Second Life: Exploration II

I wasn’t able to attend any of the Second Life explorations through the class due to the time difference but I choice to have another look on my own.  Prior to this class, I had never heard of Second Life or had any experience with it.  Second Life was created by Linden Labs as a way for people to create avatars and explore the virtual world and live in communities akin to real life.  

Advantages:

• Collaborative learning community
• virtual reference services can be provided in real-time;process has a more personal feel due to avatars and online environment
• free for users

Disadvantages:

• Technology barriers-  there is a large learning curve needed to be able to navigate and use the system.  The program also requires a high end computer with a fast processor.
• Loss of face-to-face interaction between library/librarian and patron
• Staffing of reference desk

Second Life has many perceived advantages and disadvantages, the largest one being learning and navigating the user interface. Without any tutorials, I was able to find the Charles Sturt University library along with several avatars, including LenaLotus Latte.  The interface is far from intuitive and without the search box it would have been difficult to navigate away from the main page.  

Due to the time intensive nature of this virtual world coupled with the need for patrons to have computers, Second Life would not make sense for a small library in the diverse community in which I work.