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Schedule of Events for "The Future is Now: Libraries and Museums in Virtual Worlds"

  • Please Note: This conference schedule is not yet complete. Presenters, topics, dates, and times may change.
  • All times given are Second Life Time (SLT), which coincides with U.S. Pacific Time (GMT minus 8 hours). For help translating a start time to your local time zone, please visit World Time Zone.

  • Ongoing Exhibit: Future Libraries, Virtual Worlds

    • "Real School Libraries, Virtual Worlds” is a Second Life model library exhibit that is centered around the prototyping in virtual worlds of possible visions for future school libraries in the real world. Themes promoted by the exhibit include (i) the reinvention of learning resource centers as a 'safe haven' from school bullying with no blind spots from the main counter, (ii) the promotion of digital resource-sharing bridges between the library and the classroom, and (iii) the enhancement of student learning capability and memory response through connecting detailed information stored in the brain to simple subconscious Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) recall 'cues'.
      Creator: Marty Grover (Fleet Goldenberg in SL)


Friday, March 5, 2010
  • 10 a.m. SLT

    • Keynote Address by Sharon Tettegah, Cynthia Calongne, and Al Weiss: Libraries and Museums in the Cloud

      • When everything moves into the cloud, what will happen to our libraries and museums? We adapted to technological and social media influences by creating online collections, social communities and virtual tours, yet need to preserve our literary, artistic and historical collections. What value do we place on these remarkable repositories and the sensory experiences that they offer? Join us as we explore the future of libraries and museums within virtual and current venues.

      • Sharon Tettegah (Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, UIUC) and Cynthia Calongne (Lyr Lobo in SL) (Institute for Advanced Studies, Colorado Technical University) are co-authors of the 2009 book, Identity, Learning and Support in Virtual Environments. Al Weiss (CITES Educational Technologies) teaches at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

      • Event Help Staff: Lorelei Junot and Oberon Octagon in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 11 a.m. SLT

    • "Academic Librarians in Second Life: A Survey of Roles, Benefits, and Challenges" presented by Denise Cote, Robin Ashford, Diane Nahl, and Beth Kraemer

      • Second Life (SL) is utilized by hundreds of higher education institutions. Four members of the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in SL group conducted a survey of academic librarians in SL to better understand perceptions of the value and limitations of participation in virtual worlds. This session presents demographic data, the perceived benefits and challenges of working and learning in SL, and roles librarians adopt within virtual environments. Findings reflect both continuity of service functions and change in methods and formats. This session will be both OPAL speaker and interactive poster sessions in SL on ALA Island.

      • Denise Cote (Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks in SL) is from the College of DuPage; Robin Ashford (Robin Mochi in SL) is from George Fox University; Diane Nahl (Adra Letov in SL) is with the University of Hawaii; and Beth Kraemer (Alice Burgess in SL) is with the University of Kentucky.

      • Event Help Staff: Kay Tairov and Cliquot Oh in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


    • "Touch_Start: Designing Interactive and Game-Based Learning Tools for Virtual Education and Museum Experiences" presented by Fran Wilde (Viv Trafalgar in SL) and Pavig Lok

      • A discussion of how and why quality interactive and game-based learning can be created in open-source platforms like OpenSim, as well as Second Life, with examples pulled from recent Rezzable releases Steamfish, King Tut virtual, and more. Best practices for creating immersive educational learning spaces, plus a discussion with the audience about what the future may hold.

      • Fran Wilde (Viv Trafalgar in SL), Interactive Content Developer, Heritage Key and Rezzable

      • Event Help Staff: Lorelei Junot in SL, and Lori Bell in OPAL room FIN10B


  • Noon SLT

  • 1 p.m. SLT

    • "Sex, Slavery, and the Virtual Library" presented by Sara J. Martin (Rocksie Slade in SL)

      • Reference Librarians in virtual environments occasionally receive questions regarding the Gorean Community. Researching questions on this topic can be an intimidating and often daunting task, especially if the librarian is female. Join Sara Martin (Rocksie Slade in SL) in exploring one of the largest online groups in Second Life. Boasting thousands of participants from all over the world and utilizing approximately 1,600 islands, this closed online community is based on books by John Norman. It takes participants on a journey to an alien world where residents live in a male dominated, medieval type society filled with politics, violence, sex and slavery.

      • Sara J. Martin (Rocksie Slade in SL) is Associate Dean of Libraries at the University of Detroit Mercy Libraries.

