My presentation to the LCLCPL is next Wednesday at 3:00. It looks like it is just going to be Mary and Helen, so I don't think I'll do a PowerPoint for this presentation. I'm going to email the paper to Mary before the meeting, and I can create a page for her to print out of the important points I'm going to cover in my speech, but since I'm taking them into Second Life, I don't think a PowerPoint is really necessary.
Mary has offered to go into Second Life with me, and I have accepted. This way Helen can see how the avatars interact with each other, the typing motions , etc. So I'll give my speech first (probably no more than 5 minutes), then we'll go into Second Life and show her what it is. I was thinking of letting it load while I give the speech, but I'm actually going to load it when I'm done, to give Helen a better feel of just how long it takes to load, even on my super-speedy computer - the LCLCPL's computers certainly aren't up to SL standards, so if they decide to do it, they're looking at a substantial investment.
As I said last night, I'm sure my recommendation of entering SL slowly won't be what Helen wants to hear, but I think it's the right recommendation to make - there's just too many factors with SL to jump in willy-nilly. If it were my library, this is the track I would take - lower investment for the test run, and if that test run is successful, then we can invest more resources (time, computers, skills, etc) to creating an island.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Presentation
With my presentation just a few short days away, I finally got started on the mechanics of my presentation. I've been writing my speech and working on the paper for the LCLCPL, so the part I worked on this weekend was the Powerpoint. I decided for simplicity's sake that I would just give a Powerpoint presentation rather than trying to ask everyone to actually go into Second Life - it's just not feasible for a 5 minute presentation.
My presentation looks a little bare, but that's what Powerpoint slides are supposed to look like - in a proper presentation, the slides are simply an outline of what the speaker is discussing, a way to keep everyone watching the presentation on the same timeline. Most of my information will be given in my speech, which is both good and bad. The good part is it keeps me from repeating what's already on the slides and I can improvise if someone has a question. The bad part is that not everyone is an audio learner, so they may miss important information.
I've put a picture from Second Life on every other slide in my presentation because I think it will keep everyone interested. It shakes things up, and I'm able to show what I'm talking about right after I finish talking about it. It also keeps it from getting boring - how many pictures of SL can you really see in 5 minutes?
For the rest of the weekend and the beginning part of the week, I need to review my Powerpoint and finish writing my speech. The paper doesn't have to be "turned in" until next week so I'm putting that aside for the moment - I have it all outlined and some sources, so I'll still be able to write my speech and give a professional presentation to my peers.
My presentation looks a little bare, but that's what Powerpoint slides are supposed to look like - in a proper presentation, the slides are simply an outline of what the speaker is discussing, a way to keep everyone watching the presentation on the same timeline. Most of my information will be given in my speech, which is both good and bad. The good part is it keeps me from repeating what's already on the slides and I can improvise if someone has a question. The bad part is that not everyone is an audio learner, so they may miss important information.
I've put a picture from Second Life on every other slide in my presentation because I think it will keep everyone interested. It shakes things up, and I'm able to show what I'm talking about right after I finish talking about it. It also keeps it from getting boring - how many pictures of SL can you really see in 5 minutes?
For the rest of the weekend and the beginning part of the week, I need to review my Powerpoint and finish writing my speech. The paper doesn't have to be "turned in" until next week so I'm putting that aside for the moment - I have it all outlined and some sources, so I'll still be able to write my speech and give a professional presentation to my peers.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Paper has started
This past week, I managed to start my paper. I have most of the Introduction done, as well as some of the Background and Asynchronous Collection. I have been formatting my References as I use them so I won't have to do it all at once at the end of the paper, and I have also been doing a lot of research. I haven't started on the virtual reference part of the paper yet - I want to find a few more sources before I start that, but I'll certainly have to start it by this weekend. I want a first draft of the paper done by Thanksgiving, so that I'll have the last weekend of the semester to polish it, write the speech (which will flow from the paper) and create my Powerpoint.
Much of the research I did this week was encouraging libraries to get into Second Life now - strike just before the iron gets hot, so to speak. Many people feel that if libraries can establish themselves in SL before many of the patrons get there, patrons will naturally turn to libraries for help in SL and thus be viable and valuable again. So now I don't know what to suggest to Helen. On the one hand, I would hate to see the LCLCPL rush into anything, just because they want to get into SL and be well trained before their patrons get there. But if the patrons never show, the LCLCPL has wasted time and money on a virtual reference environment. On the other hand, I wouldn't like to see the LCLCPL sitting on the sidelines when they have a chance to be a leader for public libraries in SL. So I guess it's really about timing - entering SL early enough to have a bit of lead-time for training but not so early that it's still unclear if Leon County patrons will ever use SL. Many non-library people I've spoken to (including college students) say "Second Life? Is that, like, that online game where people try to make money?" If people are only thinking of SL as a game, or a commercial endeavor, they will never try it.
The bottom line is that the LCLCPL needs to do what is best for their patrons. If their patrons show absolutely no interest in SL right now, perhaps the LCLCPL should hold off on entering SL for the moment and focus on other virtual reference opportunities. If patron interest in SL swells in a few years, then the LCLCPL will be ready.
Much of the research I did this week was encouraging libraries to get into Second Life now - strike just before the iron gets hot, so to speak. Many people feel that if libraries can establish themselves in SL before many of the patrons get there, patrons will naturally turn to libraries for help in SL and thus be viable and valuable again. So now I don't know what to suggest to Helen. On the one hand, I would hate to see the LCLCPL rush into anything, just because they want to get into SL and be well trained before their patrons get there. But if the patrons never show, the LCLCPL has wasted time and money on a virtual reference environment. On the other hand, I wouldn't like to see the LCLCPL sitting on the sidelines when they have a chance to be a leader for public libraries in SL. So I guess it's really about timing - entering SL early enough to have a bit of lead-time for training but not so early that it's still unclear if Leon County patrons will ever use SL. Many non-library people I've spoken to (including college students) say "Second Life? Is that, like, that online game where people try to make money?" If people are only thinking of SL as a game, or a commercial endeavor, they will never try it.
