discuss the future of Second Life Library
11:00 AM – SciFi Book Discussion – SciFi Portal Contact: Hawk Lightcloud
12:00 Noon – 2:00 PM Building Classes. Contact Anjj Juran
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Double Concert: AldoManutio Abruzzo & Jaynine Scarborough at Pantheon Theater -InfoIsland II Contact: John2 Kepler
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Peace Park Opening – InfoIsland I Contact: Abbey Zenith
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Machniama Class. Contact HVX Silverstar – ALA Arts InfoIsland
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Grand Opening of Bell Library on Info Island I, Music and Dancing with the Stars – Contact Abbey Zenith/Lorelei Junot
5/20 Sunday
5/20 SUNDAY – ALL DAY
Open House in the Reader’s Garden, Cybrary City II (28, 24, 22).
Open house in the Garden, and distribution of free books by a local SL author in ThincC Press format. Contact: Minerva Enoch.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM SL Machinima class. Contact HVX Silverstar – ALA Arts Infoisland
12:00 PM- 1:00 PM Renaissance Music Concert – Renaissance Island Marketplace – Contact Thom Dowd
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM SL New Librarian Orientation InfoIsland Open Air Auditorium Contact Abbey Zenith
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM SL 5-6 PM SL, Sunday May 20 Pain in the Brain! How to cope with teens in the library – HealthInfo Island – Contact Cerulean Vesperia
Second Life Loneliness
An interesting post over on InfoCult on the emptiness of Second Life. If you’ve been in the virtual world, you’ve likely experienced it. Over 25000 people online and no one is in any of the places you visit. This is one of the issues I think libraries need to consider when they create a space in SL. Yes, it’s great to create a space and explore the potential of the world, however, just having a space is not enough. We must try to bring people (not just one) to the space. It is important to continue to have events in your building, whether they are put on by the library or whether the space is used by another group (ie. community meetings). The SL library needs to become a branch in which events are held and people can come to meet others, much like a real library. It’s not necessarily an easy task but in order to get the most out of SL I feel it is one we need to pursue.
Shameless Plug
I spent my recent research leave concentrating on some Second Life projects I have on the go. With only a couple of weeks before one of them is due, I thought I would put out a shameless plug. I will presenting at the CLA conference in St. John’s this year. I am part of a panel session entitled “Second Life: Virtual Reference & IL Librarians with Wings” and I will be sharing my virtual reference experiences in the virtual world. So, if you’re planning on going to CLA, please say hello.
Also, as AGIIG convenor, we will be having our annual meeting at CLA, so check out the AGIIG blog for more details.
Second Life Reasoning
Kathryn Greenhill posted a great piece on why libraries should consider exploring Second Life. She’s certainly done a great job at highlighting the advantages to librarians for being in Second Life. It got me thinking about what the advantages for our patrons might be. This is a preliminary list that I hope to continue working on.
1. Leave the traditional behind. The great strength of Second Life is that the library doesn’t have to be traditional. We don’t need walls. We can offer information in a new and exciting way that may be more appealing to our patrons.
2. Visual. Many of our patrons, particularly the Net Gen, prefer to have information provided in a visual manner. Second Life provides an amazing way to present information visually and in 3D.
3. Point of need. Yes, it’s true that many of our patrons are not in Second Life yet, but they could be here soon or somewhere similar. By at least offering information or services here, we can reach them when they need it.
4. Reach new user groups. Some users may feel uncomfortable coming to a library, due to pschological or mental issues, physical disabilities, or a strange dislike of the library. By offering a presence in a virtual world where there are fewer stigmas (you don’t need that wheel chair, you can avoid crowds), we can meet their needs.
5. Interactive. Second Life is a social virtual world. We can create interactive exhibits which will be of interest to our new patrons. We can also be more interactive with our patrons. It may be my experience, but people who I’ve helped have often asked me more questions in Second Life, possibly on account of the anonymity it provides (will see if this continues when we get voice in world). They are also likely to friend you. A new level of relationship may occur between patron and librarian. You may feel more connected.
Immersive Learning Librarian
This was announced a little while ago but I’ve only decided to blog about it now. I know there has been a lot of interest in this topic. We’ve hired our Immersive Learning Librarian, who will be looking into virtual worlds, gaming, and other immersive environments. Congrats to Shawn McCann! I hope to be working with him on our Second Life presence and I’m sure he’ll have some great ideas to help our presence grow there.
Congrats to the other librarians we have also recently hired:
- Communications, Marketing and Outreach Librarian – Catherine Baird
- Digital Strategies Librarian – Nicholas Ruest
- Digital Technologies Development Librarian – John Fink
McMaster Second Life Virtual Reference Service
Starting tomorrow, we will be offering virtual reference service in our space on Cybrary City! Thanks to the 5 volunteers who have agreed to help me out! This is a pilot to see if such a service is necessary and how it might be staffed. We are just starting the summer term here, so we will be running the pilot for the extent of the term. Feel free to stop by and ask a question! For more info, check out our post in the Daily News.
Virtual World Librarianship
The Alliance Library System and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are offering a 6 week course on Virtual World Librarianship. Sign up here.
New Learning Space in SL
This comes from Intellagirl’s blog. It seems that a great new learning space, Angle Learning Isle, is available for everyone to try in Second Life (I can’t wait to check this out). This space has a sandbox area, educator’s tool gallery, and classrooms on demand – sounds perfect for those who want to try things out before committing whole heartedly – among other things.
And congrats to Intellagirl on her new job!