Panel presentation for Texas Library Association Conference, held in San Antonio, Texas on Friday, April 16, 2010. Panel session title: "Second Life Implementation in Academic Libraries."
Presentation in Second Life on how to publish a book, for the Community Virtual Library's Book Fair. (Note: After downloading, select "Notes" view to see text of presentation.)
Introduction to information literacy--history, what it is, its significance, for MLIS students at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, Information Studies Department
Presentation in Second Life on how to publish a book, for the Community Virtual Library's Book Fair. (Note: After downloading, select "Notes" view to see text of presentation.)
Introduction to information literacy--history, what it is, its significance, for MLIS students at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, Information Studies Department
Presented to RL & SL audiences on 6/1/07 for the CLA Academic Section, thanks to collaborative efforts by Lori Bell (ALS), Jeff Lebow (Worldbridges), Barbara Quarton (CLA), Caroline Bordinaro (CSUDH), and myself--thank you, everyone!
Bernadette Daly Swanson - HVX Silverstar in Second Life
Reference/ Librarian - Carlson Health Sciences Library - University of California Davis, ELAG 2008 Conference - Rethinking the Library - 14-16 April 2008
European Libraries Automation Group | ELAG2008
Wageningen University & Research Center - The Netherlands.
View the Alliance Virtual Library Directory of Libraries at:
http://infoisland.org/directory/
Presentatie op NVB Wb/HB dag "Meet the Expert", 19 juni 2007 door Guus van den Brekel/Namro Orman. Discussie met Daniëlle Jansen/Gwendolyn Kronsage en Christan van der Ven/Christi Janus
I am Library: an ode to self-discovery and collective creativity in Second Li...Bernadette Daly Swanson
http://www.bridgingworlds.sg/index.html
Accompanying video on YouTube:
I am Library: an ode to self-discovery and collective creativity in Second Life®
Video (machinima):
Watch the video on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM5ze9M3AJ4
(be sure to watch the High Quality version – see the link at the bottom of the YouTube video window on the lower right side)
Abstract:
This paper and its accompanying presentation and video explore the library experience in Second Life and takes us on a visual journey through the virtual environment; meeting some of the librarians and educators, collaborators and partners. It introduces virtual worlds and their increasing significance to the library and educational communities, show-casing the work of the Alliance Virtual Library (AVL) founded and coordinated by the Alliance Library System of Peoria, Illinois, USA. Over the last 2.5 years, AVL has explored what it would be like to provide library services in virtual worlds, beginning with one librarian on a parcel of virtual land to a footprint that now comprises 50 islands, the virtual equivalent of 1.26 square miles, the size of Angel Island, standing proud and strong in the San Francisco Bay.
What are some of the issues and ongoing challenges facing libraries as they consider the creation of a virtual presence? What does a library “feel like” in a virtual world? (see accompanying video) How are libraries integrating Second Life with social networking sites such as FaceBook, Twitter, Delicious, YouTube, blogs and their existing web sites? Join us for this virtual world exploration and new media demonstration, I am Library.
Second Life: Virtual Libraries in a Virtual WorldMeg Kribble
A slightly re-organized version of the slides I used for a Second Life workshop for the Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN) on August 28, 2007.
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.
Done in Spring 2008 for librarians of the Association de bibliothécaires du Québec Library Association. A verrry basic intro to SL before diving "in world".
Presented to RL & SL audiences on 6/1/07 for the CLA Academic Section, thanks to collaborative efforts by Lori Bell (ALS), Jeff Lebow (Worldbridges), Barbara Quarton (CLA), Caroline Bordinaro (CSUDH), and myself--thank you, everyone!
Bernadette Daly Swanson - HVX Silverstar in Second Life
Reference/ Librarian - Carlson Health Sciences Library - University of California Davis, ELAG 2008 Conference - Rethinking the Library - 14-16 April 2008
European Libraries Automation Group | ELAG2008
Wageningen University & Research Center - The Netherlands.