      • Event Help Staff: Lorelei Junot and Tricky in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 2 p.m. SLT

    • LIS Educators Panel Discussion

      • Educators from four LIS programs in the U. S. discuss the use of multimedia platforms in teaching and research, the nature of the work of their MLIS students in Second Life, as well as the benefits and challenges, and implications for the future of virtual education in LIS.

      • Diane Nahl (Adra Letov in SL), U. of Hawaii: "Creating Professionalizing Experiences for MLIS Students in Second Life": In the fall 2009 term graduate students in a Virtual World Librarianship course planned, publicized, and produced five professional LIS events on the Info Islands. Students were matched with avatar-librarian mentors who guided their progress and supported their work, including selecting topics, obtaining guest speakers, setting up venues, organizing publicity schedules, advertising to inworld groups and RL online lists, managing the event, and evaluating the success of the events. Students reported they valued the international and professional nature of collaborating with avatar-librarian mentors and reported increased confidence due to gaining virtual abilities in a professional context.

      • Vanessa Morris (Marchena Rajal in SL), Drexel University: "Introducing Second Life as a Multimedia Web Interface": During Winter term 2010, LIS Distance Students are offered the opportunity to explore Second Life as part of an introductory web design course taught at the iSchool at Drexel. Students are welcome to meet their Instructor in-world and experience a real-time tutorial via the Community Virtual Library. Students are introduced to the possibilities of information retrieval and professional interaction via this virtual world. With group experience as a first-time exposure to Second Life, students report that their learning curve to navigating a virtual world is diminished, and they can immediately appreciate the value of interacting via an avatar driven setting where various modes of technology are enacted for the purpose of a full multimedia, multi-sensory knowledge experience.

      • Lorri Mon (Lorri Momiji in SL), Florida State University: "Avatar-Mediated Learning for LIS Online Distance Students": In Fall 2007, 2008 & 2009, FSU LIS graduate students in a Virtual Reference Environments course explored Second Life as part of their learning experiences within a variety of online environments including Questionpoint chat reference, web-based email reference in the Internet Public Library, Elluminate computer conferencing, Mosio SMS text messaging and more. Students described a richer social presence in SL's avatar-based immersive environment which offered them new ways of connecting with the online 'classroom' experience that were not available to them through the other types of virtual reference environments.

      • Jeremy Kemp (Jeremy Kabumpo in SL), San Jose State University: Will speak on a topic TBD

      • Event Help Staff: Kay Tairov and Oberon Octagon in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 3 p.m. SLT: 30-minute break

  • 3:30 p.m. SLT

    • Panel Discussion: "Joining Hands: Library/Museum Collaboration in Virtual Worlds"

      • Please Note: This will be a 90-minute panel discussion.

      • Shrinking budgets and staff! Little or no funds to hire replacements! Social software that keeps evolving! New technologies and equipment you may need to learn: iPad, Twitter, Facebook, VoiceThread, Second Life, Sirikata, Croquet, Blue Mars, mashups of all kinds, and much more! How can we continue to fulfill our missions under these circumstances? Can anyone help?!

        Yes! These difficult economic times offer opportunities for us to reach out to new partners, rethink what we do and how we do it. Libraries and museums share a number of common interests and goals, including archives, preservation and education. And, both librarians and museum staff are active participants in virtual worlds like Second Life. Are we collaborating or can we, and how? Join us for a discussion of the pros, cons and potential for libraries and museums to join hands in order to support and enhance each other's missions through virtual worlds.

      • Moderator: Esther Grassian (Alexandria Knight in SL)

