The Universal Library in a Virtual Universe
Lori Bell - Searcher
May 15, 2008
Most universal libraries focus on the input side of the equation - gathering, organizing, and preserving as much of recorded human information andknowledge as possible. The ancient library at Alexandria was an attempt at creating and sustaining a universal library.
In the digital era, despite an explosion of information and knowledge, the prospect of actually realizing a universal library has generated not only renewed interest, but also substantial investment and serious effort. The Internet Archive and its related Open Content Alliance, the Google Book Search initiative and Google's general mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," and the Universal Digital Library initiative at Carnegie Mellon University are but three of many projects attempting to realize the dream of the universal library in the 21st century.
While all these initiatives focus on collections and other input, one can also define a universal library in terms of services and outputs. Specifically, through the recent emergence of virtual worlds, one can offer a full-service library to everyone worldwide, including avatars in virtual worlds.
What Is Second Life?
Second Life is a virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents, or users. New participants discover a vast digital land, teeming with people, entertainment, and opportunities. After exploring, individuals might decide to buy land, purchase a home, or start a business. Users can buy a small piece of land on the mainland starting at 512 square meters (m2) or a private island equal to 65,000 m2, or 16 acres. In second Life, residents are surrounded by the creations of fellow residents. Because residents retain the rights to their digital creations, they can buy, sell, and trade with other residents. There is an economy with property rights and intellectual property rights.
Everything you can imagine (andsome things you couldn't) can be found in second Life. There are museums, 19th- century worlds where residents dress in period clothing and live in Victorian homes, immersive learning environments such as an Egyptian tomb, and Star Trek futuristic realms. The Alliance second Life Library has built a Renaissance Island where users can participate in historical role-playing, even in costume, or just observe. The University of Central Missouri received a grant to recreate New York City's Harlem of the 1920s complet e with a public library, cabarets, and other buildings and activities of the era.
Participants in second Life build an "avatar," or alternate persona, to actively participate in the creation of media instead of the more passive modes of watching television or viewing a static webpage. A participant may create an avatar that resembles them in real life or change the color of their hair, eyes, skin; they might even make an avatar of a different sex or a different species. Although some might view virtual environments as new and unproven, in fact, online communities have a tradition of providing new environments for mutual support and learning, in some ways embodying the evolving roles of libraries within their "real-life" communities. second Life goes beyond recreational gaming; it is a virtual world.
Libraries in Second Life
As evident to academic librarians and documented in the library literature, student use of academic libraries is decreasing with the advent of the internet and online resources. Librarians at these institutions have to rethink the nature of collections, services, and the library as place. As college campuses, hospitals, large companies such as Dell and IBM, and nonprofit institutions investigate and establish their presence in virtual worlds such as second Life and Active Worlds (Appalachian State University and Eastern University in Pennsylvania are two prime examples), the Alliance Library System decided it was important to look at this for its 259 multitype member libraries.
In April 2006, Alliance started alibrary in a small rented building in second Life to investigate library services in the virtual world. Immediately, Alliance was approached by a number of other partners to provide library services and to work with organizations to develop customized resources for specific educational programs. As of December 2007, the second Life Library, now called the Info Archipelago, has nearly 40 islands associated with it. At the core are the library islands (Info International, Infotainment, Info Island I, Cybrary City, Cybrary City 2, ALA Arts/Info Island, Renaissance Island, Healthlnfo Island, Eduislands 1,2,3 and4) surrounded by partners including nonprofit agencies; educational institutions such as San Jose State University; associations such as the International Society for Technology in Education; and government agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As academic, nonprofit, and medical organizations as well as schools expand their presence in second Life, libraries, to remain viable, must do the same. Libraries should be prepared to assist virtual residents in finding and evaluating online information, giving them independence and confidence in using the internet, and to provide access to high-quality information resources. As in the real world, it is important that the library reach out to these communities and provide alocation, even if that "location" is digital, where residents can visit, learn, experience, and communicate.