View the Alliance Virtual Library Directory of Libraries at:
http://infoisland.org/directory/
Presentatie op NVB Wb/HB dag "Meet the Expert", 19 juni 2007 door Guus van den Brekel/Namro Orman. Discussie met Daniëlle Jansen/Gwendolyn Kronsage en Christan van der Ven/Christi Janus
I am Library: an ode to self-discovery and collective creativity in Second Li...Bernadette Daly Swanson
http://www.bridgingworlds.sg/index.html
Accompanying video on YouTube:
I am Library: an ode to self-discovery and collective creativity in Second Life®
Video (machinima):
Watch the video on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM5ze9M3AJ4
(be sure to watch the High Quality version – see the link at the bottom of the YouTube video window on the lower right side)
Abstract:
This paper and its accompanying presentation and video explore the library experience in Second Life and takes us on a visual journey through the virtual environment; meeting some of the librarians and educators, collaborators and partners. It introduces virtual worlds and their increasing significance to the library and educational communities, show-casing the work of the Alliance Virtual Library (AVL) founded and coordinated by the Alliance Library System of Peoria, Illinois, USA. Over the last 2.5 years, AVL has explored what it would be like to provide library services in virtual worlds, beginning with one librarian on a parcel of virtual land to a footprint that now comprises 50 islands, the virtual equivalent of 1.26 square miles, the size of Angel Island, standing proud and strong in the San Francisco Bay.
What are some of the issues and ongoing challenges facing libraries as they consider the creation of a virtual presence? What does a library “feel like” in a virtual world? (see accompanying video) How are libraries integrating Second Life with social networking sites such as FaceBook, Twitter, Delicious, YouTube, blogs and their existing web sites? Join us for this virtual world exploration and new media demonstration, I am Library.
Second Life: Virtual Libraries in a Virtual WorldMeg Kribble
A slightly re-organized version of the slides I used for a Second Life workshop for the Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN) on August 28, 2007.
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.
Done in Spring 2008 for librarians of the Association de bibliothécaires du Québec Library Association. A verrry basic intro to SL before diving "in world".
Similar to Second Life for Texas Library Association Conference 4 14 10 (20)
Pinterest Basics for Librarians -- BibliographyEsther Grassian
Selected articles and other items in support of the ACRL Virtual Worlds & Interest Group (VWIG) program held in the 3D virtual world of Second Life on 18 Aug 2013. Email estherg@ucla.edu if you have any questions.
ACRL Virtual Worlds & Interest Group program held in the 3D virtual world of Second Life on 18 Aug 2013. IMPORTANT: Open in Notes view to see the script of this presentation. Email estherg@ucla.edu if you have any questions.
Guest session: Introduction to information literacy for UCLA MLIS students in IS245 course taught by Mary Maack. Download and view this slide show in NOTES view in order to see the entire content.
Keynote address for LOEX of the West 2012 Conference, Burbank, CA, June 7, 2012. Going beyond gentle advocacy in order to publicize, promote and showcase information literacy instruction and librarians.
Workshop for UCLA Teaching Assistants and others on how to incorporate information literacy (including critical thinking) into their curricula and assignments.
Introduction to information researching for community college students in this UCLA Academic Advancement Program (AAP): Summer Transfer Enrichment Program (STEP). These students are taking classes at UCLA during the summer and may transfer to UCLA in another year.
Introduction to information researching and critical thinking for an undergraduate UCLA English composition course focused on a UC (University of California) education.
Introduction to information researching for a UCLA Freshman course, "Frontiers in Human Aging." This seminar is titled: Protecting Older Adults: Violence, Crime, Safety, and Prevention.
Introduction to information researching and critical thinking for a UCLA Freshman GE Cluster course, "Frontiers in Human Aging." This seminar focuses on arts and humanities in relation to aging (ageing). (To see the text of this session, view the Notes pages after downloading this slide show.)
Welcome comments for the co-sponsored ACRL CARL SEAL and LILi STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) information literacy, held at California State University, Northridge and in Second Life on December 4, 2009.