      • Panelists:
        • Herminia Din (Beaver Lightstone in SL) is an Associate Professor of Art Education at the University of Alaska. She has worked with the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks on the LearnAlaska project, an educator's tool for utilizing Alaska Digital Archives that integrates library digital resources and museum objects. The Alaska Digital Archives includes over 15,000 items and partners with six Alaskan institutions. LearnAlaska enables teachers and students to build customized multimedia presentation by selecting historical documents, maps, oral histories, video clips, and three dimensional objects, and adding interpretations to illustrate a theme or concept on Alaska.
        • Kim Gregson (Kim Chihuly in SL) is finishing her last semester teaching at Ithaca College. She has taught research methods and so studies a variety of topics to involve and interest her students in research. She is starting a project looking at user generated content in games -- how people can use build-a-game software like GameMaker to create their own games. Such games could give visitors new ways to interact with library and museum content -- by letting visitors put visuals and stories from the libraries and museums into games. The tools could also be used by library and museum staff to quickly create their own interactive activities.
        • Dennis Moser (Maxwell Biddle in SL) is fairly active in SL, both as a performing musician (AldoManutio Abruzzo) and as a researcher (Maxwell Biddle). His research area is preservation of digital cultural heritage and has been focused specifically on Second Life. In December 2009, he presented a paper on this topic at the Cultural Heritage Online conference in Florence, Italy. His two most recent papers on this can be found at http://uwyo.academia.edu/DennisMoser/Papers. He will focus on the need for collaboration between museums, archives, and libraries to oversee the curation and preservation of content.
        • In 2009, Ms Regina Lee Roberts (Riane Sand in SL) created a sample exhibit of images of works of art held by the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. This temporary exhibit in SL was related to a graduate course being taught on Society and Art in Africa. The exhibit contained images of the works of art at the Cantor with linking information about library resources, including bibliographic information on sources related to the objects. The exhibit also included direct links to book records in the library catalogs and other URLs that provided informational background about the art and societies that created the art. The objectives of the project included demonstrating how museum collections can be used to support the mission of teaching and learning in a content-specific way and to demonstrate ways of linking the art and the course content to library resources. The project was to be a proof of concept for both the museum and the library. She worked closely with the curator of the African Art collection at the Cantor Art Center to create the exhibit.

      • Reactors:
        • Cynthia Calongne (Lyr Lobo in SL) has taught 17 university classes in software design, systems engineering methods, advanced game design, robotics and futuring and innovation in Second Life. She collaborates with the Global Learning Forum in the assessment of a game simulation kit and on the Mars Expedition Strategy Challenge, a space simulation. Her research activities include support for an educational informatics center in Second Life, volunteer work as a middle school mentor on the Teen Grid and the publication of a book with Sharon Tettegah on Identity, Learning and Support in Virtual Environments.
        • Dave Harmeyer (Carpe Writer in SL) has done reference work and taught part of an online class in Second Life. One of his just published articles in The Reference Librarian titled "My So-called Second Life" describes a reference interview between a Community College faculty member's avatar and Dave's avatar where they teleport to SL's International Spaceflight Museum for a tour.
        • Robin Lockerby (Mererid Mistwood in SL) will talk about "infancy in development" in virtual worlds, how initial planning and faculty collaboration can draw the library into fuller participation.

      • Event Help Staff: Tricky Lexington and Snow Scarmon in SL, and Lori Bell in OPAL


  • 4 p.m. SLT

    • "Presence Pedagogy (P2) and the Role of the Academic Library" presented by Louise Ochoa and Geraldine Purpur

      • The Distance Learning Library Services Team has supported multiple graduate-level programs at Appalachian State University (ASU) for a number of years through a virtual library in the AETZone, a 3D immersive world utilizing the ActiveWorlds platform. The Team is now developing an additional presence in Teleplace. This session will discuss how the Team contributes to the implementation of the constructivist "Presence Pedagogy" teaching approach developed by members of ASU's Reich College of Education. Included in the session will be tours of ActiveWorlds and Teleplace virtual libraries.

      • Louise Ochoa MLIS, Assistant Professor Appalachian State University & Geraldine Purpur MLIS, Assistant Professor Appalachian State University

      • Event Help Staff: Tom Peters in OPAL

      • Location: in OPAL in the FIN10B online room

  • 5 p.m. SLT

    • Social Event

      • A conference celebration over Innovation Island aboard a flying saucer! Come as you are or dress for the occasion, we'll have a few spacesuits available for those who wish to dress the part; music that is out of this world; and fun that is out of this world!


    Saturday, March 6, 2010
  • 9 a.m. SLT

    • School Librarians Get Involved with ISTE SIGMS

      • School librarians can attend this session to learn about how they can get involved with the ISTE Media Specialists Special Interest Group (SIGMS) in Second Life and other platforms, such as our ning, webinars, Tapped In, and various social networking sites. We will also overview sites of interest to school librarians within Second Life.