Language No Issue! Reference Services Popular
The second Life Library provides reference, information services, and information in general in a number of different languages at the Info International Island. This island was built to reflect the international nature and flavor of second Life. Reference service has proven a popular core service of the library. In the last year, the reference service on the Info Island Archipelago has grown from a tiny group of volunteers to a thriving library service. We have our dedicated staff of volunteers to thank for this.
Volunteer librarians from all over the wo rid staff the information desk more than 80 hours a week to provide services to avatars. If a patron comes to the desk and does not speak the language of the librarian, a Babbler software tool translates the text of the patron and reference librarian. Voice communication, only recently introduced into second Life, is not translated, however.
During 2007, we served 6,769 patrons, answering 1,921SL directional questions, 2,292 SL reference questions, 186 RL directional question,; and 287 RL reference questions. We've had46 reported voice patrons and 37 patrons who spoke/typed no English.
A Work Force ofVolunteers: A Double-Edged Sword
The second Life Library has an amazing staff ofvolunteer librarians from all over the world. There are 800 s elf-identified librarians in second Life and more than 600 participate in the second Life Library; Google Group discussion list reference librarians cover the desk 80-plus hours per week. Because it is a global volunteer effort, 24/7 service becomes a possible reality. For a workforce of volunteers, the quality of service has not only sustained but grown during the past 18 months. The SL Library staff count their experience in second Life as equal to that of their real-life jobs.
One of the drawbacks of using volunteers is that when push comes to shove and real life interrupts second Life, real life and real job must come first. Volunteers who jump in with enthusiasm can easily become burned out and either cut back their time or quit participating altogether. Because of the varied talents of librarians involved with the project, the services, collections, and programs of the second Life Library are much more than any one library could do on their own.
Lesson learned? The best way to develop a universal library is through a worldwide group of librarians.
Avatars Invite More Personalized Virtual Services
Many businesses and agencies in second Life are unstaffed. Avatars visit the business, pick out what they want to purchase, then pay and leave. Recently, we have seen a trend emerging toward staffing businesses, night clubs, and service groups, including the second Life Library. People want personalized service in a virtual world just as they do in the real world. In the evenings, there is always a group at the reference desk on Info Island International, carrying on a conversation. SL residents have learned that the library islands are places they can go to meet people and participate in interesting conversations without being "griefed" (i.e., given a hard time).
Popular Programs and Events
Programs and events have proven very popular at the second Life Library and draw a variety of people into the library. In fact, these events are the lifeblood of the library, even more so than at a bricks-and-mortar library. A number of groups within the library put on the programs. These include a genealogy group, science-fiction fantasy, mystery, theater, science center, art librarians, and more. During 2007, the second Life Library hosted an average of three to five events per week with audiences of four to five to 60 or 70 avatars. Most programs drew 25-30 avatars, with b ook discussions drawing a smaller number. Librarians could provide programs that might not have been possible in the real world, such as a jousting tourney on Renaissance Island or a speaker local libraries could not afford.
Immersive Learning/Ability to Create Environments
One of the most exciting opportunities in the virtual world of second Life for librarians and educators alike is the ability to build an immersive learning environment. In spring 2007, Alliance and volunteers from Info Island built Renaissance Island, a world of Elizabethan England, where students, educators, and anyone interested in the time period can live in a period house, run a shop, or plan events that took place in that time period, such as jousting and faires. There is also a replica of the GlobeTheater where drama, history, and English instructors can have their students perform a play or a reading. The Island also houses alibrary of resources on the Renaissance. Those involved with this learning environment have built a community in which everyone can contribute and work together to not only read or hear ab out a time period, but to actually live in it.