A review of the growth of the Israel Genealogy Research Association Database Collection for the last 12 months. Our collection is now passed the 3 million mark and still growing. See which archives have contributed the most. See the different types of records we have, and which years have had records added. You can also see what we have for the future.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionTechSoup
Let’s explore the intersection of technology and equity in the final session of our DEI series. Discover how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be used to support and enhance your nonprofit's DEI initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical AI applications and get tips for leveraging technology to advance their DEI goals.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Are you overworked in your “real life” (RL)? Maybe what you need is a brand new self in “Second Life” (SL). I’m Esther Grassian from the UCLA College Library I’m one of the panelists here today to talk with you about how academic libraries are experimenting with this 3D virtual world… We’re using avatar representations of ourselves & library simulations to fulfill & even expand on some of the imp functions we offer in RL, Real Life
This is my avatar--Alexandria Knight HOW MANY PEOPLE HEARD OF SECOND LIFE BEFORE YOU SAW THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THIS SESSION? DOES ANYONE HERE HAVE AN SL AVATAR? Articles about SL are popping up everywhere & there are a number of books about it, including Virtual Worlds, Real Librarie s, & Coming of Age in Second Life I’ve listed some on the bibliography I created to accompany this slide show
In the next 30 or so minutes, I’m going to be talking w/you about what SL is, who’s involved Examples of how academic libraries and librarians are using this technology to support teaching, learning, and research, and also to have fun We’re also doing our best to broadcast the audio of this panel session in SL & have our slide shows there too This is why I’m saying “NEXT SLIDE”—because Agnesa Capalini, Sandy Vella from UC Davis, is advancing my slides in SL. Thank you, Agnesa! And thank you too to Adra Letov, Diane Nahl at the Univ of Hawaii, for inserting my text into the SL chat.
What Is SL? HAS ANYONE HEARD OF “WORLD OF WARCRAFT” OR WOW? It’s like SL, in that both are modifiable MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), Both use avatars, but SL really isn’t a game because it doesn’t have a goal you try to reach by winning something WOW has many more users than SL—Over 1.7 million characters used it in just one 7-day period in 2009, In contract 769,000 unique users logged in to SL in Dec 2009
… SL a virtual world loosely based on the cyberpunk sci-fi novel, Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson… HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE READ SNOW CRASH? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it…
SL has community standards established by Linden Labs, the creators of SL SL residents design & build everything you’ll see there & following Lawrence Lessig’s advice, they retain intellectual property rights to those items They decide whether or not something they’ve created can be copied, modified, transferred or sold to other avatars And there are many shops where people sell their SL objects
SL has its own currency, called Lindens & a floating exchange Exchange rate is about L$260=US$1 SL’s economy is robust, even in these dire economic times… In 2009 there was a hefty 65% increase in sales in SL over 2008, to the tune of $567 million US dollars Residents’ gross earnings amounted to $55 million US dollars, an 11% increase over 2008 95% of those earnings were Net Proceeds (Profit!)
Who’s participating in SL? 16 million registered users from 150 countries (SL Cloud video) 45%=18-24; 34% = 25-34 As of last June, 50% were US participants Residents spent 481 million hours in Second Life in 2009, 21% more than in 2008 So, now you have a bit of background about what SL is, and its demographics In a minute, I’m going to show you what SL looks like from the inside, but what else should you know about it?