      • Presenter: Lisa Perez (Elaine Tulip in SL), Chicago Public Schools Dept of Libraries

      • Event Help Staff: Lorelei Junot, Cliquot Oh, and Oberon Octagon in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 10 a.m. SLT

    • A Conversation with Peter May, author of the novel Virtually Dead, a murder mystery set partially in Second Life

      • Event Description

      • Peter May is the award-winning author of several standalone novels and two series: The China Thrillers, featuring Beijing detective Li Yan and American forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell; and The Enzo Files, featuring Scottish forensic scientist Enzo MacLeod, which is set in France. He is the creator of three major television drama series and garnered more than 1,000 credits in 15 years as scriptwriter and script editor on prime-time British television drama, before quitting television to concentrate on his first love, writing novels. Born and raised in Scotland, Peter now lives in France.

      • Event Help Staff: Lorelei Junot and Silhshoot Seelowe in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 11 a.m. SLT

    • Panel Discussion: "Teleport to the Future: Libraries and Immersive Learning" by Valerie Hill, Sheila Webber, Mary Miner, Marcia Meister, and Lorri Mon

      • Come hear university professors, librarians, and literacy specialists discuss the future for immersive learning in schools and libraries.

      • Valerie Hill (Valibrarian Gregg in SL) -- LISD School Librarian, Texas Woman's University Doctoral Student;
      • Sheila Webber (Sheila Yoshikawa in SL) -- Senior Lecturer, University of Sheffield, UK;
      • Mary Miner (Doran Horngold in SL) -- SBISD School Librarian, Texas;
      • Barbara Zanig -- University of Washington;
      • Marcia Meister (Hyacinth Cortes in SL) -- University of CA, Davis;
      • Lorri Mon, PhD. (Lorri Momiji in SL) -- Florida State University

      • Event Help Staff: Lorelei Junot, Cliquot Oh, and Silhshoot Seelowe in SL in SL, and Lori Bell in OPAL


    • "Snapshots: One University Library's Use of Second Life" presented by Deni Wicklund, Michael Olson, Susan L. Rojo, and Mattie Taormina

      • This panel will present some of the major projects and activities that Stanford University Libraries have embarked upon with their Second Life island and how this technology facilitates relationships between librarians and their constituents. Panelists will describe their projects in Second Life: mounting curated exhibits, teaching archival literacy, hosting live feeds, presenting classes and events, working with other campus agencies, archiving virtual worlds, and providing reference services. We plan to engage the audience in a discussion about how a research library's presence in Second Life can be an asset to the organization, especially in these tough economic times.

      • Deni Wicklund (Artemis Jacks in SL) is the manager of Stanford University Libraries Tech Support;
        Michael Olson (Michael Stoop in SL) is the project manager of Digital Library Systems and Services;
        Susan L. Rojo (Mollie Mavendorf in SL) is manager of Digital Media and Collections Projects, Humanities Research Group, Stanford University Libraries;
        Mattie Taormina (Sicilia Tiratzo in SL) is head of Public Services, Stanford University Special Collections & University Archives.

      • Event Help Staff: Kay Tairov in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


    • "Improving Consumer Health Literacy with Virtual Games" presented by Elisabeth Jacobsen Marrapodi (Brielle Coronet in Second Life)

      • Panel discussion participation with demonstration of interactive health quiz games in the virtual world of Second Life. Low Health Literacy impacts everyone's ability to read, understand and act on health care information. It also costs the health care system millions of dollars each year. The quizzes were created by a Medical Librarian and clinical advisory team to improve Consumer Health Literacy by raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of heart attack, stroke and common medical terminology. This project is part of a study to determine the effectiveness of gaming upon consumer health knowledge, health care behavior and decisions.

      • Elisabeth Jacobsen Marrapodi (Brielle Coronet in Second Life) is the Library Director at the Trinitas Regional Medical Center Library.

      • Event Help Staff: Oberon Octagon and Cliquot Oh in SL


  • Noon SLT

    • Keynote Address by Marilyn Johnson: Down the Rabbit Hole

      • The biggest challenge in covering the pioneers of virtual reality is keeping up with them as they disappear down the rabbit holes of invention and opportunity, so eager for the adventure, they don't stop to fully record their discoveries. A journalist who embedded herself in Second Life to document the work of its "extreme virtual librarians" shares her amusing experiences and perspective, and discusses the methods she used to try to convey its marvels and significance to uninitiated readers in her newly published This Book Is Overdue!

      • Marilyn Johnson is the author of the new book, This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All. She also wrote The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries.

