On Tuesday, 26th February I attended Gortadoo Ewing's (Cathal McCauley's) tutorial. This was a very different experience for me, as I had been using SL alone from home until this point. Around 15 of us were in the Information Skills Room, and it was a little disconcerting to hear everyone around me in RL, at the same time that we were all together in SL. On the other hand, we were all able to help each other out - I offered teleports to Ainia Thor and Ardlea Paulse whose avatars were stuck in inconvenient locations. (This is one reason I always teleport back to UCD Library at the end of a session. It's a little mad, but I like to know where I've left Demelza!)
The tutorial was both useful and timely, as Gortadoo gave us newbies great tips on practicalities like the Heads Up Device (HUD) and how not to be a 'boxhead' (Oh, the shame of it!). The short presentation was good as an overview of library opportunities in SL for service delivery and innovation, and though he is obviously an enthusiast, he didn't gloss over the negatives either - technical issues around access, ownership concerns, and fears of where SL is on the 'hype' cycle (Hopefully not "hurtling into a trough of disillusionment" as he termed it).
The problem of access is paramount for UCD students and library staff. SL can never become a 'mainstream' library service or activity while it is so comprehensively blocked on campus. I understand IT Services' concerns, but those concerns are curtailing educational opportunities. Even in my few short weeks of life in SL, I have seen how lectures, seminars, tutorials and study groups (in all disciplines) could take place effectively in this virtual environment.
Those of us who live off campus (with broadband and relatively new PCs or laptops) are the lucky ones. Unfortunately, many students in SILS are living on campus, so they don't even have the luxury of accessing SL on their laptops in the evenings... Contingency arrangements for access to offices in SILS are very welcome!
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