For the next two trimesters (from February through till November) I’ll be working on a research project as part of my Masters in Library and Information Studies.

The INFO580 project is a compulsory part of our LIM training. It’s an opportunity for students to explore a topic of interest to us that relates to library and information management, and to apply the theories and principles we’ve learned over our past year or so of study in a research setting.

I submitted the Topic Approval Form for my project last Sunday, outlining my proposed topic of research:

[My] project seeks to develop a framework for the ways in which game design and e-learning theories might inform the future design and development of library interfaces within virtual world environments by considering an example of an emerging online library, the Second Life Library, and the experiences of users and virtual librarians using the service.

I’m hoping to produce something really worthwhile with this project, something that can be of use to those working to build virtual world libraries in the future. My next task is to produce a full formal proposal for my topic (due May 7th) - a clearer, longer version of my original TAF. I imagine that my supervisor, Brenda Chawner, and I will be working out the exact details of the project over the next week or so, and then my days will be filled with the likes of annotated bibliographies, tightly worded topic statements, clearly defined objectives, and human ethics proposals!

Here’s a closer look at my proposal - slightly edited for the sake of this blog post:

Problem Statement (& significance):

Contemporary libraries are faced with new needs and expectations from users regarding online library services. This impacts upon four traditional concerns of libraries: “Acquisition”, “Preservation”, “Access” and “Community” (Graubard & LeClerc, 1998). Libraries now serve a distanced and broader user base. This places new demands on the kinds of materials libraries are expected to provide, as well as way that this information should be available to library users. For example, the increased availability of digital copies of texts mean that users are less concerned about where resources are held, and more interested in their availability in full text via the internet (Lombardi, 2000).

Library users also seek the increased aggregation of library collections and services (Marcum, 2003). There is a desire for ‘just-in-time’ (that is, on demand) information and assistance and an increase in interactivity at the interface level. Users want to be able to intuitively use library services and only receive assistance and education at the time that it is needed. They do not expect to need to spend time going through library tutorials in order to learn. This places increased focus on the design of library interfaces to intuitively teach users what they need to know to find what they need.

The internet is providing individuals with instant access to information on an unprecedented level. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly crucial for information seekers to be equipped with the knowledge and training required to successfully determine the contextual relevance of the information they retrieve from the World Wide Web. Libraries are being required to provide the same (or greater) levels of support and borrower education, but increasingly in scenarios mediated by technologies of distance.

There is a growing academic awareness of the effectiveness of virtual interactive environments, specifically virtual worlds and multiplayer online gaming environments, in encouraging learning, developing intuitive interfaces, and facilitating interactive community. LIM commentators have begun to look to virtual world environments as one possibility for enhancing online library and information services. John Kirriemuir (2005), for example, points out a number of ways that digital information services and online games are similar.

Comparing the data processing functions of games and digital libraries Kirriemuir suggests that digital libraries might learn from the techniques that online games use to handle vast amounts of changing data. Also, digital libraries and online games both often provide their users with an exploration metaphor. Users of digital libraries and online games alike are both on a ‘knowledge quest’ (a term coined by Walt Scacchi, cited in Doshi, 2006) of some kind.

Ameet Doshi (2006) also sees games as a way to build communities and increased engagement in libraries. Games are an opportunity to “engage students in an environment that is relevant to their world view” (p. 16), and in a way that encourages increased interaction between librarians and patrons. Doshi also suggests that libraries could attempt to make their own games to interact with students, and create valuable partnerships with computer science or engineering departments at the same time. This could help interested students from those departments develop their own portfolios, to aid their future employment prospects.

An international group of librarians is currently working together to provide library services within the virtual world of Second Life. They have recently created a library within the virtual world, which was officially launched in October 2006. Residents of Second Life can visit the library (there are, in fact, several branch libraries that make up the library), view virtual resources and read virtual books. With the help of other Second Life groups the library also hosts various events and educational speaking engagements that Second Life residents can attend.

A clear lack of literature that specifically examines libraries in virtual worlds means that libraries seeking to design a virtual world presence have a limited foundation from which to begin. As more libraries begin to seek to provide services within virtual worlds they will be increasingly looking at modelling their online interfaces on techniques already in use in virtual worlds and online games.

