Thing #8- Second Life

I actually watched two videos. I watched the SJSU one because I was curious to see how my grad. school integrated Second Life into its curriculum. I can see the advantage for distance learners who may not have access to a traditional campus setting, or at least a large one like SJSU. The Info Island they showed was very pretty, and I can see how testing out some professional activities in a simulation setting might help graduate students make a smoother transition into the professional world.

I also watched the ACRL video because I wanted to see how a professional library organization interpreted the program. I wasn't as impressed. It was a pretty video that showed a traditionally boring set of professionals partying and displaying their more youthful side. I could see how something like this would help attract younger groups to the library profession. But the video seemed too superficial to me, and I couldn't help wondering how much actual work the presenters could have done with the time they spent creating the video.

I read the first article by Bell, Peters and Pope. It essentially suggested that in the modern world, libraries must offer services that their users will want in order to compete with other activities, and since many users now spend most of their time online, that's where libraries must go. I can see the logic in this idea, and it makes sense to offer a library component in a program that attracts a high number of participants. I can also see the value of Second Life as a sort of simulation program, to see if the library profession might be something you'd like to do, to test out the initial reception of a presentation or a paper.

However, I don't think I'll really be able to view Second Life as a serious tool for professional activity, at least not right now. It may be a generational difference or something, but to me, there is soooooo much to do right now in the first life that I cannot justify spending time in a virtual world. I'd be more inclined to go out into my immediate commnity and volunteer as a docent, offer reference services, work at an understaffed branch library, conduct instructional programs, and share research at conferences, since those actions would impact my immediate reality and therefore seem more productive.

Second Life seems like an interesting program, and it probably has many uses in educational and library settings that I haven't seen yet. It's not for me, but if modern librarians can promote their profession and develop their careers through it, excellent!