Although I actually finished my INFO580 research project some time ago - in October of last year - I’ve been slow in making it available here on the blog. A combination of work, Christmas, and taking an interesting paper on Web and Intranet Content Management over trimester three has really meant that I’ve barely thought about my research, and Second Life in general, since finishing the project. (more…)
Keith (one of our acquisitions crew) posted a link on our library blog today to an amazing, spontaneous, accidentally educational, treasure hunt game that some person (I’m still trying to work out if she’s actually a librarian or just an interested student) created in her local academic library.
Coreopsis Major left clues in the form of call numbers at her library, at first on tables, then leading to books at various locations around the library, to take the finder of these clues on a treasure hunt around the library. Eventually, there’s treasure at the end.
(I borrowed these pictures from Coreopsis Major’s page on SFZero, go check out her project!)
Coreopsis was playing SFZero, a kind of Alternate Reality Game. In this game, players create “Characters” who perform all kinds of “tasks” out in the real world in order to obtain completion “scores” when they report back their progress on the website. In many cases, the tasks, submitted by other players to the game, are simple, yet ambiguous, designed to allow players to exercise huge amounts of creativity. (more…)
I have begun seeking participants to help out in my research into Second Life Library. Basically, I’m looking for a whole range of different people - including casual Second Life Library visitors, librarians who work in Second Life, and those who are librarians in RL - anyone would like to share their thoughts, opinions, experiences, and expectations concerning the various libraries that are being developed on Info Island.
I (finally) submitted my proposal for my 580 Research project a couple of weeks ago. Part of the most daunting bit of my study towards the Masters of Library and Information Studies programme at Victoria University, my project is titled “Virtual World Libraries: Challenges and Strategies”. In brief, the research explores three questions:
When talking about “Virtual World Libraries”, I am referring to initiatives such as the Info Island Libraries now being run in Second Life, spearheaded by the Alliance Library System. I’m planning that my research will involve interviews with a few the users of these libraries, to learn about their experiences of the online library environment. Here’s an excerpt