The bottom line is that the LCLCPL needs to do what is best for their patrons. If their patrons show absolutely no interest in SL right now, perhaps the LCLCPL should hold off on entering SL for the moment and focus on other virtual reference opportunities. If patron interest in SL swells in a few years, then the LCLCPL will be ready.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Stress keeps a-rising
My computer is STILL in the shop, so I haven't had access to SL in over 3 weeks. I'm really starting to panic - even though my presentation isn't until Dec. 3, I still want to have time to take lots of SL pictures of what I'll be talking about and to have a chance to practice in Elluminate.
The good news is that my real world research is almost done. I've written an outline and collected most of my sources. I think it will be easiest to write the paper first, then do the speech, and finally the Powerpoint. Even though I need the Powerpoint presentation first (for my class presentation on the 3rd) I don't think I can make a good presentation without knowing what I want to say first.
In my presentation to LCLCPL, I am planning to present my findings first, then go into SL. I'm afraid that if we go into SL first, Helen will be so enamored with it that she will comepletely disregard my findings and cautions and may not even listen to my presentation. Mary has been into SL before, so she will know what to expect but I don't know if Helen has any experience at all in SL. And that could be why she's so gung-ho about it - she doesn't know what it's really like.
I mostly concerned for the LCLCPL to rush headlong into SL and then find that none of their patrons are even IN SL. It is extremely difficult to give good reference assistance if the patron isn't there. I really wanted Helen to consider 2.0 technologies before SL because we know the patrons are there - just walking around the library you see people checking their Facebook or MySpace pages. I think the key to successful reference work is to see where your patrons are, then go there, not the other way around. Trying to anticipate where patrons will go is tricky at best, expensive and unsuccessful at worst. And it's not like the LCLCPL has librarians already trained in SL, which would make the implementation easier.
At least I know the parts of my presentation, I have a plan and an outline to do it, and hopefully my computer will be fixed next week.
The good news is that my real world research is almost done. I've written an outline and collected most of my sources. I think it will be easiest to write the paper first, then do the speech, and finally the Powerpoint. Even though I need the Powerpoint presentation first (for my class presentation on the 3rd) I don't think I can make a good presentation without knowing what I want to say first.
In my presentation to LCLCPL, I am planning to present my findings first, then go into SL. I'm afraid that if we go into SL first, Helen will be so enamored with it that she will comepletely disregard my findings and cautions and may not even listen to my presentation. Mary has been into SL before, so she will know what to expect but I don't know if Helen has any experience at all in SL. And that could be why she's so gung-ho about it - she doesn't know what it's really like.
I mostly concerned for the LCLCPL to rush headlong into SL and then find that none of their patrons are even IN SL. It is extremely difficult to give good reference assistance if the patron isn't there. I really wanted Helen to consider 2.0 technologies before SL because we know the patrons are there - just walking around the library you see people checking their Facebook or MySpace pages. I think the key to successful reference work is to see where your patrons are, then go there, not the other way around. Trying to anticipate where patrons will go is tricky at best, expensive and unsuccessful at worst. And it's not like the LCLCPL has librarians already trained in SL, which would make the implementation easier.
At least I know the parts of my presentation, I have a plan and an outline to do it, and hopefully my computer will be fixed next week.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Outline and research
This week I realized that there are only 5 weeks left to write my paper, one of which is Thanksgiving week, during which I probably won't be doing any work. This leaves 4 weeks, with 2 other final projects to accomplish. The panicking started, the planning kicked in, and I created an outline for my final project. This was trickier than it sounds, as I'm doing SL stuff for THREE different people.
The first is for the Leon County Public Library. As the actual organization, I'm most concerned with their happiness. I think that if the LCLCPL is happy, the grades will come because the LCLCPL wouldn't be happy with a lousy plan/paper. This project is going to be a hybrid of a plan and a term paper. I plan to set it up like a term paper, addressing the different aspects of entering SL as a library, including real-time reference, asynchronous reference (also called Collection Management in the paper, as a virtual reference environment's collection will mostly be links to different things), and special considerations for the public library - like how, in many cases, only one avatar can be created from each computer. This is a problem for public libraries, as many people will probably create their avatars at the library where they can get librarian help. (Luckily, there's a solution to this problem, which will be addressed in the paper).
The second is for this class, the VRE. Interestingly enough, I may not necessarily have to write a paper for this class, as the third turn-in-able is a "submission of your final project". So it may be better for me to simply turn in the presentation that I will be giving to the LCLCPL, which will be much like the presentation I give in class. In fact, the class presentation will actually be a warm-up for the LCLCPL presentation, so I will have a chance to tweak it and make it better for the final organization.
The third is for my Management of Information Collections class. This paper will be focusing primarily on the asynchronous part of SL, the development of the virtual collection. This paper will mostly be derived from the paper for the LCLCPL, with the reference parts taken out. This is acceptable because the big paper for the LCLCPL is not being submitted for a grade, and submitting it to the organization is part of the final projct requirement.
So this week I spent mostly doing research. I've been searching the databases for articles on SL, how SL is used in libraries, especially public libraries, and I must say so far I've found a lot of personal narrative-type articles, which is not really what I want. I think putting one or two of those in the paper for the LCLCPL would be acceptable, as the librarians in the meeting will want to know how other librarians felt about SL, but I need to ensure my discussion is backed up with more academic evidence.