Collections
Although librarians have worked very hard to build collections in second Life, these early virtual world collections often serve more as links to web resources on a topic than as a book or journal. Reading can be done in second Life. Some books consist of notecards that link you to the text. Other books are created to look exactly as they do in real life. For many of these books, one has to go into "mouseview" to see the print. We have found that some of the most popular events and programs in second Life are author programs, book discussions, and programs that promote reading. Most residents do not read while in second Life, although they enthusiastically participate in events promoting books.
The Wikinomics Application: Collaboration Like You've Never seen It Before
DonTapscott and Anthony Williams' 2007 book, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, makes an important point that applies to the Alliance second Life Library and to other collaborative efforts by nonprofits, educators, and others in second Life. No one company or library can keep up with all the new developments in innovation and technology. To keep up, businesses and libraries must work together and with other organizations to remain innovative and viable. With all of the new social networking tools and the rapid growth of information, collaboration is the key to success.
This is true of library success and survival in a virtual world. As in virtual reference, no one library, no matter how big or how well-staffed, has enough staff or resources to provide virtual reference services 24/7; therefore, libraries work collaboratively to provide this service. Collaboration provides more coverage, more staff, more expertise, and improved services. Although individual libraries are beginning to setup their own presences in second Life, they will have to continue to work together to provide comprehensive services. Educator collaboration helps lower the learning curve for instructors; lesson plans and techniques can be shared. second Life, at least during these early years and hopefully for the foreseeable future, seems to foster networking and collaboration very well.
Disadvantages and Challenges
On the other side of wonderful opportunities for libraries in the world of second Life are some major challenges and drawbacks. To offer library services in second Life, librarians do not simply show up to a physical space or even to a webpage to offer services. Even the most basic services in a virtual world depend upon bandwidth, a third-party company (second Life, maintained by Linden Lab), computer hardware, and a clunky client software updated every week or so. second Life is not dependable. It has more down time than most programs, and parts of the program often do not work on a consistent basis. This hampers a library's ability to provide reliable services.
Librarians not only need traditional library skills, but also to feel comfortable with new technology and with using it to communicate with residents. The search engine within second Life has major drawbacks. Sometimes it does not work or only part of it may work. A resident might do a search on "library" one day and find all the libraries in second Life that have listed themselves. Five minutes later, the search might not work at all. To be listed in the search service, land and property owners must pay 30 lindens (the equivalent of 10 cents) per week and then are listed according to site popularity. Many places may not wish to pay to be listed, so finding them becomes a matter of luck. There is really no subject search to find all the sites on a certain topic. By inputting a keyword, one might find something only if the keyword appears in the name or in the short description for the place.
There are many beautiful and amazing places in second Life that residents have taken a great deal of time and effort to build. For instance, a sim called Versailles City has a replica of Versailles. However, if people do not find these places, what value do they have except to the creator? Why should the creator have to pay to list their site in the directory?
Another harsh call to virtual reality comes if you have an event or program limited in the number of people who can be gathered in one space. Usually it is not recommended to have more than 50-70 avatars on one island at one time. There is tremendous lag; you add scripts running on top of the number of people, plus audio and video. If you push it, the whole island will crash. What happens if you set the limit for the space to 70 and the 71st person arrives? They are told the island is full. They will not be able to return until someone else leaves.
Another amazing problem with second Life is the absence of an integrated web. To visit a website for information while in second Life, you must go to an entirely separate window on your computer to access the web. This has implications for librarians providing reference service, for collections of subject website links, and for teachers and trainers who want the web to enhance their teaching.
Although second Life as a whole, and librarianship in second Life in particular, are both in their formative years, this type of virtual world librarians hip has helped fuel a renewed interest in building and sustaining a universal library. Go ogle is b etting the farm that content will remain king. In virtual worlds, however, services, events, exhibits, and immersive information seeking and learning experiences may give king content a coup. The Alliance second Life Library is a fascinating effort by a worldwide community of librarians and library users to create a universal library based on services and experiences, not primarily on amassing content - on papyrus, paper, or in digits.
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