ACRL-VWIG & ALA Virtual Communities in Libraries Program

October 11, 2015

"What Makes a Library: A Tour of Libraries in Second Life"

Presented by
Beth O’Connell, (Beth Ghostraven in Second Life) 

CVL Auditorium in Second Life 12:00pm SLT

Beth Ghostraven

Inspired by Allie Vanyar's survey of Second Life Libraries, our guest speaker, Beth Ghostraven took the audience on a tour of some notable libraries of Second Life.  There was a large turnout of 21 librarians/educators, for this event.   

We started at the Community Virtual Library, which also serves as host to our monthly ACRL-VWIG meetings. 

The group of 21 librarians and educators of Second Life gathers outside the CVL Reference area

The CVL is one of the earliest and longest lived of libraries in Second Life. In its' present incarnation, it features both a Reference area and a main library, both of which function  as information portals for those seeking information about library/education related events taking place in Second Life.  Included too are reading resources such as links to daily newspapers from all over the world in English and 12 other languages, book reviews of current books.  In addition to providing information about community group and library related events, the main CVL library contains a large collection of facsimile editions of classic books available via Project Gutenberg and over 60 up-to-date online guides to various world literature. 

Valibrarian Gregg, Joe Cupola and Ilene Pratt survey the CVL Reference area

Reference at CVL

The Main Library at CVL

The Next stop on the tour was the Bracken Library on the Ball State University Campus in Second Life.  This library has attempted to replicate the look and feel of the "real" BSU library.

Exterior Ball State University's Bracken Library in Second Life

The "Real" Bracken Library at Ball State University on the campus of BSU

This library closely resembles the real library.  It features live Reference assistance several days a week, and links to BSU's library information services portal.  At this library, currently enrolled BSU students may search their library's catalog and databases, search course reserves and view over 20,000 digitized photographs on the history of BSU.

Interior Bracken Library at BSU in Second Life

In addition to digital resources the library features meeting areas, a white board for use during presentations and a large theater used to show digital media exhibits and films.  Information kiosks set up in the Middletown Studies Archives within the library, feature videos, slideshows and notecards.  These kiosks provide a means of highlighting special library exhibits and collections on specialized topics.

Information kiosks provide videos and info on special topics

The next library on the tour was the H.G. Wells Memorial Library, one of the Caledon branch libraries.

The H.G. Wells Memorial Branch, one of the Caledon Libraries

This library, one of several operating in the Caledon sims, focuses on both real and imaginary voyages.  Visitors here have access to a large collection of facsimile editions of books on travel available via Project Gutenberg.  This library also serves as an information hub which provides information on upcoming events and links to other areas in the extensive Caledon region.

Interior HG Wells Memorial Library

Next on the tour was Expedition Central at Chilbo.  

While technically an "explorers' club" and not a library, Expedition Central provides scores of links to educational and cultural places found in Second Life.  It consists of a constantly updated library of 130 links/teleports to in-world locations grouped by category.  If you click the link it will give you a landmark so that you may visit that location in Second Life.  It covers almost all subject areas with a focus on historical recreations and educational sims, the Arts, Science and History.  It includes links to such famous Second Life locations as Inspire Space Park, the Chakryn Forest, Roma. Blakes Deep, Mont St. Michel, Genome Island, the Exploratorium, Svaraga, and the Paleozoic Museum.

The final stop on the tour was the Library of Babel at the University of Worchester sim.

The immense spire of the Library of Babel

This is an example of a fantasy library, something not quite possible in the real world.  It is part performance and part virtual building project.  It was really more of an art installation and based on the works of Borges.  One of the librarians present said it might represent how new users sometimes feel about our real life libraries.

Visitors to this library are led by avatar performers through the space.  As a visitor climbs to the top of the library, a tower full of words, he encounters impossible stories 

re-imagined for the virtual world.

Participants next gathered at Beth's Second Life Pub, The Book & Tankard to share observations and hold a brief discussion about the nature of Second Life libraries.  

Post-tour discussion

Joe Cupola

In the beginning, many libraries were trying to recreate their physical space and functions in Second Life.  Today, after some years of experience seeing what works and what doesn't, libraries aren't so bound by the need to recreate themselves in virtual worlds.

Ilene Pratt, Amvans Lapis, Riven Homewood

Libraries in Second Life, like libraries in real life serve a lot of different functions but they have some commonalities; information sharing, access to resources and access to librarians.  With the looming advent of Oculus Rift and the inevitable focus that will bring on virtual worlds, everyone agreed that more librarians need to try (or retry) using virtual worlds.

Alexandria Knight, Valibrarian Gregg, Igard

Having a space that at least looks something like a library works as a kind of visual metaphor for people.  It provides them with a familiar context and helps to make things interesting and comfortable for them.  

Hannah Bluemood, Mimsey Borogove, Dulcie Mills & Bill Friis

However, increasingly there was a sense that in order for libraries to function or even be useful in virtual worlds, they need to accept that there's power to be gained from something not experienced physically.  The very things which make virtual worlds feel so real; their powerful immersive qualities, the enriched sense of space and self they can provide, all serve to add a very powerful dimension which encourages interaction and collaboration.  These two elements, which are so often missing from online learning environments, are among the defining hallmarks of virtual worlds.