Melissa
Townsend-Crow
LIBR
287
Week
Three Assignment:
1)
Provide the name and SLURL of the
library visited in Second Life.
Name of library:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UUtopia/160/65/21 (Library of
World Religions) UUTopia Library of World Religions
a.
How did you find the library you
visited? Was it recommended or did you
find it in search?
I searched. I wanted to find a library that was interesting, so I started with
THE library, the Library of Alexandria, but this one popped up first, so I
decided to check it out. It’s beautiful.
b.
Is the library linked to a real life
library? If so, what library? I didn’t find any
evidence that the virtual library was linked to a real life library, however, I
believe that the virtual library is affiliated with the Unitarian Church (UUC) of
Second Life
c.
What types of services does the library
offer? The library offers information about
some world religions via clickable links to outside websites as well as brief
summaries via SL Notecards. The Notecards are particularly useful for those who
want only a brief overview or to pique the curiosity of the browsing patron. There
is a media loop which introduces the Unitarian Universalist church and its
ideology. There is also a “What religion are you?” test link sponsored by
Beliefnet.com
d.
Who are the library’s primary clientele? I presume that the
primary clientele would be people who are either interested in comparative
theology, those who are questioning their own beliefs or who are looking for
something to believe,
e.
What affordances does Second
Life/virtual worlds offer the library?
f.
What types of collections does the
library offer? The
library seems to house only a special collection of information about various
religions. There are separate sites within the world/island which are dedicated
to B’hai and a Gnostic center as well as what appears to be a Left Hand Path
(“Plutonium “) House with a sign stating, “A certain darkness is needed to see
the stars.”
g.
What types of programs does the library
offer? It
offers memberships to sponsored groups, such as the Gnostics and the UUC
h.
What kind of staffing is offered at the
library? There
appears to be at least one virtual librarian who was offline when I visited.
i.
Does the library work cooperatively with
other libraries in SL? The
library does not appear to work cooperatively with any other libraries, at
least not that I could discern.
j.
How long has the library existed? The structure appears
to have been created in February 2010.
k.
In your opinion how could the library
be improved? I
didn’t find much in-depth information on the notecards, but adding links to
appropriate websites, or even a website sponsored by the group, could provide
more information for the more than casual information seeker.
l.
Any other comments about the library
visited? Screenshots:
2) Provide the name and SLURL of the archives visited
in Second Life.
Name of archives Stanford Virtual
archives http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stanford%20University%20Libraries/162/227/33 (Stanford Virtual Archives)
m.
How did you find the archives you
visited? Was it recommended or did you
find it in search?
It was right around the corner. As I flew around the village, I went a little
further than I intended and by happy coincidence, there it was. Since I am
taking an archive class this semester, I stayed to poke around.
n.
Is the archives linked to a real life archives? If so, what archives? The virtual archives
are linked with the Stanford University archives.
o.
What types of services does the
archives offer?
p.
Who are the archives’ primary
clientele? MLIS
Students and other researchers
q.
What affordances does Second
Life/virtual worlds offer the archives?
r.
What types of collections does the
archives offer? It
offer digitally preserved records from the following collections: (Screenshot)
s.
What types of programs does the
archives offer? There is a special
collections reference desk where one can leave a message to be answered. There
is also a bulletin board for leaving messages. I really like that clicking on a
record opens a link to the digital record online.
t.
What kind of staffing is offered at the
archives? I
didn’t see anyone, but I presume that there are virtual archivists ho would
maintain the records and answer reference questions.
u.
Does the archives work cooperatively
with other libraries in SL? I believe that there is a cooperative relationship
between Stanford Libraries and archives and SJSU SLIS Second Life worlds.
v.
How long has the archives existed?
w.
In your opinion how could the archives
be improved? I
don’t know if it’s possible, but the clarity of the records in the SL archives
might be improved, yet since clicking on them leads to a link to see the
digital record, it may only be necessary to get a glimpse in SL. I think it
would also be nice to have a way to navigate to the records from the listing of
what is available in the virtual archives (see screenshot above)
x.
Any other comments about the archives
visited (screenshots:)
3) Provide the name and SLURL of the
museum visited in Second Life.
Name of museum The U.S Holocaust
Museum (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/US%20Holocaust%20Museum1/1/35/26)
y.
How did you find the museum you
visited? Was it recommended or did you
find it in search? I found it through the lecture slides from class. I really
wanted to visit the H.G. Wells Nautilus and I did stumble upon a really cool
Steampunk VW that bore exploring (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vernian%20Sea/113/171/9). Since I could find the Nautilus, I went to the
Holocaust Museum.
z.
Is the museum linked to a real life museum? If so, what museum? Yes, it is linked to
the actual Holocaust Museum in Washington, D. C.
aa.
What types of services does the museum
offer? The
immersion experience of this particular museum was really well done. There was
an intimacy in the photos and the personal experiences as related by the people
who lived through the horrific experience of the Holocaust. I found it
especially effective to go through the virtual Kristallnacht exhibit first since that event marked the beginning
of something the world could not (or should not) help but take notice and
action.
bb.
Who are the museum’s primary clientele?
Anyone
who would be interested in learning about the Holocaust.
cc.
What affordances does Second
Life/virtual worlds offer the museum? I think the affordance for which
I am most grateful is that distance is no object in visiting. I will
probably never go back east to DC to visit the actual museum, so I am grateful
for this opportunity.
dd. What types of collections does the museum offer? What
types of programs does the museum offer?
There
is a full immersive exhibit examining Kristallnacht,
the pivotal pogrom which took place in
November 1938. The visitor takes on the role of a reporter gathering the facts
and telling the story of that event. Throughout the exhibit are interactive
opportunities to hear the stories from the people who experienced the event
through photos and letters and journal entries, police and news reports. The
virtual curator advises visitors to “explore and touch everything.” Since many
of the items are digital copies of primary records, there is a translation
tool. There is also a media bank of videos and a links to learn about related
subjects. Visitors can also walk through a virtual memorial garden.
ee.
What kind of staffing is offered at the
museum? A
virtual Curator guide visitors through the exhibits.
ff.
Does the museum work cooperatively with
other museums in SL? I
didn’t see any evidence of this.
gg.
How long has the museum existed? Since November 9, 2008, 70 years to the day
of the Kristallnacht pogrom
hh.
In your opinion how could the museum be
improved? I
don’t know, I was pretty impressed. The only problem I seemed to have was
getting the videos to come on, but that’s probably my own error or a permission
I need to figure out how t give.
ii.
Any other comments about the museum
visited – screenshots:
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