Buns and Pince-nez? I blame Hollywood!

On Friday 29th February, Ann Seidl, director of The Hollywood Librarian was in town and we got to talk to her in SL! This was all quite exciting, and although we'd had the tutorial from Gortadoo Ewing, he's a UCD staff member, and I felt like this was our first genuine foray into the wider world of SL discussions.

Again, we were all in the Information Skills Room in UCD Library, so there was an amount of kerfuffle going on around me in RL. I felt a certain 'performance anxiety' as I knew our participation would be assessed, so I was eager to ask 'good' questions, while managing not to be jostled off the edge of the library's second floor. Thankfully, I had read up on Ann Seidl and the film in advance, as we were slightly 'cart before the horse' because we hadn't actually seen the film yet.

Grasping the chance to ask a question, or make a comment, can be challenging. It's far more of a free-for-all than in a normal classroom or lecture theatre situation. Often in RL, there is a resounding silence when a class or group is asked if there are any questions. In SL, however, questions and comments were coming thick and fast. On occasion, another avatar can just beat you to the draw by typing faster, but I did get to ask Ann if she thought she got a standing ovation at the ALA Conference in Washington partly because the film was such a shot in the arm for US librarians, who have been under huge pressure since September 11th. I also squeezed in a question about the whole situation in Salinas, and whether that wouldn't merit a complete documentary in itself...

It was great to have this experience, and Ann Seidl could just as easily have been 'visiting' UCD Library from the other side of the RL world, as from a room nearby. I would hope that there could be future 'visits' from luminaries of the library world. I've been remembering back to last Autumn when Blaise Cronin spoke to us in SILS. That event happened because he was in Ireland. Really, with SL, there's no need to wait for people to be in the country at all. What is necessary is an approach to them and their willingness to participate virtually...

One problem with this SL forum which quickly became apparent however, is that of etiquette. I think that students need to remember that they are attending a lecture or talk, even if it's not in the usual scenario of a lecture theatre. By and large, students in RL do not bumble about, remarking approvingly on their own appearance, or that of others. Dancing, flying, and zooming forwards or backwards are not regarded as de rigueur in RL lectures or talks, so they have no place in SL either.

Newbies can be forgiven for lapses in motor control - in my case I resolutely stayed away from all keyboard controls, except to type, as I had picked my position and just wanted to stay in one place and focus on the quickfire discussion - but personal chit-chat which disrupts the flow of the discussion for everyone else is unforgiveable. I have never told anyone to 'Shush' while I've been working in libraries, so it was ironic that in the context of discussing a film which explores the Hollywood stereotype of librarians, I was really tempted to do just that! If students are a tad over-excited about another avatar's wings or whatever, they should explore the possibilities of Instant Messaging...

Gortadoo Ewing's Tutorial, or How Not to Be a Boxhead in one easy lesson!

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!

Lonely Library Student would like to meet similar...

This a presentation which Australian librarian, Kathryn Greenhill (Emerald Dumont) gave to the National Library of Australia...

| View | Upload your own

It's a lively and useful overview of Libraries and Second Life. (Click on the 'Play' arrow to view the slides!) The Extra Slides section has quotes from various librarians worldwide. These absolutely have a resonance with regard to possibilities for libraries to have a meaningful presence in SL, and also the opportunity to meet formally or informally with other librarians.

In a few short weeks, I've 'met' librarians and library students from all over the RL world, like Kamsin Kazan - a librarian from Nova Scotia, if I recall correctly. Gareth Otsuka is a library assistant from Liverpool Public Libraries. He's a volunteer at the Info Island Ref Desk, and an SL 'believer' who is frustrated by the fact that social networking is not a part of Liverpool Libraries' strategy.

Info Island International Reference Desk - great for info., events and groups in SL

Gareth initially approached me because he checked out my profile and saw I am a member of CILIP. Kamsin's a member of the group Second Life Library 2.0, as am I. That's why Demelza has Library Friend as well as her avatar name. (It's a great ice-breaker!) You can change your active group, but I like Library Friend, and Spartan, from San Jose SLIS, seemed a little threatening... (Check out my profile to see the Groups I'm a member of. Search for People, key in Demelza Trefoil in the Find Box. Please ignore the horrible photo. The UCD Logo looks better than I do...)

I've also enjoyed moaning to non-UCD library students like Kizilbash Ballyhoo and Dyonisus Michalak about assignments. Maybe this starts as idle chit-chat, but in reality, we're soon comparing courses and assignments, and it's interesting to hear what other library schools are up to.

Demelza Trefoil WILL NOT be retiring when this SL assignment is 'finished'!

Saturday Night Fever!

On Saturday evening, 23rd February I looked around under Search for places to go. I had Linden$100 burning a hole in the pocket of my very boring SL standard issue trousers. This money came from a very generous librarian, Sonja Morgwain, whom Bertie Latte and I had met the day before. We were such newbies - Bertie wasn't able to look up, and I was dancing uncontrollably because of Gortadoo Ewing's dance card. Sonja was very helpful, especially when she realised that we were fledgling librarians. She showed us how to use camera angles which is a very useful skill, especially if you want to see yourself as other avatars see you, and so that you can slot yourself facing front in snapshots. I did have some problems mastering it initially - ending up embedded in what seemed to be a million pixels of carpet or ceiling, but I've learned to just use very subtle mouse movements. Sonja also gave us numerous landmarks which, at this early stage, we were unsure what to do with, though we thanked her anyway. But then she astounded us by gifting us LD$100 each as she maintains that library students are always impoverished, whether in RL or SL. We really appreciated her generosity, and I must say that all library avatars I've encountered have been really helpful and willing to take the time to teach you new skills, give advice, or just chat...