Once I write a first draft of the paper for the LCLCPL, then I can start planning my presentation. I think for class, the presentation will be mostly Powerpoint, with lots of pictures from SL. As a B.S-holding Business Administration major, I have been taught to be leery of Powerpoint presentations. So many people cut and paste stuff onto the slides and then just read the slides, which is really the worst thing you can do in a business presentation. At least I'm aware of this and so I can make sure not to make that mistake in my own presentation. For the LCLCPL presentation, Helen wants to actually visit SL and see what's inside, so that will be the second part of the presentation. I thought about putting it first, but I'm afraid she will be so enamored of the virtual world that she won't take my research seriously. In the preliminary research I've done so far, nearly every article is advising for public libraries to wait a few more years, until more peoples' computers catch up with the SL technology, before sinking a lot of time and money into a place where their patrons might not yet be, and I want to know she will be able to hear that message.
The first is for the Leon County Public Library. As the actual organization, I'm most concerned with their happiness. I think that if the LCLCPL is happy, the grades will come because the LCLCPL wouldn't be happy with a lousy plan/paper. This project is going to be a hybrid of a plan and a term paper. I plan to set it up like a term paper, addressing the different aspects of entering SL as a library, including real-time reference, asynchronous reference (also called Collection Management in the paper, as a virtual reference environment's collection will mostly be links to different things), and special considerations for the public library - like how, in many cases, only one avatar can be created from each computer. This is a problem for public libraries, as many people will probably create their avatars at the library where they can get librarian help. (Luckily, there's a solution to this problem, which will be addressed in the paper).
The second is for this class, the VRE. Interestingly enough, I may not necessarily have to write a paper for this class, as the third turn-in-able is a "submission of your final project". So it may be better for me to simply turn in the presentation that I will be giving to the LCLCPL, which will be much like the presentation I give in class. In fact, the class presentation will actually be a warm-up for the LCLCPL presentation, so I will have a chance to tweak it and make it better for the final organization.
The third is for my Management of Information Collections class. This paper will be focusing primarily on the asynchronous part of SL, the development of the virtual collection. This paper will mostly be derived from the paper for the LCLCPL, with the reference parts taken out. This is acceptable because the big paper for the LCLCPL is not being submitted for a grade, and submitting it to the organization is part of the final projct requirement.
So this week I spent mostly doing research. I've been searching the databases for articles on SL, how SL is used in libraries, especially public libraries, and I must say so far I've found a lot of personal narrative-type articles, which is not really what I want. I think putting one or two of those in the paper for the LCLCPL would be acceptable, as the librarians in the meeting will want to know how other librarians felt about SL, but I need to ensure my discussion is backed up with more academic evidence.
Once I write a first draft of the paper for the LCLCPL, then I can start planning my presentation. I think for class, the presentation will be mostly Powerpoint, with lots of pictures from SL. As a B.S-holding Business Administration major, I have been taught to be leery of Powerpoint presentations. So many people cut and paste stuff onto the slides and then just read the slides, which is really the worst thing you can do in a business presentation. At least I'm aware of this and so I can make sure not to make that mistake in my own presentation. For the LCLCPL presentation, Helen wants to actually visit SL and see what's inside, so that will be the second part of the presentation. I thought about putting it first, but I'm afraid she will be so enamored of the virtual world that she won't take my research seriously. In the preliminary research I've done so far, nearly every article is advising for public libraries to wait a few more years, until more peoples' computers catch up with the SL technology, before sinking a lot of time and money into a place where their patrons might not yet be, and I want to know she will be able to hear that message.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Crazy week
I'm sorry to report that I got almost no work done this week. Not from laziness, or from lack of trying, just because of life. My computer decided to crash last Saturday, which meant the whole weekend was shot, and then I had to work all day Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday I was out of town at a special appointment. So now it's Thursday, my computer still isn't fixed (though it's in the shop, so maybe by next week...) and I'm so tired I just want to pass out.
Alas, life goes on. I did manage to read the Pomerantz article last week, which I found interesting. I really liked his idea that "Blogs act as organizers of data." I'm not big on blogging personally - I like to talk to people as closely as possible, either face to face or on the phone. The people who truly care about what's going on in my life aren't addicted to their computers, and I would probably call them with the news before they got the information.
But that's in my personal life. In a professional setting, I can see where blogging would be useful - having to research the answer to the same question over and over again would get really old, really fast. With a blog, be it shared among librarians or just a blog for yourself, would save you that research time and time again. And as you discovered more information, you could simply add it to your blog to make an even better answer for the next person. Using keywords would help even more, giving you a searchable way to sort of catalog your thoughts and information.
I think a blog would be something really nice to have in SL, if you're using SL as a reference environment. It gives people another reference option for when there isn't a librarian staffing the SL space. Some questions can be anticipated (time of year, special occasions, stuff in the news, etc) and the good librarian can have links in SL ready. But taking it one step further, really utilizing all the technology available to librarians today and creating a blog about these events, not just having a pathfinder, would really enhance the user's experience, especially if other people can add to the blog. Of course, this brings up a whole slew of problems, especially for such a high-profile agency as the public library - how to monitor the blog to ensure no one makes inappropriate comments, keeping people on topic, etc - so public libraries may not be able to open their blogs to the public for editing just yet. But even posting the librarian's search strategies, posting the full question and asking other librarians to post their suggestions on tough questions could really help the user.
Alas, life goes on. I did manage to read the Pomerantz article last week, which I found interesting. I really liked his idea that "Blogs act as organizers of data." I'm not big on blogging personally - I like to talk to people as closely as possible, either face to face or on the phone. The people who truly care about what's going on in my life aren't addicted to their computers, and I would probably call them with the news before they got the information.
But that's in my personal life. In a professional setting, I can see where blogging would be useful - having to research the answer to the same question over and over again would get really old, really fast. With a blog, be it shared among librarians or just a blog for yourself, would save you that research time and time again. And as you discovered more information, you could simply add it to your blog to make an even better answer for the next person. Using keywords would help even more, giving you a searchable way to sort of catalog your thoughts and information.
