Energize! Exploring Legal and Library Communities in a Virtual World

Energize! Teleporting to Second Life:

Exploring the Legal and Library Communities

in a Virtual World

AALL Annual Meeting 2008, Session I-2

Meg Kribble aka “Anne Idler”Emerging Technologies, Reference, & Instructional Services Librarian

Nova Southeastern University - Shepard Broad Law Centerkribblem@nsu.law.nova.edu

Dwight Schrute explains…

Yes, there are obstacles

“There was a day when I looked forward to my browser

not taking several minutes to load. . . .

We're not World of Warcraft. We're not structured like any game.

Second Life is a 3-D version of your browser in 1993.”

--Jean Miller , Linden Lab Community Manager, February 2007

So, why explore Second Life?

Experience a new interface

Learn new skills

Distance events

Networking

Fun

Collaboration

Virtual field trips

Teaching real life legal concepts

Exploring virtual world law

• 'Stranger than Fiction': Taxing Virtual Worlds, Leandra Lederman, Indiana University

• The Virtual World as a Company Town - Freedom of Speech in Massively Multiple Online Role Playing Games, Peter S. Jenkins, York University

• Leave Those Orcs Alone: Property Rights in Virtual Worlds, Kevin Edward Deenihan, UCLA

• Anti-Social Contracts: The Contractual Governance of Online Communities, Joshua Fairfield, Indiana University

• Virtual Worlds: Yet Another Challenge to Intellectual Property Law, Martine Boonk and Arno R. Lodder, Free University of Amsterdam

Evolution of the NSU Law Library

in Second Life

First building on Cybrary City

Larger building on Cybrary City II

Flat, static displays

Old school OPAC link

Current build: modular

Lessons learned: no walls, no doors, no stairs--and more

fun!

Cabana courthouse

The future

Vivaty, Lively

Thank youA current version of these slides will be

available at

http://slideshare.net/mak506/