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Dec. 10th, 2009 10:54 amI'm on the verge of starting my last paper of the semester. As I mentioned before, I'm doing it on the role of gaming in public libraries. However, I decided to shift the focus somewhat away from gaming so much and more towards how libraries are using virtual worlds to better serve their patrons. Specifically, I'm looking into how Second Life is used by libraries. Last night I opened up a Second Life account and started exploring. I've been hesitant to use it for quite a while, as it just seems like another thing to keep up with, something else to take away from my already limited time. Plus, I had no idea how to navigate the place or what the point of it really was.
I created my avatar and started exploring. I transported myself to a library that had been recommended to me, but I felt like I was really stumbling around still unsure of how to navigate. And what is the very first thing I see when I arrive at the library? A very thorough tutorial of how to use Second Life. It makes me happy to see libraries doing what they are created to do, no matter what the format: educate and inform people. After spending about an hour reading through the signs and practicing the different activities set up by the library, I felt much more confident in my Second Life self. Plus, I learned how to change my appearance, so that was cool too. Now if only I could figure out how to pick things up...Another cool aspect of the library is that it has regular book club discussions, and encourages people to come dressed as characters from the book. That's fun :)
So this morning I began the part of writing that I always find a bit odd. The simple act of just sitting and thinking, staring off into space as my brain does its business. Sometimes I walk in and catch Chris doing this, just simply thinking about the things he read, processing them through his grey matter. The first time I caught myself doing it, way back when I started back to school in 2004, I thought it was so odd to realize that I was just sitting there, perfectly still while my neurons fired away trying to rearrange all that I'd read into a unique piece writing of my own creation. I suppose it is our go-go-go society that makes sitting quietly seem like a strange past time. It shouldn't be. We all need to think in peace. Meditate, so to speak.
I created my avatar and started exploring. I transported myself to a library that had been recommended to me, but I felt like I was really stumbling around still unsure of how to navigate. And what is the very first thing I see when I arrive at the library? A very thorough tutorial of how to use Second Life. It makes me happy to see libraries doing what they are created to do, no matter what the format: educate and inform people. After spending about an hour reading through the signs and practicing the different activities set up by the library, I felt much more confident in my Second Life self. Plus, I learned how to change my appearance, so that was cool too. Now if only I could figure out how to pick things up...Another cool aspect of the library is that it has regular book club discussions, and encourages people to come dressed as characters from the book. That's fun :)
So this morning I began the part of writing that I always find a bit odd. The simple act of just sitting and thinking, staring off into space as my brain does its business. Sometimes I walk in and catch Chris doing this, just simply thinking about the things he read, processing them through his grey matter. The first time I caught myself doing it, way back when I started back to school in 2004, I thought it was so odd to realize that I was just sitting there, perfectly still while my neurons fired away trying to rearrange all that I'd read into a unique piece writing of my own creation. I suppose it is our go-go-go society that makes sitting quietly seem like a strange past time. It shouldn't be. We all need to think in peace. Meditate, so to speak.