I think a blog would be something really nice to have in SL, if you're using SL as a reference environment. It gives people another reference option for when there isn't a librarian staffing the SL space. Some questions can be anticipated (time of year, special occasions, stuff in the news, etc) and the good librarian can have links in SL ready. But taking it one step further, really utilizing all the technology available to librarians today and creating a blog about these events, not just having a pathfinder, would really enhance the user's experience, especially if other people can add to the blog. Of course, this brings up a whole slew of problems, especially for such a high-profile agency as the public library - how to monitor the blog to ensure no one makes inappropriate comments, keeping people on topic, etc - so public libraries may not be able to open their blogs to the public for editing just yet. But even posting the librarian's search strategies, posting the full question and asking other librarians to post their suggestions on tough questions could really help the user.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Good points about SL
This week I finally got to start looking through the SL books I checked out from Goldstein a few weeks ago. October has been a crazy month in my real life, but things are finally starting to settle down so I can really get researching on this final project.
I've only gotten to flip through one book so far, which is the Official Guide, but many of the points made so far are pretty obvious: the only limit to your SL is you imagination, use common sense in SL, and you can change your avatar's appearance as often and as quickly as you like.
There were a few points that stood out in my mind, the first being a line from the introduction. "In Second Life, changes that would take millenia of groaning and straining in the real world can be completed within a few hours. If real life is all about evolution, Second Life is evolution squared" (Rymaszewski, 2007, p. ix). For a library, this is both a good and a bad thing, and definitely something I need to take into consideration in my project plan. The inherent flexibility of SL gives libraries a great deal of freedom from real world restraints, like cost, amount and shape of space available to them, and the ability to think of something, try it, and then either keep or discard it within a matter of minutes. The downside to the constant fluidity of SL is how difficult it is to get a grasp on, especially for librarians who have many other demands on their time - who has time to learn it all when there are patrons standing at the desk, waiting to be helped? To this end, I think that if the LCLCPL decided to enter SL, much of the work should be done by one librarian, to better distribute staff time.
The other thing that stuck out in my reading this week was the mention of role-playing in SL. I know we covered this in class, and how there are different areas dedicated to role-playing, but the Official Guide dedicates quite a few paragraphs to them, spread across the first 3 chapters. This is something that I want to think about in my plan - for some teens, they may want to use part of the LCLCPL's space for Role-Playing Games (RPGs) or even special events that involve role-playing, like book talks or something. The librarian could even have a special day, like on International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19) where he/she gets into a role for a day.
I think this book is really going to help me focus my plan, which is great - at this moment, I'm still a little overwhelmed with the project I've taken on, so anything that helps me focus my ideas is a good thing.
I've only gotten to flip through one book so far, which is the Official Guide, but many of the points made so far are pretty obvious: the only limit to your SL is you imagination, use common sense in SL, and you can change your avatar's appearance as often and as quickly as you like.
There were a few points that stood out in my mind, the first being a line from the introduction. "In Second Life, changes that would take millenia of groaning and straining in the real world can be completed within a few hours. If real life is all about evolution, Second Life is evolution squared" (Rymaszewski, 2007, p. ix). For a library, this is both a good and a bad thing, and definitely something I need to take into consideration in my project plan. The inherent flexibility of SL gives libraries a great deal of freedom from real world restraints, like cost, amount and shape of space available to them, and the ability to think of something, try it, and then either keep or discard it within a matter of minutes. The downside to the constant fluidity of SL is how difficult it is to get a grasp on, especially for librarians who have many other demands on their time - who has time to learn it all when there are patrons standing at the desk, waiting to be helped? To this end, I think that if the LCLCPL decided to enter SL, much of the work should be done by one librarian, to better distribute staff time.
The other thing that stuck out in my reading this week was the mention of role-playing in SL. I know we covered this in class, and how there are different areas dedicated to role-playing, but the Official Guide dedicates quite a few paragraphs to them, spread across the first 3 chapters. This is something that I want to think about in my plan - for some teens, they may want to use part of the LCLCPL's space for Role-Playing Games (RPGs) or even special events that involve role-playing, like book talks or something. The librarian could even have a special day, like on International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19) where he/she gets into a role for a day.
I think this book is really going to help me focus my plan, which is great - at this moment, I'm still a little overwhelmed with the project I've taken on, so anything that helps me focus my ideas is a good thing.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Classroom in Second Life - The Future
This week's reading assignment was about communication conventions in a class chat, which got me thinking about our class time in SL. We brought up the point in class last night that the person who types the fastest tends to rule the chat, which is a problem for those who can't type very well. Using SL for class instruction, seeing the avatars in SL, may help to get around this problem, as anyone in the class can see when anyone else in the class is typing and have more patience as the typer gets their message out. Elluminate has tried to do this, with the chat bubble next to everyone's name in the session - it lights up yellow when someone it typing something. But this can be due to a small pet accessing the keyboard, or someone accidentally hitting a key, and once someone has put something in the text box, the bubble remains lit up until it is cleared - meaning that the bubble could be lit up and the student not even know it.
In SL, this problem isn't an issue. Whenever the person stops typing at the computer, the avatar also stops typing. While it would still be unknown if the person is hunting for the next keystroke or if they have thought twice about what they wanted to say, at least the rest of the class wouldn't be sitting around waiting for the person to share what they were typing.
The article this week mentioned "students may find it easier to orient themselves when surrounded by familiar, albeit virtual, structures like classrooms, libraries, cafes and faculty offices" (Murphy & Collins, 1997, para. 18). It is true - the first time a student is in a virtual classroom, be it a simple chat or multi-media "room", that student is bewildered and unsettled. I well remember my first chat - it was in a simple Blackboard Java chat, and I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up. Everyone else had been in a virtual class before, so they knew all the rules, and I was bewildered when people started saying "!" with no explanation. Now in my 4th semester, I am an old pro at virtual classrooms.