      • Event Help Staff: Tom Peters in OPAL

      • Location: in OPAL in the FIN10A online room

  • 1 p.m. SLT

    • "When Real and Virtual Worlds Collide: A Second Life Library" presented by Dr. Anthony Chow, Chase Baity, Pam Chappell, David Rachlin, C. Vinson, and Marilyn Zamarripa

      • Our research examined SL branches of traditional public libraries and independent SL libraries using a mixed method approach (n=425) of surveys, focus groups, and interviews. This study represented an attempt to understand the dynamics balancing the needs and demands of real and virtual world libraries and the differences between them. The three research questions addressed were: 1) What are the integrated goals between the real and virtual world libraries? 2) What is the optimal way to deliver services to reach these goals that are highly usable for employees and patrons?, and 3) How usable currently is the virtual library?

      • Dr. Anthony Chow is an assistant professor in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

      • Event Help Staff: Lorelei Junot in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 2 p.m. SLT

    • Keynote Address by Tom Atkinson: Metaverse: A Convergence of Realities

      • As virtual worlds increasingly augment the physical world, our experience has become a convergence of realities through text, media, the Web, and now virtual worlds into a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity, a dimension between imagination and the knowledge of one’s physical reality that forms the “Metaverse”. Join “Dr. Atkinson” as he explores the boundaries of our new reality.

      • Dr. Tom Atkinson (Professor Tomsen in SL) has over 30 years of experience in higher education, specializing in designing, producing, delivering, and evaluating interactive instruction. He teaches Instructional Technology at the University of Central Florida and served as Principal Investigator & Director of the SUNLINK Grant Project in Florida that indexes over 3 million titles and nearly 30 thousand holdings from Florida K-12 schools. He has published numerous articles and books on Virtual Worlds, Metaverse, mLearning, and Game Design and presented at national and international conferences including AECT, FETC, AACE, SITE, MPI and mLEARN. He has participated on discussion panels with representatives from Linden Lab, IBM, and the New Media Consortium and chairs the Virtual Worlds Committee with AECT where he developed their Second Life presence on C.A.V.E. Island.

      • Event Help Staff: Oberon Octagon in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 3 p.m. SLT

    • "Alliance Virtual Library to Community Virtual Library 2006 - 2010 and Beyond" presented by Bill Sowers, Samantha Thompson, and Rhonda Trueman

      • Bill Sowers (SL: Rocky Vallejo), Samantha Thompson (SL: Hypatia Dejavu), and Rhonda Trueman (SL: Abbey Zenith) discuss the origins and accomplishments of Alliance Virtual Library and the road to becoming Community Virtual Library a virtual public library serving the needs of Second Life residents, educators, and librarians.

      • Event Help Staff: Oberon Octagon in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 4 p.m. SLT

    • "Human Trafficking Exhibit and Experience Tour" presented by Rhonda Trueman (Abbey Zenith in SL)

      • On Human Trafficking Awareness Day January 11th, the Human Trafficking Exhibit and Experience opened on Info Island in Second Life. The exhibit hall located at ground level on Info Island provides information and resources about this dire problem and provides information on how people can help, and first person accounts. In the exhibit hall you will be able to obtain an audio badge that you attach to your avatar before teleporting to the other levels of the exhibit: Sexual Exploitation, Forced Labor, and Adoption/Marriage Trafficking. These are immersive areas surrounding the visitor in the sights and sounds of human trafficking.

      • Rhonda Trueman (Abbey Zenith in SL)

      • Event Help Staff: Tom Peters in OPAL


  • 5 p.m. SLT

    • "In Loco Parentis and Virtual Worlds: Discussions for New Media Classrooms and Academic Libraries" presented by Michele LeSure from the University of Florida

      • As college instructors and academic librarians move their services for students into virtual spaces, questions of ethical responsibility take on new dimensions. In order for new media practices to become the norm for classrooms, issues such as student safety in virtual realms need to be addressed. This paper will explore questions of in loco parentis as they apply to instructors and academic librarians who serve students in-world. A Second Life exhibit on desegregation hosted by the University of Florida Libraries for Black History Month will serve as the backdrop for this discussion.

      • Michele LeSure is a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of English at the University of Florida. She has been a resident of Second Life since 2007, has participated in developing the University of Florida Libraries' virtual presence in Second Life, and has helped organize Netroots Nation in Second Life for two years in a row. Michele is an active member of both the Modern Language Association and the American Library Association.

      • Event Help Staff: Lorelei Junot in SL, and Tom Peters in OPAL


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