Anyway, I set off for virtual Puerto Banus, Marbella. It was pitch dark when I got there which was quite unnerving. (I hadn't yet learnt that you can 'force' time of day on your environment.) It's hilarious how you bring RL habits with you into SL, but I actually looked left and right before crossing the road!

I found a boulevard with very glamourous boutiques, and spent $65 on a lovely pair of trousers, and a pink sequined top. Feeling very snazzy, I saw a glow in the distance and headed off like a moth to the SL flame. There were huge oval runways with dozens of people parading around in their finery, like a load of contestants on America's Next Top Model. I couldn't believe it! Around and around they strutted in the most marvellous and bizarre outfits. I sat down to watch the show for about ten minutes. I couldn't credit that people would just have their avatars walking around and around for ages, like show ponies. Only in this case there didn't seem to be any prize, just runway walking for runway walking's sake... They must get carpal tunnel syndrome from operating the arrow keys, unless they have some way of putting their avatar on auto pilot. Anyway, I soon decided that I was just as sad for watching as they were for 'modelling', so it seemed like time to do something more productive.


Where to go when you're eliminated from America's Next Top Model!

I headed for Orientation Island to brush up on all of my new skills, and to try to acquire more. Ended up in a strange place, like a very claustrophobic village with small buildings, each devoted to a core skill - communication, appearance, etc. All manner of touch screens with hints and tips from Governor Linden. But it was really creepy. Pitch dark outside, with sometimes just a hint of an avatar in the shadows. Someone called Parrot Man kept begging me for money: "Please give me some money." "Give me some money please". Although the words appeared on screen, I imagined them as a sibilant whisper. I had read in the SL regulations that begging is not allowed, and I probably should have reported this abuse, but it would have made me feel like a snitch. Every so often, an avatar I've dubbed Raccoon Man would brush past me. This avatar has turned up in a couple of places I've been. He has a burly male body, but a huge raccoon head and tail. I wonder if it is the same avatar, as it's certainly not a conventional appearance. He must be one of the 'furries' that I have heard about.

Perhaps all of this is tame by the standards of Temple Bar, but Saturday night seemed like crazy night in SL (Bertie Latte was having his own adventures, being verbally abused by a man in a pink tutu), although as it's only night time for half of the RL planet, does this mean there are loads of people in SL being crazy at 2 p.m. their time?

Fear of Flying...

A 'flying' visit to Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library...

I arrived in UCD Library for the first time to find it completely deserted. This suited me initially as I wanted to just ramble around and see what was there. I was rather tentative about touching things, in case I 'broke anything'. I explored some library buildings nearby, but again there was nobody around. This bothered me a little, as I had expected more of an actual presence on the part of librarians. In some of the libraries however, there were signs saying Such and Such Avatar is off-line. This at least implied that if I came back, I'd be able to talk to someone.

Because nobody was around, I decided it was obviously time to get some air miles under my belt! I had tried some tentative forays into the stratosphere already, but this time I really let rip. (I find using the arrow keys on the keyboard more user friendly than the little gadget that you can pop up onto your screen.) I clicked on Start Flying and quite literally took off like a rocket. It's exhilarating the first few times. Now I no longer need to envy people who dream they're flying, which is something I've never dreamt. I was a little over zealous with the forward key however, and I ended up in the middle of an apparent ocean. Luckily, I had learned about the map which shows your own location while I was in the tutorial area, so I was able to make it back to terra firma, but I landed in a very strange place. The avatars were dressed (those who were dressed!) in what could only be termed S&M gear. One avatar was flying very low in a craft which resembled a Stealth Bomber. I got enmeshed in this craft for a while. Meantime, some highly inappropriate conversations were going on around me, and I got offers which I would regard as anatomically impossible, even for a virtual being. Unfortunately, I hadn't activated a lot of my more negative gestures at this stage, so I maintained a dignified silence and discreetly teleported back to the safe haven of UCD Library!

Kids grow up so fast these days!

Thank God for Underwear! But what's happened to my feet?

Demelza Trefoil was 'born' on Friday, 22nd February 2008 around 3 p.m. The astounding thing about Second Life is that by 4 p.m. I had crammed in at least three years of human experience, in that I could walk, 'talk' and dress myself. I found the four tutorials relatively easy, except that I had to go through the communications one a number of times even though Master Phat seemed happy with my responses. But for some reason, the piece of my tutorial jigsaw for communication didn't light up until I had completed it three times.

I was a little nervous about editing my appearance, as I had heard tales of people haplessly running around naked because they couldn't get their clothes back on. I started with the least important item - my shoes. They went back on easily, so I tried taking off my pants. I was very relieved to see that I had underpants on! The pants went back on, so I tried peeling off my shirt. Again, sighs of relief that I had a vest on underneath.

I decided it was time to attempt the 'Full Monty'. I tried to find the quietest corner possible, but still other newbies were bumbling about. One 'chap' stood right beside me. I was as perturbed as if he had followed me into a changing cubicle in a clothes shop! I wished I had the gesture for 'glaring'. Unsure of the etiquette, I kept on undressing, but muttering to myself all of the time: "You, Sir, are no gentleman!"

With all clothes back on, and basic skills under my belt, I decided to head for Cybrary City. No yellow brick road, but something infinitely better - teleporting! I clicked on Search, keyed in Cybrary City which gave me a bewildering array of results, so I fell back on the security blanket of the Alma Mater, keyed in UCD Library, clicked on teleport, and with a satisfying swoosh, I was there!