Second Life could easily help alleviate the stress of learning how a virtual classroom works for any student. Having the avatars sitting in any space the instructor decides to provide, being able to tell when the professor is getting ready to continue the lecture, being able to raise your hand when you have a question or comment, rather than having the learn the chat shorthand, would all be beneficial to any student, especially the student new to virtual classrooms.
Even though there are issues with the software and students' computing ability, I think seeing classrooms in SL isn't too far off, especially at an institution such as Florida State University. There is already a team in place to recreate the Shores building in SL - it would be very simple to create classrooms within the SL Shores building and have the students sit there with their avatars. The immediacy of synchronous chat combined with the visual presence of a classroom and other students would make for a very successful class indeed.
In SL, this problem isn't an issue. Whenever the person stops typing at the computer, the avatar also stops typing. While it would still be unknown if the person is hunting for the next keystroke or if they have thought twice about what they wanted to say, at least the rest of the class wouldn't be sitting around waiting for the person to share what they were typing.
The article this week mentioned "students may find it easier to orient themselves when surrounded by familiar, albeit virtual, structures like classrooms, libraries, cafes and faculty offices" (Murphy & Collins, 1997, para. 18). It is true - the first time a student is in a virtual classroom, be it a simple chat or multi-media "room", that student is bewildered and unsettled. I well remember my first chat - it was in a simple Blackboard Java chat, and I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up. Everyone else had been in a virtual class before, so they knew all the rules, and I was bewildered when people started saying "!" with no explanation. Now in my 4th semester, I am an old pro at virtual classrooms.
Second Life could easily help alleviate the stress of learning how a virtual classroom works for any student. Having the avatars sitting in any space the instructor decides to provide, being able to tell when the professor is getting ready to continue the lecture, being able to raise your hand when you have a question or comment, rather than having the learn the chat shorthand, would all be beneficial to any student, especially the student new to virtual classrooms.
Even though there are issues with the software and students' computing ability, I think seeing classrooms in SL isn't too far off, especially at an institution such as Florida State University. There is already a team in place to recreate the Shores building in SL - it would be very simple to create classrooms within the SL Shores building and have the students sit there with their avatars. The immediacy of synchronous chat combined with the visual presence of a classroom and other students would make for a very successful class indeed.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Finally - I know my Final Project!
So I finally managed to pin Mary down this week about my final project! She L-O-V-E-S the idea of an outline, since I told her there would be no way I could create her space in 7 short weeks. So I will be doing the outline for her - what to put and why, how to create it, special features she should have, etc. It's sort of half business plan/half project outline. I'm going to try to make it as complete as possible, including staff training time and what basics they should all know, steps the library needs to take to implement SL, and even promotion of the LCLCPL island - if none of the patrons know about the island, they won't be visiting it and it will be a failure. Mary also told me that the head of the entire LCPL system, Helen, wants to see a presentation of my project - I told her this was perfect, as I had to do a presentation for the class anyway. She was really excited that I was up for it - the presentation will be given to Helen, Mary, the rest of the youth services staff, and anyone else who is interested. Makes me a bit nervous!
I also convinced Mary to focus on SL, rather than Teen SL. She said that she hopes if SL is successful, they could maybe explore the TSL options, but that's at least 5 years away. This takes a lot of pressure off me, as I was afraid she would really be insistent on sticking to TSL.
Today I checked out both of the SL books Goldstein has, and I plan to spend the next few weeks looking through them. While the class sessions in SL were very helpful, I know there's tons of stuff we didn't get to cover.
The discussion last night was helpful. I honestly didn't think it would be, but my classmates had some good sources, including the SL wiki. I had totally forgotten about that, so it was nice to be able to share sources. Of course, now that I'm all excited about my final project again, it's time to put it on hold to finish my short wiki paper! :P
I also convinced Mary to focus on SL, rather than Teen SL. She said that she hopes if SL is successful, they could maybe explore the TSL options, but that's at least 5 years away. This takes a lot of pressure off me, as I was afraid she would really be insistent on sticking to TSL.
Today I checked out both of the SL books Goldstein has, and I plan to spend the next few weeks looking through them. While the class sessions in SL were very helpful, I know there's tons of stuff we didn't get to cover.
The discussion last night was helpful. I honestly didn't think it would be, but my classmates had some good sources, including the SL wiki. I had totally forgotten about that, so it was nice to be able to share sources. Of course, now that I'm all excited about my final project again, it's time to put it on hold to finish my short wiki paper! :P
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Short Wiki Paper Ruminations
So I'm really not sure what to write about for my Short Wiki Paper. Which is not a great thing, as it is coming up due in less than 2 weeks. I was thinking of doing something with Facebook, because I really like Facebook and I think it is more "implementable" than many other Web 2.0 technologies - the user can personalize their profile but not too much. In MySpace, users can change backgrounds, fonts, songs, colors, whatever they can think of, which means that one person's page may only take a few seconds to load, but someone else's page may take up to a minute.
But then I realized that I was thinking of Facebook as a personal tool. I like faster loads because my time is very precious, even if it means the profile is more bare than the user would like. But teens love personalization, and they don't care if it take a long time to load - if it looks cool, they'll like it. But I don't want to do a paper on MySpace, so I guess I'll throw that idea out.
Since my final project is looking more and more like it is going to have something to do with SL, perhaps it would be good to start doing some research on it now. But I think the point of this paper is to explore something different from your final project, so I guess I should throw this idea out too.
Now I'm thinking that perhaps I can do something related to my home library. My library at home in Virginia is the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, and they are part of the QuestionPoint cooperative. Here's the blurb from the page:
This sounds a lot like Florida's Ask A Librarian, and is clearly a virtual reference environment. I think this would be great, as I don't think anyone else will be doing this topic. I'm going to run it by Dr.. Mon before I start my research, but I think it's a good, original idea.