1 st , in order to use SL, you must download the SL software, you must have a computer w/ very strong graphics capability, & you must have a high speed Internet connection On the plus side, you can download SL software to a flash drive & push it to computers in a lab using classroom control software But, the cost of equipment & Internet connectivity for SL use may contribute to the digital divide According to an April 09 Pew survey, only about 63% of Americans have a high speed connection at home This is especially problematic when you consider that even at large research institutions like UCLA, some students don’t own computers, & there aren’t enough computer labs to go around On top of these issues, because of the increased interest in use of virtual worlds, it faces competition from open source alternatives like Open Croquet, Wonderland and Sirikata
Though you can get a free Basic Account there’s a learning curve involved in figuring out how to manipulate your avatar, how to move around in & communicate within SL, how to create or manipulate objects, as well as teach & do research. You have to allow about 4 hours to go through Orientation, that is… IF you don’t spend much time changing your avatar’s appearance. I’ve learned a lot thanks to spending many hours fumbling and bumbling around in SL since April 2006 when I first got an avatar, but I still goof up every once in a while & smash into a wall or fall to the bottom of the sea… Ok, finally, you should be forewarned that there’s a sleaze factor to SL, THOUGH THE LINDENS HAVE DONE THEIR BEST TO RESTRICT IT TO ADULT-ONLY AREAS… Alright, now with all of this in mind, let me introduce you to Second Life…
Here’s an example of a business in SL selling shoes You can also buy skin, hair, clothes, fur, wings, furniture and lots more!
This is Empyrean, a giant store that sells hair, glasses, even umbrellas, for that sudden rainstorm in SL!
And there’s Entertainment… Someone said that the 1st businesses to open in a new frontier are taverns & brothels… There are plenty of those in SL But when the libraries start to appear, you know the place is getting civilized… & there are lots of libraries in SL too! Well, anyhow, I put bazaars under entertainment, though lots of avatars go to bazaars just for the free stuff…
Here’s a bazaar, called Yadni’s Junkyard, a freebie site.
along with annoying signage that sort of yells at you…
Here’s the Texas Stampede Bar where you can drink and dance!
Now, in addition to business & entertainment, you can find publications in SL A few years ago there was just one SL newspaper called the Metaverse Messenger You just clicked on the kiosk to get a copy of the latest issue
Now there are many SL Newspapers & magazines that report on news & events, publish interviews, have regular columns & even ads, just like RL newspapers There’s even an SL magazine just for librarians, called Rez Libris You just click on any of these kiosks to get a copy of the latest issue of that publication You see me here on Info Island International, set up by the Alliance Library System of Illinois or ALS ALS supports all types of libraries in a particular region including academic libraries, This SL area has now branched off as the Community Virtual Library, which is why you see the signs that say SERIALS—librarians put up this exhibit & the signs, of course!
Can you have an academic library in a 3D virtual world like SL? Yes— there are many Let’s talk about current usage, benefits & potential for academic libraries in SL 1 st , the SL search isn’t great—it needs librarians’ help! But a March 2d search for college library retrieved 364 people, groups, & some places A search for university library retrieved 553
Here are just a few examples of academic institutions in SL, & the other panelists will be providing more examples Some are very creative about using SL for a variety of purposes Let me show you some snapshots of all of them
Sometimes the Library takes the lead for the entire campus, as at the University of Calif Irvine UCI faculty teach classes on this island & these are some of objects their their students created
Here you can get to Ask a Librarian if you have a reference question, or get more info about the UCI libraries, or watch some UCI Library videos
Re-creations of college campuses, like Texas Women’s University, can be helpful for student orientation, or for prospective students and parents
This is the Stanford University Library’s island… Some Stanford classes are taught on this island, & they offer exhibits, linked to their collections—
Here, for instance, is part of an exhibit on the history of Egyptian films, with posters that can switch between English and Arabic with just a click Clicking on an image will get you to the catalog record for that film.
