Talis Opens Cybrary City in SecondLife
Submitted by Taran on Wed, 12/06/2006 - 20:15
I was flying around the mainland when a group IM about Cybrary City in SecondLife flashed up. It was opening - so I dropped in (just search for 'Cybrary City' using the map) and got to see the opening ceremony.
Paul Talis was formally named the Mayor and given a chain, as well as a cat (sorry about the chain links, Paul), and congratulated all the volunteer librarians who had made Cybrary City possible so far - and who will make it possible in the future.
There was a little discussion of the way projects would be handled and so on - it was pleasantly short for this non-librarian - and it seemed like it started off with a bang.
Unbeknownst to the residents of SecondLife, there may be cool things being done by librarians in Cybrary City. It seems like everything will be starting off officially after the new year.
This leads back to discussion of what a library of the future will do, and what the librarians of the future will be doing. It should be interesting how things develop. Library 2.0? I don't know about that; see Paul's Numbers and Neologism. If you have ideas of what you want from the library of the future, maybe you should go talk to one of the folks over there.
The beauty of librarians in SecondLife is that they don't glare at me when I teleport in with a cup of coffee...
Google Book Search
As someone who has worked in libraries, it's interesting to see the changes libraries and information sharing have undergone throughout the years. My only concern with projects such as these are financial. As virtual libraries develop, actual libraries may experience a drop in patronage, which could affect their funding. As funding drops, more libraries will either close, have to forego important community programs, or seriously limit new items. My question to the general public is simple, what happens to the pple who are unable to gain access to online library sites? And most public libraries allow coffee now. we just ask you bring us a cup too, as long as it's not instant.
Yes, but...
I wrote sometime in the last 2 weeks about there being a need to find the right information as opposed to... well, the information that is found. Not everyone is good at using technology to search. Maybe it will be along the lines of Google Researchers?
No idea. But determining that is pretty important, I think.
As far as the coffee, well... ok. :-)
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Thoughts and Questions on the Future of Libraries and Librarians
A Rogue Librarian insurgency?
So is this some rogue librarian insurgency building a counter-sim against the Info Island Consortium of Libraries? Color me confused.
Good question
From what I gather, Cybrary City is funded by Talis; the library on Info Island is purely volunteer (and seems to be the same people). So maybe - I don't know - maybe Talis is funding some more space for the librarians to play more.
That would be one to ask them, really.
Absolutely NOT a rogue librarian insurgency
Rik
no, Cybrary City is definitely NOT a 'rogue librarian insurgency'. Cybrary City sits on land right next to InfoIsland, and is intended to extend and enrich the collaborative work being done there by offering individual real-world libraries a space in which they can project their own identity... alongside the common 'library' identity expressed through the InfoIsland services...
All the same people are involved. All Talis is doing is providing them with the money to run this island - and build upon it.
Good to hear it. Thanks for
Good to hear it. Thanks for the clarification!
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