But then I realized that I was thinking of Facebook as a personal tool. I like faster loads because my time is very precious, even if it means the profile is more bare than the user would like. But teens love personalization, and they don't care if it take a long time to load - if it looks cool, they'll like it. But I don't want to do a paper on MySpace, so I guess I'll throw that idea out.
Since my final project is looking more and more like it is going to have something to do with SL, perhaps it would be good to start doing some research on it now. But I think the point of this paper is to explore something different from your final project, so I guess I should throw this idea out too.
Now I'm thinking that perhaps I can do something related to my home library. My library at home in Virginia is the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, and they are part of the QuestionPoint cooperative. Here's the blurb from the page:
QuestionPoint Ask a Librarian is a live online interactive reference service, available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This chat service combines the speed and convenience of the Internet with the information savvy of professional reference librarians.
When you connect, the librarian online may not be from your local library and will not have access to your personal library account information. The librarian may be from any one of over 500 public libraries in this national 24/7 reference cooperative.
The Central Rappahannock Regional Library is a member of the nationwide QuestionPoint cooperative. We provide coverage when our libraries are open. During busy periods and off-hours the service is supported by other librarians working throughout the country from their own libraries. This national support allows us to have librarians available whenever you need information.This sounds a lot like Florida's Ask A Librarian, and is clearly a virtual reference environment. I think this would be great, as I don't think anyone else will be doing this topic. I'm going to run it by Dr.. Mon before I start my research, but I think it's a good, original idea.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Final Project Contingency Thoughts
I am still no closer to knowing what platform the LCLCPL is going to use to enter the world of virtual reference service. I'm really starting to get worried, as my emails to Mary get responses like "I'll let you know" or "We're working on it." I'm going to try to go see her Monday to pin her down. I know they are really gung-ho about entering SL, but after last night's class, in which Dr. Mon so nicely explained that one beginner to SL working alone for 10 weeks was not likely to be able to create the kind of space the LCLCPL wants, I'm going to have to withdraw my offer to create the stuff on their island, if they choose to go into SL.
However, I could offer to create a project plan for them - break down what they would need to do, how to advertise in both SL and RL, how many projected man hours it would take for each step. See, Mary is rather counting on hiring me when the funds for the LCLCPL's Teen Librarian open up, and she thinks that if I can get it started now, as a school project, I will be well prepared to maintain the island once the Teen Librarian is in place. Which is why I think they wouldn't be disappointed with just a project proposal, as it would lay everything out and then the Teen Librarian, be it me or someone else, would just have to execute it.
And executing this project is the most fun to me. I want to see all my hard work go live, and see the public reaction to it. Of course, I may not get to see the public reaction even if I do get to execute the project, because it is virtual. And in Vilies' article for this week, the first characteristic she mentions of virtual libraries is that the users are usually remote. So even if I get to make a Facebook page for the LCLCPL, chances are that most people will be accessing it from their own homes, not from inside the library.
However, I could offer to create a project plan for them - break down what they would need to do, how to advertise in both SL and RL, how many projected man hours it would take for each step. See, Mary is rather counting on hiring me when the funds for the LCLCPL's Teen Librarian open up, and she thinks that if I can get it started now, as a school project, I will be well prepared to maintain the island once the Teen Librarian is in place. Which is why I think they wouldn't be disappointed with just a project proposal, as it would lay everything out and then the Teen Librarian, be it me or someone else, would just have to execute it.
And executing this project is the most fun to me. I want to see all my hard work go live, and see the public reaction to it. Of course, I may not get to see the public reaction even if I do get to execute the project, because it is virtual. And in Vilies' article for this week, the first characteristic she mentions of virtual libraries is that the users are usually remote. So even if I get to make a Facebook page for the LCLCPL, chances are that most people will be accessing it from their own homes, not from inside the library.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
No motion on final project
Despite sending Mary emails nearly every day, we seem to be no closer to making a decision on where the LCLCPL will enter the virtual world. Mary and Helen seem to be focused on SL right now, despite my warnings that it will be difficult and more than the library staff can manage right now. Not to mention that if they create an island in SL, any creep can come by, and if they create the island in Teen SL, college students and adults can't visit. But no final decision has been made yet.
I've been encouraging them to perhaps start with Web 2.0, like Facebook or MySpace, and see how it goes, before jumping off the deep end into SL. Not only are the Web 2.0 technologies free, I personally am more familiar with Facebook and will be able to give a better, clearer tutorial to the YA staff on how to use it than I will for SL. Also, Bell et al this week mention that "For many librarians, it is difficult to accomplish all the Library 2.0 pieces they would like to: blogs, wikis, and other social networking technologies." I know this is true of the LCLCPL - some of the staff have already expressed concern at their lack of knowledge of Facebook or MySpace, and how that lack of knowledge would lead to ineffectual use of staff time when trying to answer a reference question. If the staff is already concerned about 2.0 technologies, I can see how the frustration levels will increase a hundredfold with 3.0 technologies, in SL.
Bell's article was incredibly helpful in breaking SL down for the beginning user, and I have already sent it to Mary. If Helen is bound and determined to have a SL presence, it might be best to see if we can join something like the Information Archipelago, where people are already used to coming for help and information. Then we would only have to be concerned about spreading the word among the LCLCPL patrons, instead of both our patrons AND other interested users in SL. If we were able to join the Info Archipelago we could also help staff the reference desk, much like Ask A Librarian, to help ease the transition into SL - being responsible for only an hour or 2 a week in SL might make the difference between failure and success for the LCLCPL's venture into Second Life.
