Monday, July 8, 2019

2019 #VWEDU: Libraries in the virtual world could provide help for virtual classes and virtual campuses: the trident model


Libraries in the virtual world 
could provide librarian help 
for virtual classes and virtual campuses: 

Suggestions as to how a virtual world library can serve the educational programs in the virtual worlds, along with a demonstration of how to provide live help on a regular schedule
RUC Library Campus
  • "The best teachers tell you where to look, but don't tell you what to see."
  • A library is not a building, it is a collection of informative resources.
  • The most important resource is a librarian.  
  • Great resources are only useful if you can find them.
  • A librarian can find the resources the student needs.

The trident model for librarian help

  1.  Live online help at set times.
  2.  Responses to written queries.
  3.  Live help available by appointment.

Clarification

****************

Live online help--that's the improbable one!

  • Live online help takes people.  People cost money!
  • Usually we do, but working on the web changes things.  
  • I have provided live help online for well over a year--in web-worlds.
  • The reason I do that without pay is that I would be online at that time anyway.
  • And a  web-world is only another browser tab.  
  • So I invite people to visit me on the web as shown below.

Visit me on the web

Library help: Weekdays: 12:-12:30 pm Central time (US)

  • Why not inworld?  Because there is no single inworld.
  • A web-world is open to anyone.  
  • Only a half-hour a day?  This is a demonstration and test of concept.  
  • If usage grows, I hope we can find others to expand the hours.  
  • I am not really qualified as a librarian. 
  • But I can provide help with using OpenSim regions and with web search.    

Responses to written queries

  • We have experienced librarians who will probably answer written queries.
  • We need to work out an efficient way to accept queries and respond.
  • That probably needs to be something like a web-based forum.  
  • Web-based would be open to anyone, not just to a particular grid.  
  • A public forum would carry public answers, available in search.
  • A collaborative blog might be the best choice.  
  • Users could post queries as comments on blog articles.
  • Librarians would have all have posting authority on the blog.
  • Any librarian could pick up a query and post a blog article in response.
  • For the present, as a test, you can post a query on any article on this blog.
  • I should get a notice of it.   I will either respond or start an article.
  • This arrangement will continue until we have one that works for multiple librarians.

Live help available by appointment

  • If you need live help at some time that fits your schedule ask for it. 
  • Use the query method described above.  

Background

Searches about online libraries

Related articles

Virtual world library resources

What does a virtual world offer that a web page does not?

People

  • A million people may be looking at that web page.
  • But you are all alone.
  • In a virtual world, you see avatars representing people.
  • You can talk to the people. You can ask for help.
  • You can look for people who share your interests.
  • You can look for people who might want to collaborate with you.
  • You can start collaborating with people.
  • You can start learning with other people learning the same thing.
  • Or perhaps with docents, tutors, or instructors.
  • Sure they are avatars, but they are connected to real people.
  • And you talk to real people.  

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License

  • Original text in this blog is CC By: unless specified public domain
  • Use as you please with attribution: link to the original.
  • All images without attribution in this blog are CC0: public domain.
  • Second LifeLindenSLurl, and SL are trademarks of Linden Research Inc.
  • Annotated screenshots made with Jing
  • This blog is not affiliated with anything.   Ads are from Google.
  • Selby Evans in Kitely and hypergrid, Thinkerer Melville in Second Life.


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