Questions and Answers in a Virtual World : Educators and Librarians as Information

Providers in Second Life

Dr. Lorri Mon, Florida State UniversityDr. Lorri Mon, Florida State UniversitySIG-USE Elfreda A. Chatman SIG-USE Elfreda A. Chatman

Research Proposal Award, 2007 Research Proposal Award, 2007

Active Worlds http://www.activeworlds.com

There.com http://www.there.com

Getty Art Museum in WhyvilleGetty Art Museum in Whyville

Whyville http://www.whyville.net

* The Blue Book: A Consumer Guide to Virtual Worlds http://www.associationofvirtualworlds.com/press_room.htm

Habbo Hotel http://habbo.com

IBMIBM SUN SUN MICRO-MICRO-SYSTEMSSYSTEMS

DELLDELL

SONY BMGSONY BMG

DELLDELL

Second Life http://www.secondlife.comCDCCDC

Launched in 2003; 10 million+ registered (6 million unique registered users) free basic accounts in 2006;audio in 2007; over 80 universities, many libraries; 390 square miles of virtual land (6 times the size of D.C.)

Research QuestionsResearch Questions

• How does embodiment as an avatar within a virtual world impact the information-seeking interaction between information service providers and information seekers?

• Are there aspects to virtual worlds self-presentation by information seekers or information service providers that inhibit or are detrimental to the success of an information interaction?

• Are there aspects to virtual worlds self-presentation by information seekers or information service providers that enhance or facilitate the success of an information interaction?

Interviews, observations and screenshots are used in examining theself-presentations, working environments & information objects used by virtual world information providers; analysis is framed by Erving Goffman’s work on self-presentation & information control.

MethodMethod

LIS 5916 Class, Sept. 19, 2007

The Working Environment:

Information Architectures

Princeton U. UNC-CH FSU

MYTHICA DREXEL

The Working Environment:Alexandrine Libraries

The Library of

Alexandria

Hobbit Shire Library 1800’s Dirigible Library

The Information Providers’ Role:The Information Providers’ Role:

Presentation of the SelfPresentation of the Self

"are you "are you really a really a librarian?”librarian?”

a “conservative” or “professional” appearancea “conservative” or “professional” appearance [“[“my alt has blue hairmy alt has blue hair”]”]

IssuesIssuesof of Trust:Trust:

"...from "...from brand brand newbie to newbie to well-well-dressed..."dressed..."

n00bsn00bsvs.vs.residentsresidents

Avatar and Self Identity

“all my avatars look like me or express the real me in some way ...”

"I feel weird coming inworld as my alt ... it is like pretending! i feel like this is really me."

"I am not comfortable with the idea of creating a male alt and pretending it is me although I have a male friend who uses a female alt at the ref desk because she is more "approachable.”

“I wanted it to look like myself”

“the majority of Questions are about SL”“a lot of How to's... and Where do I start's”

How to (examples):

• earn money in SL?

• learn to build or script?

• dance / stop dancing

• join a non-profit

• clothes / hair

• communicating

Where to (examples):

• go to learn skills

• find interesting sims

• find educational places

• find specific places, e.g.

– is there a sim here for....

– where is …Specialists (law & health/medical librarians) reported more RL questions than generalists (reference librarians, educators)

• divorce• disability• diseases and prognoses

Answers, Information Tools & Objects

Worn by info providers:• radar hud• Babbler • costumesGiven out:• notecards• landmarks • textures• objects

In the environment• Whiteboard (ppts)• Thinc book• Objects w/info• calendars • teleport map• time zone map• video • podcast/radio SCRIPT

BOOK

TEXT CHAT PODCAST NOTECARDTEXTURE/IMAGE

VIDEO

LINKS

Asynchronous Answers:Games and Chatbots

Notre Dame _blacklibrary

NOAA Weather Demo

NOAA Hurricane Sim

Sistine Chapel - Vassar

Roma – Classical Rome

Reuters News

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

Immersive and Interactive

Experiential Learning Spaces

Roma: Notecard gives the history of Trajan’s Column in ancient Rome

Inset: ClickableLatin graffiti

Virtual World Information SpacesVirtual World Information Spaces

““there's still a personal space issue…”there's still a personal space issue…”

Wish List for Info Providers

• more prims per parcel • to be able to do real html ... create and display interactive

html pages in world• ability to create or at least easily display external

databases to store info• being able to drag from my desktop directly into SL --

like WORD documents.• to be able to search my inventory by creator of item• to be able to query the system for where all the things

I've made are• to be able to query objects for their scripts• to be able to track when people copy and pass around an

info-object that I made

Examples of universities, libraries andnonprofit organizations in Second Life

Glenview Public Library

U. of North Carolina-CH - LIS

Shawnee-Topeka PLSan Jose State U- LIS

Clearwater Public Library, FL

American Cancer SocietyPrinceton U. UIUC - LIS

Questions?

To contact me:To contact me:Email: Email: lmon@ci.fsu.edu or SL: Lorri Momiji or SL: Lorri Momiji

Mon, L. (2009). “Questions and Answers in a Virtual World : Educators and Librarians as Information Providers in Second Life.”Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, Volume 2, Number 1 (April 2009). http://www.jvwresearch.org/v2n1_Mon.html