I've been encouraging them to perhaps start with Web 2.0, like Facebook or MySpace, and see how it goes, before jumping off the deep end into SL. Not only are the Web 2.0 technologies free, I personally am more familiar with Facebook and will be able to give a better, clearer tutorial to the YA staff on how to use it than I will for SL. Also, Bell et al this week mention that "For many librarians, it is difficult to accomplish all the Library 2.0 pieces they would like to: blogs, wikis, and other social networking technologies." I know this is true of the LCLCPL - some of the staff have already expressed concern at their lack of knowledge of Facebook or MySpace, and how that lack of knowledge would lead to ineffectual use of staff time when trying to answer a reference question. If the staff is already concerned about 2.0 technologies, I can see how the frustration levels will increase a hundredfold with 3.0 technologies, in SL.
Bell's article was incredibly helpful in breaking SL down for the beginning user, and I have already sent it to Mary. If Helen is bound and determined to have a SL presence, it might be best to see if we can join something like the Information Archipelago, where people are already used to coming for help and information. Then we would only have to be concerned about spreading the word among the LCLCPL patrons, instead of both our patrons AND other interested users in SL. If we were able to join the Info Archipelago we could also help staff the reference desk, much like Ask A Librarian, to help ease the transition into SL - being responsible for only an hour or 2 a week in SL might make the difference between failure and success for the LCLCPL's venture into Second Life.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Leon County Public Library and Second Life
So this week I spent a LOT of time exploring Second Life. I had spoken to the Head of Youth Services at the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library, Mary Douglas, last week about implementing some new virtual reference tools at the library as my final project. I mentioned Second Life as a possible choice, and it turns out that the Head of the LCLCPL system, Helen, jumped all over it. She really wants to create a presence on Second Life, and she thought Mary and me were the people to do it. So I spent quite a few hours trying to get the basics of Second Life over the weekend, so I could be ready for when Mary called a meeting.
She emailed me to let me know that Tuesday would be a good day for the meeting, so after my shift at Goldstein I headed over to the LCLCPL, laptop in tow. I figured I would be showing her everything I knew, from creating an account to making your avatar look vaguely like you. Mary was already ahead of me - she had her account set up, her avatar exploring Help Island, so I wasted no time in joining her there. Lucky for us, a woman named Connie Powell showed up and started talking to us. She is a Harvard librarian and she spent a good 20 minutes talking to us about how to start our own Second Life Island for the LCLCPL. (Of course, Mary was on one of the library's computers and I was on my laptop, so we were sitting right next to each other in RL, and standing next to each other in SL, which was pretty funny!)
After Connie left, she sent me and Mary a link to her Harvard library page. We went to explore, and what a cool place! Someone had set up the pyramids of Giza, and you could go in and click on different tombs to play an audio file or read a lecture about it. This is the kind of interactive, dynamic environment Helen and Mary want to have for LCLCPL, so Mary was really excited to find and explore this location.
2 hours later, Mary says that she wants to set up the island for Teen Second Life. I spent the next 45 minutes trying to explain to her that TSL was a completely different thing from SL - she thought you could just set up the island in some kind of "teen zone" but that everyone from SL could visit. Mary wants the LCLCPL page to be inviting to college students, as well as teens, and when she realized that SL people can't visit TSL, she was really disappointed.
We also couldn't find the right pricing for setting up our island. There was talk of estates, and open spaces, and renting, and owning... At this point, the meeting had been going on for 3 hours and Mary and I were tired of SL. We realized that it would be too much for the LCLCPL to start an island in SL now, especially since they are short on staff. Maintaining a SL island would require a lot more manpower than the LCLCPL can spare. So Mary sent an email to Helen, explaining the situation, and reminding her that we could start smaller, like setting up a Facebook or MySpace page, and maybe work up to SL. There were just too many unknowns, and from our best guesses, it would cost the library around $3,000 for 1 year of owning an island - Facebook and MySpace are both free.
I haven't heard from Mary what Helen said to this, but it's clear that Mary (and Helen) are interested in branching out of the traditional library reference and making the LCLCPL more accessible. If Helen oks the social networking sites, I will start with a MySpace page, as I saw in last night's class that way more libraries have MySpace pages. Facebook will most likely be the page that entices the college students since more college students use Facebook more than MySpace, but since the primary audience is teens we will go to where the teens are.
She emailed me to let me know that Tuesday would be a good day for the meeting, so after my shift at Goldstein I headed over to the LCLCPL, laptop in tow. I figured I would be showing her everything I knew, from creating an account to making your avatar look vaguely like you. Mary was already ahead of me - she had her account set up, her avatar exploring Help Island, so I wasted no time in joining her there. Lucky for us, a woman named Connie Powell showed up and started talking to us. She is a Harvard librarian and she spent a good 20 minutes talking to us about how to start our own Second Life Island for the LCLCPL. (Of course, Mary was on one of the library's computers and I was on my laptop, so we were sitting right next to each other in RL, and standing next to each other in SL, which was pretty funny!)
After Connie left, she sent me and Mary a link to her Harvard library page. We went to explore, and what a cool place! Someone had set up the pyramids of Giza, and you could go in and click on different tombs to play an audio file or read a lecture about it. This is the kind of interactive, dynamic environment Helen and Mary want to have for LCLCPL, so Mary was really excited to find and explore this location.
2 hours later, Mary says that she wants to set up the island for Teen Second Life. I spent the next 45 minutes trying to explain to her that TSL was a completely different thing from SL - she thought you could just set up the island in some kind of "teen zone" but that everyone from SL could visit. Mary wants the LCLCPL page to be inviting to college students, as well as teens, and when she realized that SL people can't visit TSL, she was really disappointed.
