What in the world are libraries doing in virtual worlds?

The 3rd Web

Examples of virtual worlds Second Life Teen Second Life Whyville There.com QWAQ Club Penguin Forterra Many more

What is Second Life?

A 3-d virtual world Populated by over 14 million avatars Complete community with society,

culture/programs, economy, buildings, services, shops

Seen as the next distance learning platform

Over 250 higher education groups

Overview of Alliance Virtual Library project

Started in April 2006 to see if Second Life residents wanted library service

180,000 accounts at that time – now over 14 million

Started in a small rental plot Now almost 50 library and partner

islands Over 1000 self-identified librarians in SL Over 6000 reference questions per year Almost 2000 “Friends of the Library” in

world

Abbey Zenith/Rhonda Trueman and Lorelei Junot/Lori BellPartners in crime on Info Island

Puglet Dancer/Barbara GalikFirst academic library in sl, president of ALS board, director of Bradley library

Meet Maxito RicardoTom Peters in real life. Evaluates and coordinates grant projects in Second Life. Hosts book discussions

One of first libraries on Info Island

Now, no walls, ceilings, fly in!

Why are librarians in Second Life? Virtual worlds are the new 3d web Gartner group predicts by 2011, 80

percent of Internet users will be in virtual worlds

To investigate library services in virtual worlds

To meet some of our public who may or may not use the traditional library

To shape the future of library services

How it all started

April 2006 – rental of first plot of land and building

May 2006 – first island donated – Info Island August 2006 – second island donated – Info

Island II October 2006 – grand opening of Info Island

I October 2006 – Eye4You Alliance opens in

Teen Second Life December 2006 – Eduisland built for

educators who want to rent land and be near educators

More on how it started

December 2006 - Cybrary City provided by Talis for libraries to get a start

December 2006 – HealthInfo Island started with a grant from NLM/GMR

February 2007 – Imagination Island with Rachelville

200 8 – almost 50 library and partner islands; 1000 librarians in world; almost 200 friends of the library ; 5-8 events per week

Services offered:

Reference – 80 hours of in-avatar service per week

Programs and events – book discussions, genealogy programs, continuing education, speakers

Exhibits Collections grouped by topic Training – for librarians and Second

Life residents

Challenges to virtual world libraries Staffed by volunteers on their own

time – burnout Funding and sustainability What types of library services do

virtual world users want? Digital divide – hardware, software

and bandwidth needed Highly addictive Not everyone understands virtual

worlds

What we have learned

Virtual world residents do use the library

Collaboration is key Events and exhibits draw people SL is fun – the fun factor is important Networking is awesome! You meet

people from all over the world you would not otherwise meet

People still want books – many of our programs promote reading

ALA Island – pirate party, Banned Books Week 2007

Open air auditorium on Cybrary City, Info IslandFor continuing education events and programs

HealthInfo Island Medical LibraryALS has received 4 grants from the National Library of Medicine – 1) to build a consumer health library; 2) to create an accessibility center; 3) to create an orientation center for people with disabilities and chronic health; 4) to create an AIDS community resource center

Immersive education and historyALS built Renaissance Island in February 2007 – a Globe Theater, Elizabethan era housing and shops – second life residents can role play, participate or attend events like Renaissance fairs, jousting, and talks by Henry VIII

Land of LincolnTo celebrate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, ALS built a Land of Lincoln in Second Life and in Teen Second Life. The Second Life place includes a Lincoln-era White House, a typical plantation, a Lincoln Memorial, a 19th century village, and various displays.