This is the Stanford Library’s exhibit of archival material from their Special Collections. When you click on an archive box to open it you see a photo of the contents as if you were looking down into the box If you click on it again digital images of items from that box float up in the air
Austin’s Community College has an information literacy area called KnowHow Island Students can play a number of different games on this island, in order to learn information literacy concepts and skills
Here’s the Boolean pool—you pick AND, OR or NOT and then move the pool toys to the proper spot to match the correct Boolean operator
Here students see a description of 4 criteria for evaluating sources… Currency Reliability Authority Point of View … which spell out a memorable word…
After reading about these criteria, students apply them They click on the fortuneteller to get a notecard with a research question & instructions They go through the stores on the boardwalk, pick up puzzle pieces that may answer the question, & select those that are legitimate sources, based on the 4 criteria they learned
If they get the correct answers, they get a key to enter & ride the ferris wheel…
Ok, now we’re at the rather humble UCLA Library in SL… Though we have 13 libraries at UCLA, with >9 million volumes, spread out over a campus that serves 32,000 students, in SL we have a very small 2 story library, with one room on each floor… But, we have a SERVICE PLAN approved by our UL, & have accomplished quite a few key objectives with very little investment in time and money The UCLA Library has spent a total of US$200 in SL, since 2006, and I’ve spent a total of US$20 of my own money in SL since 2006 And I’ve been fortunate enough to have the help of 50 Winx in putting it together, Rhonda Super, a UCLA Library staff member
Our service plan goals, approved by our UL, Gary Strong, focus on 4 areas—building & enhancing: Library/faculty partnerships Research collections Services, especially IL Promoting our role as a vibrant academic research library Let’s take a look at some of the activities and projects I’ve been engaged in, in order to meet our service plan…
Here in the UCLA Library in SL, we’ve expanded access to our existing online website, research help & research tools. You click on the monitor on the table behind my avatar &…
up pops a notecard with links to UCLA library web pages…
To increase awareness of our research collections, we mounted copies of some images from our Campaign Literature digital collection in a slide show presenter You click on the forward or back arrows below the image to view more By the way, if you click on that colored ball on the left, you can get a copy of our service plan… Now, as to library and faculty partnerships, I’ve met this goal by partnering with instructors to help them learn SL so they can teach in this virtual world, and also so they can do conference presentations in SL, expanding their audience internationally
A few years ago I introduced Lisa Gerrard to SL. Lisa is a UCLA English Comp Lecturer who had been using MUDS and MOOS as online extensions of her in-person classes— MUDS & MOOS were text-only chat rooms, but died out when the web and social networking sites became popular Here’s Lisa sitting on a box in front of the UCLA Library surrounded by her students She likes to teach in a computer lab where the students are there in person and are also online. She says that students are more engaged online & participate in class discussions much more than they do in person Now, let’s go back inside the UCLA Library, to the 2d floor…
This is where Leigh Harris, another English Comp lecturer has been teaching UCLA undergrad classes too. At the back of the room, where we’re facing, I mounted a series of 6 artworks created by one of her students, called “Intersectionality: Black Female Experiences in the U.S.” It’s on a slide show presenter so you can advance through them all If you click on the green ball to the right of the slide show, you get a notecard with the title of each piece of art & the student’s notes about this exhibit
Here’s Leigh in the grey dress with her class when I did an information literacy session with them. We talked about the need to think critically about information of all sorts, regardless of its format, and then visited several SL sites I’d picked out as examples of the need for critical thinking in virtual worlds.
And here are a couple of the critical thinking questions I suggested we ask about SL sites, just as we do about web pages & other information sources Are they real and authoritative or are they fictional? Let’s take a look at a couple of examples…
The Heart Murmur Sim is very realistic… Before you can enter the Exam Rooms, you have to get a badge, and then they ask you to answer a survey form
Here’s the first Exam room w/ a 2-D patient on the bed You proceed through 3 Exam Rooms, listening to heartbeats, and reading diagnosis charts, In the last Exam Room, you’re tested to see how well you do in distinguishing among different types of heart murmurs, as opposed to healthy hearts WHAT DO YOU THINK--IS IT REAL OR IS IT FICTIONAL/ENTERTAINMENT?
Jeremy Kemp at the SJSU iSchool, the person who created it, said this: “This exhibit is for your entertainment only. None of the medical information presented here should be taken as true.” He went on to say, “ Needless to say, I don't practice medicine or dispense medical services through this exhibit. Call a doctor!” He was just trying to illustrate a possible training scenario in a virtual world.