We also couldn't find the right pricing for setting up our island. There was talk of estates, and open spaces, and renting, and owning... At this point, the meeting had been going on for 3 hours and Mary and I were tired of SL. We realized that it would be too much for the LCLCPL to start an island in SL now, especially since they are short on staff. Maintaining a SL island would require a lot more manpower than the LCLCPL can spare. So Mary sent an email to Helen, explaining the situation, and reminding her that we could start smaller, like setting up a Facebook or MySpace page, and maybe work up to SL. There were just too many unknowns, and from our best guesses, it would cost the library around $3,000 for 1 year of owning an island - Facebook and MySpace are both free.
I haven't heard from Mary what Helen said to this, but it's clear that Mary (and Helen) are interested in branching out of the traditional library reference and making the LCLCPL more accessible. If Helen oks the social networking sites, I will start with a MySpace page, as I saw in last night's class that way more libraries have MySpace pages. Facebook will most likely be the page that entices the college students since more college students use Facebook more than MySpace, but since the primary audience is teens we will go to where the teens are.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Articles
When reading the article from this week and last week, I came across two very interesting things:
1. The IPL has a Ready Reference section
2. The IPL has a Reading Room
When working with the IPL before, I only thought it was a question/answer service. I think this was because I was working with the IPL from the answer side, so this was the side I saw most often. The Ready Reference section will come in very handy when I find a job - I can't tell how many times someone asks me a question I can't answer, and I turn immediately to Google to find the best source to answer their question. Next time I can simply turn to the IPL Ready Reference section to give better service with a greater variety of sources.
The Reading Room was rather strange to me at first, as I was expecting something more along the lines of NetLibrary, where you "check out" a book and have a set time to read it. It was nice that the titles are just there to be read - there is no need to sign in to read them, or sign in to check them out. The magazines and newspapers were a surprise to me at first, but once I thought about it, it made perfect sense. So many newspapers and magazines are online as well as in print, usually with the online content enhancing the print side, so linking to those sites almost make it a reference point - Anyone who wants to know the latest Entertainment information can simply go to the Magazines and click on the Entertainment heading to choose from a large variety of sources.
In fact, the most interesting thing I learned today came through the IPL: "Josh Hartnett was just busted for getting it on in a library" (Cosmopolitian.com). By going to the Magazine section in the IPL's Reading Room, under the Fashion heading, I clicked on the Cosmo link and it was right there on the first page. (I don't think Hartnett's actions will ever be an appropriate use of the library!) :)
1. The IPL has a Ready Reference section
2. The IPL has a Reading Room
When working with the IPL before, I only thought it was a question/answer service. I think this was because I was working with the IPL from the answer side, so this was the side I saw most often. The Ready Reference section will come in very handy when I find a job - I can't tell how many times someone asks me a question I can't answer, and I turn immediately to Google to find the best source to answer their question. Next time I can simply turn to the IPL Ready Reference section to give better service with a greater variety of sources.
The Reading Room was rather strange to me at first, as I was expecting something more along the lines of NetLibrary, where you "check out" a book and have a set time to read it. It was nice that the titles are just there to be read - there is no need to sign in to read them, or sign in to check them out. The magazines and newspapers were a surprise to me at first, but once I thought about it, it made perfect sense. So many newspapers and magazines are online as well as in print, usually with the online content enhancing the print side, so linking to those sites almost make it a reference point - Anyone who wants to know the latest Entertainment information can simply go to the Magazines and click on the Entertainment heading to choose from a large variety of sources.
In fact, the most interesting thing I learned today came through the IPL: "Josh Hartnett was just busted for getting it on in a library" (Cosmopolitian.com). By going to the Magazine section in the IPL's Reading Room, under the Fashion heading, I clicked on the Cosmo link and it was right there on the first page. (I don't think Hartnett's actions will ever be an appropriate use of the library!) :)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
First post
This is my first post for my VRE class. Funny, at home in Virginia, VRE stands for Virginia Railway Express - the commuter train into Washington, DC! So I'll get a laugh every time I write.
Last night was the first class and I'm really excited about this class. This is a new feeling for me, as I just want to be done with this degree and move on with my life. I've been doing the school thing for the last 20 years and I'm sick of it! So it was a nice surprise to become more excited as class went on, rather than getting more and more depressed at the amount of work expected (as has been the case in my other classes).
I've been racking my brains for this final project. I think that since I will be working in a group in my Management class that I should do an individual project - this way I can work at my own pace on my own time. I have already contacted the Head of Youth Services at the Leon County Public Library, Mary Douglas, about working with her and she seems open to the idea. I made a few suggestions to her, as well as asked her if she had any virtual reference project she had been meaning to work on, and she said to give her a few days to think it all over. I hope she likes the idea of starting a virtual reference option on the Teen Page, even if it is just email. I know at home, the Central Rappahannock Regional Library does IM service from 5-9 on weekdays, with GREAT success. Since this is when most teens are doing their homework, they know immediate, professional help is only a click away, and I'd like for Leon County teens to have the same opportunity.
Last night was the first class and I'm really excited about this class. This is a new feeling for me, as I just want to be done with this degree and move on with my life. I've been doing the school thing for the last 20 years and I'm sick of it! So it was a nice surprise to become more excited as class went on, rather than getting more and more depressed at the amount of work expected (as has been the case in my other classes).
I've been racking my brains for this final project. I think that since I will be working in a group in my Management class that I should do an individual project - this way I can work at my own pace on my own time. I have already contacted the Head of Youth Services at the Leon County Public Library, Mary Douglas, about working with her and she seems open to the idea. I made a few suggestions to her, as well as asked her if she had any virtual reference project she had been meaning to work on, and she said to give her a few days to think it all over. I hope she likes the idea of starting a virtual reference option on the Teen Page, even if it is just email. I know at home, the Central Rappahannock Regional Library does IM service from 5-9 on weekdays, with GREAT success. Since this is when most teens are doing their homework, they know immediate, professional help is only a click away, and I'd like for Leon County teens to have the same opportunity.
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