New Book: Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries

Hot off the press -- scheduled release, Oct. 2008.

Bell, Lori, and Rhonda B. Trueman, eds. Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries: Librarians and in Second Life and Other Multi-User Virtual Environments. (Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc., 2008).

See publisher.

See amazon.

Blurb:

Eighty percent of Internet users are expected to engage in some form of virtual world activity by 2011 (Gartner Research Group), and librarians and educators are already there. This fascinating book — the brainchild of two pioneering virtual world librarians — is designed to help libraries and schools recognize the importance of multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) and consider ways of getting involved as they proliferate.

The editors and 24 contributors describe library, educational, and cultural projects they have undertaken. They recount their experiences working together to succeed in Second Life and other virtual worlds and explain how traditional library services such as reference, teaching, collections, discussion groups, and young adult programs can be applied in a virtual environment.

Setting Up a Library or Museum in Second Life

UIUC GSLIS (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Graduate School of Library & Information Science) with the Alliance Library System are offering the following two, new, non-credit course to be held in the virtual world of Second Life.

Setting up Your Library or Museum in Second Life

• "This course is intended for those interested in creating their library or museum presence in SL. Each participant will be lent a small plot of land on which to develop a prototype for their SL library or museum. Instructors will focus on the information, skills, and SL utilities necessary to accomplish that task. Participants will also be given the opportunity to reinforce their learning through hands-on experiences that will result in a model for their SL library."


• Wednesdays, October 22, 29, November 5, 12, 19 and 26 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm SL (U.S. Pacific) time.


• Instructors include Krull Aeon, Daisyblue Hefferman, and Sonja Morgwain.


• For more information, contact the in-word group: UIUC-GSLIS.

Intro to Museums in Virtual Worlds

• "What is it like to work as a museum professional in the virtual world of Second Life (SL)? What skills and knowledge are needed? What resources are available? This is a hands-on course that will introduce you to building collections and exhibits in Second Life, to planning programs and events, and to the skills needed for the 21st century museum professional in a virtual world."


• Mondays, October 27, November 3, 10, 17 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm SL (U.S. Pacific) time.


• Instructors include John Walber from Learning Times, librarian Rhonda Trueman, consultant Tom Peters and Consultant John Howard.


• For more information, contact the in-word group: UIUC-GSLIS.

Kuna Panama Indian Art, Illustrated Lecture

Mola Art among the Kuna People of Panama
Illustrated Lecture in SL
Saturday September 27
3:00 pm SLT
Museum of Music

An illustrated lecture -- "Mola Art and Aesthetics among the Kuna People of the Republic of Panama: a Unique Native American Art Form" -- will be presented by Nexus Dot, on Saturday September 27, at 3:00 pm SLT, in the Museum of Music in Second Life. Abbey Zenith and the Museum of Music are hosting the presentation.

The Kuna people of the Republic of Panama have created a unique sort of Native American art using the reverse applique technique. A selection of these art works called Molas will be displayed and available to the participants attending the program.

Nexus collected the Molas and will be the primary presenter of the illustrated lecture that will take us on a journey through this culture and art. Rusalka Nemeth, who visited the Kuna tribe, will also share some of her experiences.

Send an IM to Brianna Beresford or Abbey Zenith in-world for more information regarding the program.

To view the Mola collection in an exhibit organized by Brianna Beresford, visit the Tranquil Textile Museum in Second Life.

ANTH theories in NY Times article describe micro-blogging

The link to the following article has been circulating around Second Life:

Thompson, C. (2008, September 5). "Brave New World of Digital Intimacy." New York Times Magazine. Retrieved September 7, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html

The online New York Times Magazine article uses anthropological and other social science theories to describe some of the micro-blogging, or social networking, services that have become so popular recently.

Those services allow people to publish a constant stream of activities, thoughts, and photos in the world-wide-web through computers and now also through mobile phones for their friends and sometimes even strangers to view from moment to moment. They are like instantaneous diaries, not only day by day, but moment by moment, instant by instant: incessantly.

A link from the article (p. 1, widget) takes us to the article author Thompson's own "pomeranian99" Twitter page, for example.

Principally, the article describes these popular tools: Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. The article, furthermore, mentions some other micro-blogging tools: Tumblr and Dopplr; it also mentions the location tracking software Loopt for iPhone.

While written in a lively manner for popular circulation, the article (pp. 2-5) refers to a number of anthropological and social science theories:

• “co-presence”, as formulated by the Japanese cultural anthropologist ("sociologist") Mizuko Ito.


• "modern American disconnectedness", as formulated by USA political scientist Robert Putnam.


• Dunbar's number, a "hard-wired upper limit on the number of people [any person] can personally know at one time", as formulated by British social anthropologist Robin Dunbar.


• "parasocial relationships" as described by USA social scientist Danah Boyd.


• "college-age users reacting to the world of awareness", as studied by University of Maryland sociologist Zeynep Tufekci.

The article (p. 2) also uses the catch-phrase "ambient awareness", referred to as a "social science theory". Is it?

A note (p.1) tells us that a version of this online article "appeared in print on September 7, 2008, on page MM42 of the New York edition".

Thanks to Sarasvati Kohime for circulating the link to the article through the "SL Researchers" group in Second Life.

Bukowski Discussion Published Online

The discussion led by Tom Bukowski in SL at the American Anthropologist Virtual Campus, last week, has been published online:

"Coming of Age in Second Life": Transcript of a Discussion led by Tom Bukowski

Tom Bukowski in SL is Tom Boellstorff in RL, the Editor-in-Chief of the American Anthropologist. He is the author the ground-breaking study, Coming of Age in Second Life: an Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human (Princeton University Press, 2008).

The discussion was held in the amphitheater of the American Anthropologist Virtual Campus, Anteater Island, in SL.