There are presently no formal studies that speak to the benefits of online game environments for libraries. There are also no studies that consider which elements of virtual interactive environments might be most useful for the design of online spaces for library users. There is a need for research and guidelines to be developed to support the development of information services like the Second Life Library. Research of this nature could serve to educate virtual library designers, and encourage new innovations in this new area. This research project would both fill a gap in LIM research literature, and would perhaps also serve to directly aid the growth and development of the newly established Second Life Library.

Objectives:

The outcome of this research project will be the exploration of questions in two general areas. Firstly, regarding the challenges for libraries designing virtual world libraries, and secondly, concerning the application of design theories to solve these issues. By the end of the project, it is my goal to have to produce a document that outlines a number of important “best practices” for would-be virtual world library developers.
Examples of questions that are expected to arise from the two areas are listed below:

What are likely to be the key challenges for libraries in designing a virtual world library?

• What are the issues facing contemporary online libraries?
• What are likely to be the key challenges for libraries in designing a virtual world library?
• What expectations are users likely to have of virtual world environments?
• How have librarian designers at the Second Life Library negotiated these issues?
• Are there any new issues that have emerged that are specific to virtual world libraries?

Are game design and e-learning theories relevant to this design process?

• What design theories (if any) are being used by Second Life Library designers?
• What material have Second Life librarians consulted regarding the development of their virtual world services?
• Is there anything used in the design of Second Life Library that could be useful for game design?
• Can examples from Second Life library potentially be extrapolated into other virtual worlds?
• Can conclusions be drawn about particular design theories that would be relevant in general design for virtual world libraries?

Short Bibliography

• Barab, S. A., Kling, R. & Gray, J. H. (eds.) (2004). Designing for Virtual Communities in the Service of Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Doshi, Ameet. (2006) How Gaming Could Improve Information Literacy. Computers in Libraries 26(5) 14-17.
• Gee, J. P. (2003) What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Graubard, S. R., & LeClerc P. (1998). Books, Bricks & Bytes: Libraries in the Twenty-First Century. New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A.: Transaction.
• Kirriemuir, J. (2005). Parallel Worlds: Online Games and Digital Information Services. D-Lib Magazine 11(12). Retrieved on August 14 from http://www.dlib.org/dlib/december05/kirriemuir/12kirriemuir.html.
• Koster, R. (2007). A Somewhat Strict Defnition. Retrived on February 25, 2007 from http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/book/3c.shtml
• Lombardi, J. V. (2000). Academic Libraries in a Digital Age. D-Lib Magazine 6(10). Retrieved August 10, 2006, from http://www.dlib.org/dlib/october00/lombardi/10lombardi.html.
• Marcum, D. B. (2003). Research Questions for the Digital Era Library. Library Trends 51(4) 636-651.
• Steinkuehler, C. A. (2005 & also forthcoming). Cognition and literacy in massively multiplayer online games. In D. Leu, J. Coiro, C. Lankshear, & K. Knobel (Eds.), Handbook of Research on New Literacies. Mahwah NJ: Erlbaum. Retrieved October 16, 2006, from http://website.education.wisc.edu/steinkuehler/papers/SteinkuehlerNEWLIT2005.pdf
• Steinkuehler, C. A. (forthcoming). Cognition and literacy in massively multiplayer online games. In D. Leu, J. Coiro, C. Lankshear, & K. Knobel (Eds.), Handbook of Research on New Literacies. Mahwah NJ: Erlbaum. Retrieved February 25, 2007, from http://website.education.wisc.edu/steinkuehler/papers/SteinkuehlerNEWLIT2005.pdf
• Salen, K & Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of play: game design fundamentals. Cambridge: MIT Press.

I think at this stage I feel more confident about the significance and purpose of my project than I do about the path to its completion. Hopefully this will become clearer over the next few weeks. I would really appreciate any tips or suggestions from anyone who is interested in my project (especially if you know of other work that has been done in this area). You are most welcome to leave your thoughts and comments below!