Virtual Worlds Demand Innovative Roles and Skills from Medical Librarians Patricia F. Anderson 1 , Emerging Technologies Librarian, <[email protected]>; Jane Blumenthal 1 , Director; Carol Perryman 2 , PhD; Gillian Mayman 1 , Informatics Librarian; Anne Perorazio 1 , Infopoint; 1 Health Sciences Libraries, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 2 School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman's University, Denton, Texas, United States
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Virtual Worlds Demand Innovative Roles and Skills from Medical Librarians
OBJECTIVES: As our institutions engage in new online learning and community spaces, the roles of the medical librarian have shifted to encompass these new environments. In Second Life (SL) and other virtual worlds, while the fundamental goals of service, support, collection development, reference, and outreach remain the same, the scope of audience and delivery of health information in support of these goals takes on a vastly different form. METHODS: An academic medical library collaborated with local health sciences schools and programs on developing a SL space. The librarians initiated training sessions on SL skills; organized a seminar series; developed resources and exhibits that bridged the virtual world and online environments; collaborated with local, national and international partners; and broadly served as community managers for the Second Life community and space. RESULTS: Outcomes of the librarians' activities as community managers included professional presentations in SL, creation of tools to index health information in SL, engagement with patient support communities, and formation of an international SL health education community. CONCLUSIONS: Second Life offers exceptional opportunities for health and medical librarians through flexible and innovative new roles.
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Virtual Worlds Demand Innovative Roles and Skills from Medical
Librarians Patricia F. Anderson1, Emerging Technologies Librarian, <[email protected]>;
Jane Blumenthal1, Director; Carol Perryman2, PhD; Gillian Mayman1, Informatics Librarian; Anne Perorazio1, Infopoint;
1Health Sciences Libraries, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA2School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman's University, Denton,
Texas, United States
Background: What is Second Life?• What is SecondLife?• Buzzwords
• Libraries • Health & healthcare• Science • Education
– 3. Make connections in SL with possible mentors/partners– 4. Facilitate discovery and connection for our faculty and
University community.
SL: Libraries
SL: Health & healthcare
SL: Science
SLHealthy
• http://slhealthy.wetpaint.com/
Phase Two: Outreach
• Context: Wolverine Island in active development, portions open to restricted group, not open to campus community
• Library team members collaborate with health science schools – To promote Second Life opportunities– To inform interested faculty about SL– To disseminate Second Life skill base– To develop a campus cohort with skills & interest
• Initial outreach and collaboration focused on Medical School and School of Dentistry
Phase Two: Presentations
• What’s a Nice Library Like Yours Doing in a Place like This?: http://www.slideshare.net/umhealthscienceslibraries/whats-a-nice-library-20070731
Phase Two: Podcasts
• Why Work & Teach With Second Life: http://www.slideshare.net/umhealthscienceslibraries/why-work-teach-with-second-life
Phase Two: Orientations
• Getting Started in Second Life: http://www.slideshare.net/umhealthscienceslibraries/getting-started-in-second-life
Phase Two: Really the Real World
• Face-to-face• Consultations
– Private– On-demand– In offices– In Second Life
• Classes– Single sessions for faculty & staff– Student cohort class taught as four session
elective in Medical School
Phase Two: Video / Machinima
• Science Learning Opportunities in Second Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfsSGBraUhc
• Core library functions – how do these translate into virtual worlds?
• Collaborations with our academic environment
• Grand Opening events and activities — “Wolverine Island Kickoff”
Real Life Patrons (est.)
Second Life Patrons (est.)
HSL - What do we do?
• Pics of circulation, reference desk, stacks, new journals, and patrons at computers
HSL - What do we do?
RL SL
Circulation X
Collections X
Document Delivery X
Reference desk hours X
Reserves X
SL - Why not?
• Other libraries offer reference and reading collections in SL
• Not enough trained staff• Not enough demand
HSL - What else do we do?
RL SL
Instruction X X
Liaison services X X
Resource guides X X
Troubleshooting X X
Instruction in RL
Instruction in SL
SL guides & handouts
SL Troubleshooting
• Installation, updates, permissions• Local tech support• Highly secure tech
environments• Teleporting requires
network access to adjacent “pipes”
• Voice/video/versions• Videocards• Who ya gonna call?
HSL - What else do we do?
RL SL
Community space X X
Events & speakers X X
Exhibits X X
Research & grants X ?
Small group working spaces
X X
Events
• Pics from events for the SLUM Brown Bag series - Demo of Play2Train space; self-guided tour of Genome Island; putting on school colors for a winter tour of Wolverine Island, a gaming event, invited speaker JJ Drinkwater
Exhibits
HSL - What else do we do?
RL SL
Library tours X X
World tours X
Tools – Information X X
Tools – Building, coding X
Vendors & ‘sales’ X
Tours
Tools
Vendors
HSL - What else do we do?
RL SL
Free clothes, hair, skin, and a food court, too!
X
Game days X
Maize & Blue (“Spirit”) Shop
X
Parties & Dance floor X
Patient support group X
Other
• Food court and patient support group
Who we are
• Volunteers from the HSL staff– Liaisons– Infopoint
• Small group work space• Open whiteboards• Dancefloor• Event space
Example skills used• Editing furniture & scripts• Making freebie givers• Event planning and coordination• Recruiting speakers• Mixing sit poses for seating areas• Graphic design• Setting up vendors• Doing slide presentations • Clothing design• Orientation Island, again & again
Campus Communities in Collaboration
• Health programs– Medical School (SL/RL)– School of Dentistry (SL/RL)– Department of Kinesiology (SL/RL)– School of Public Health (SL/RL)– College of Pharmacy (SL/RL)– School of Nursing (RL)
• Non-health programs– Computer Sciences– Dearborn Campus– Distance Learning– Literature, Sciences & Arts (Foreign Languages, Writing)– Libraries– School of Information– Unspecified
• Healthcare Education• Ohio State University• Pathfinder Linden
• Healthinfo Island, part of the Alliance Library System based in Illinois
• Carolina Keats
• Virtual Abilities Inc, a SL community of persons with special needs
• Abilities Commons• Gentle Heron
• Organizing for America• Siri Vita
Rewards
• Collegial activities with other campuses and institutions (Ann Arbor + Dearborn)
• Awareness & visibility• Learning & engagement• Collaboration & sharing • Costs ($$) borne by others (mostly)• Identified as community leaders• Second Life is its own reward
Lessons learned 1
• The power of the freebie• The essential goodness of human nature
– (but one bad apple can spoil a lot of people’s day)• There is no limit to imagination
– (but there is to time and ability)• Presence first, then space• The importance of being flexible and responsive
– Ask what is most needed – Don’t make plans before you build skills– When you do make plans, make backup plans
Lessons learned 2
• “No man is an island” – especially in SL!– Team building– Team playing– Neighbors– Friends– Colleagues– Community– Strangers
Whatcha gonna do?
• Strip to your underwear to teach a class• Do Tai Chi on the roof • Make a dance floor
• Blog: http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/slum/ • Pics: http://flickr.com/groups/slum/• Wiki: http://slum.wetpaint.com/• NOTE: Wolverine Island is not currently
open to the public.
Presentation Resources
• These slides are available at:– http://www.slideshare.net/