[Publib] Second Life Hype vs. Reality

[Robert L. Balliot]

Greetings,

In order to use SL, you would need to have installed
it on your computers. It is a 32mb download, which most
public access computer security settings would block
without administrative permissions.

People who go on SL can  get their questions answered 
directly from other avatars who support SL library 
reference services along with in-world classes.
Those services are constantly being developed, promoted,
and refined by the volunteer librarians and LIS
students.

In addition to in-world reference, there is also 
significant support through the SL blogs and knowledge
centers. It would not make much sense to me to ask
a real life reference librarian how to do something
in SL, when we can show them when they are in SL.

The CNET article presented some provocative imagery
with an entrepreneurial avatar being attacked by 
virtual phallic missiles.  Do you see how it adds
new meaning to this famous quote from Shakespeare's 
Hamlet?

"To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,"


*************************************************
Robert L. Balliot
Member of Librarians of Second Life
1-401-421-5763
Skype: RBalliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
*************************************************


-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Amanda Henning
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 11:50 AM
To: jgehner at hhptf.org; Publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Second Life Hype vs. Reality

I've heard about secondlife in multiple SLIS classes and I've seen tons
about it at conferences, but I have yet to:

a.  see a single patron actually on it
b.  have a second life-related question at the library
c.  talk to a teen who actually has an account (many of my teens haven't
even heard of it!)

I know that librarians are really excited about this service, but it just
doesn't seem particularly popular with the general public.  I get myspace
questions almost every single day, and we all get bombarded with email
questions..  I think if secondlife was as popular as other librarians would
lead us to believe, there would be more questions about it.

Amanda Henning
Youth Services Assistant
The Marysville Public Library
231 S. Plum St.
Marysville, Oh  43040
(937) 642-1876 ex. 25
ahenning at marysvillelib.org