OK, This research and training site, called Virtual Hallucinations purports to study schizophrenia, & expose people to a schizophrenic’s world Again, you must click on the triangle to get a badge
When you enter, you hear voices, the floor drops out from under you, you see newspaper headlines directed at you, and more… IS IT REAL OR FICTIONAL? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Peter Yellowlees, MD & computer programmer at UC Davis established this site He says, “the building contains a closely researched re-creation of visual and aural hallucinations, based on interviews of real schizophrenics.” It’s a realistic attempt to immerse you in what it’s like to be a schizophrenic It was designed to help families of schizophrenics understand what their loved one was going through So, those were examples of the sites I use for critical thinking/information literacy instruction in SL In addition, I’ve worked with UCLA faculty to expand the audience for their seminars & conference presentations
Here’s Leigh Harris on Entropia, the CLIR/DLF island I co-manage, where, if we’re lucky, SL avatars are listening to this sesion! Leigh and the Head of our Center for Digital Humanities did a presentation for a Sloan Consortium conference in San Francisco last June Their presentation was called “Teaching and Learning in a 3D Virtual Universe” You can find a copy of their slideshow on slideshare.net,& also listed in the bibliography I created for this panel session
Here’s another example of library/faculty partnership in SL During 2008/2009, I helped set up nine 3-hour-long Mellon Seminars in Digital Humanities, with a live video feed into SL of the seminars held at UCLA & taught jointly by a UCLA faculty member & a visiting prof from Stanford The Seminars were open to the public & drew an international audience in SL
During one of those Seminars, We went on a tour of the Dante Hotel in SL, created by Lynn Hershman. She’s an artist, an Emeritus POrof. of Digital Art at the Univ of Calif., Davis, & an A.D. White Prof. at Large at Cornell Univ. You can find a link to videos and transcripts of these sessions on the Mellon Seminar web site listed in the bibliography There’s also a citation to a blog posting about this Dante Hotel SL sim in the bibliography
Ok, now an example of reference service in SL… I couldn’t resist showing you this frog prince visitor to the UCLA Library when I was 1 st setting it up in 2007… — the frog was asking about UCLA Library resources, so it was a real reference interaction SL can also be an excellent venue to practice reference interviewing, as Kristine Condic points out in “Using Second Life as a Training Tool in an Academic Library” (2009), also cited in the bibliography
Back to the UCLA Library in SL Service Plan—promoting our role as a vibrant enterprise in the academic research library community and in higher ed To my mind, that also involves professional participation & global networking Organizations and institutions hold meetings & offer training and programs in SL, sometimes simultaneously with real life or RL events, or with other web conferencing software like OPAL This expands the audience internationally, and as a result, expands opportunities for communication, collaboration and networking,
For instance, ALA has its own SL island w/ areas for each Division & holds events here
— here you see a meeting of the ACRL Virtual Worlds Committee
This is part of an SL poster from an ACRL panel session on information literacy & Web 2.0 that I moderated in SL, The panel was put together cooperatively by library school students from Diane Nahl’s U of Hawaii LIS Program class It included panelists from different parts of the world, all participating in this session without leaving their desks
So, I’ve talked about what SL is, AND who’s involved , Examples of real and fictional sites to illustrate the need for a questioning, critical thinking attitude everywhere I’ve also provided examples of how libraries and librarians can contribute in a virtual world like Second Life. To conclude…
Why get into SL? In addition to meeting common library goals like reference, information literacy instruction, & promotion of collections, SL offers opportunities to learn new skills, It also offers opportunities for working with faculty, with librarians, & with technologists, worldwide, in a new and developing arena, where you can utilize & go far beyond what we now offer in the way of synchronous & asynchronous technologies to support teaching, learning, research & training. For librarians, it offers a means for us to highlight our skills and knowledge of information researching tools, in order to help people learn of their existence & learn how to think critically about resources of all types, regardless of their format. For instructors, it offers a means of engaging and working with students to improve teaching, learning and research And, SL is a popular social networking site with rapidly increasing membership, so it also allows you to…
… Go to & work directly with students, faculty and others where they are congregating, rather than waiting for them to come to us. I hope you’ll be tempted to jump in!