Blog Post 2 : Librarians in Second Life

After just popping into Second Life, I have to admit it is just a little scary, although I do maintain the right to change my opinions (and I often do) on just about anything, especially Web 2.0.
Wagner James Au, a real life journalist was hired to become Second Life’s embedded journalist. Besides his blog, New World Notes article, “Taking New World Notes” can also be found in first monday. He claims that Second Life “can understand the conflicts and values of our own material world and for good and ill begin to shape them.” He takes this journalistic role very seriously and sets ethical guidelines in his reporting of Second Life. For examples, he gives no real identities, names, or faces, but does report Second Life experiences impacted by the real world. This includes property disputes, political party coverage, and campaign headquarters. This may be interesting for the next presidential election, Hillary, Obama and John McCain transporting and campaigning in Second Life. I wonder if they will have a virtual election.
Authoritarian governments and battles against terrorist activities are also present in Second Life, and I must say it gets confusing reading about underground terrorist in a virtual society using virtual communications to plot virtual terrorist activities. I just wonder, isn’t the real life world bad enough.
Second Life Herald blogs on news worthy subjects such as world meetings, political ideology of SL residents. Gwyneth Llewelyn blogs from a cultural perspective, while Torley's Second Life & techno music Blog, reports on personal experiences. Tabloid gossip blogs report on the social scene along with the size of female avatar’s feet. Architectural style blogs, Metaverse Architecture and Virtual Suburbia, review designs of virtual buildings.
This is all fascinating, but what does this have to do with Library 2.0?
Book discussions, historical research and reenactments, and even health literacy are now participating in Second Life. Steve Abrams believes SL can help with information literacy. Students creating avatar characters and their environments help them learn to read, understand setting, plot, conflict and character development in novels. Older students have the chance to build an entire native village, fort, historical places of battles. Libraries are reporting more books are checked out that identify the SL back ground stories of the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths of the avatars. He claims as long as it is fun, kids will do research (MultiMedia & Internet @ Schools, 2006).
Alliance Library System in Peoria, Illinois is involved in the creation of a Second Life Library in Second Life and Teen Second Life: a Virtual World for Teens. Even a virtual Academic Second Life Library is being created by the University in Pennsylvania. The Second Life Library owns seven islands of virtual property. Volunteer opportunities are available, librarians wear tags and teleport in Second Life offering to help find resources, answer reference
questions, and give directions. These are not Linded Lab employees, but volunteer librarians from all over the world. I’m not sure how it all operates, but it is encouraging that at least Second Life librarians are teleporting around with Hillary, the fashion police, Homeland Security and terrorist. I still don’t know what to think about all of this, but I will continue to have an open mind.
More information on Second Life Libraries.
Cybrary City - Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki.
Talis Opens Cybrary City in SecondLife - KnowProSE.com

Blogpost # 1 Library 2.0

As I question the significance of Library 2.0 and its affect on serving young adults in libraries, I remember Open Content Alliance, Chet Grycz during A Conversation with the Follett Chair: Ed Valauskas, making a profound comment on librarian’s involvement on the web. I believe these are his exact words.

“We need to immerse ourselves into the digital environment; if we are absent we are totally irrelevant altogether.”

I can’t help but wonder why more libraries have yet to take advantage of Web 2.0 and communicate with teens in their library district. Creating a sense of community through MySpace, Flickr, YouTube and Blogs on a library website can transfer that same community into the physical library. If a library meets the needs of the community, in this case a young adult community, by accommodating their needs, broadening their range of information and adding value to their content, then the library can become a place, a physical place and a virtual place to share, learn, and engage in-group discussions, both on and off the web.
Teens participating in teen advisory boards, focus groups, and library board meetings seems to work for some libraries according to article, “Web, Library, and Teen Services 2.0” by Kimberly Bolan, Meg Canada, and Rob Cullin, although “radical trust” is required in order to allow young adults to “shape and create the library.” Many libraries are now recognizing gaming, vodcasting, and podcasting as a “literacy activity.” ALA also addresses this topic in a press release, “Libraries go where teens are: Online,” and announces that YALSA will be leading a session on this topic at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a reality for many libraries; my village library doesn’t even have a good space for teens much less an appealing website. One Library that is embracing Library 2.0 is the ImaginOn - The Loft at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg Country in North Carolina. There teens have also made a commercial about their library on You Tube, another great example of teen participation. Just a few more activities off their Teen Loft Page.

Teen Second Life: Get One
Take Photos for Your Webpage
Be Smart Wired
Video Gaming Club
Make MySpace Photos Come to Life Google Page
CreatorDance Dance Revolution Tournament (ok, this isn’t web 2.0, is it? It stills seems like a great idea.)

I love great quotes, so here is one more by David Penniman of the University of Buffalo, NY, “In order for the library to remain what it is, it must change. If it doesn’t change it will not remain what it is.” What do you think?

IT IS NICE TO SEE YOU AT MY BLOG

Today, September 14, 2007, I blog for the first time. I will let you know how it goes. So far I am discovering the benefits of using second world, my space, wicki , flickr, and youtube. I have a feeling I will be dreaming of 753 tonight.