SL Librarians at ALA

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American Library Assoc.

by ABBEY ZENITH
Photo by girlonaglide via flickr.com

ALA Chicago, a fantastic city, beautiful weather, great conference sessions and speakers, good times and good friends - what an experience!

The ALA Virtual Communities and Libraries Member Initiative Group (ALA VCL MIG) met in the Atrium of the National-Louis University campus on Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Saturday, July 11th, with about 18 people present. Approximately a dozen other librarian-avatars had gathered on ALA Island in Second Life to participate in the meeting, but, unfortunately, the in-person group was not able to get into Second Life.

The group discussed ways to reach out to more members of ALA to inform them about the realities and possibilities of librarianship and library services in virtual worlds. An interactive session (such as a create-your-avatar session) during the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in DC was discussed. A second SLymposium also was discussed. The group also had a lengthy discussion about how to sustain and advance the work of this MIG beyond summer 2010, when its initial 3-year existence will end.

On Saturday evening the group reconvened at Santorini's restaurant in Greek Town to eat, drink, and share experiences in virtual worlds and the real world.

At ALA the ACRL Board of Directors met on July 11th and approved the establishment of the ACRL Virtual Worlds Interest Group with the following statement of purpose:

To provide support and oversight for a designated volunteer to manage the Second Life presence of ACRL; to facilitate communication and collaboration for ACRL members and potential members involved in or interested in virtual worlds for professional activities; to participate in and support the activities of ACRL in virtual worlds on an ongoing basis; to advocate for ACRL and to recruit new members to ACRL in virtual worlds.

The ACRL Virtual Worlds Interest Group also has a pre-populated ALA Connect community. The ACRL Board strongly encourages all members to explore ALA Connect as a resource for virtual collaboration and welcomes feedback and suggestions for improvements that would further support member collaboration and meet technological needs.

ACRL Staff are working with ALA staff to ensure that this interest group is available as an option for ACRL members on the membership form.

Both the VCL MIG meeting and the ACRL board decision are positive indications that librarians and libraries in virtual worlds have the continuing support of ALA and ACRL, that interest in what we are doing in virtual worlds continues to grow.

The absolute best part of the conference for me and many others was the chance to meet so many Second Life librarians and volunteers in person. As Hypatia Dejavu, Alliance Virtual Library's Head of Reference stated, "So many of them were readily identifiable with their distinctive manners and personalities. While other events about SL were very positive nothing quite compared to meeting these good people for the first time, again."

AL Focus is the video home of American Libraries (AL) magazine -- the monthly magazine for ALA members. AL Focus Video Village is where you can watch AL Focus videos on ALA Island in the Second Life virtual world.

Slurl to AL Focus Video Village:

Click the screen and select *Favorites* to get the list of AL Focus videos. From the choices that appear, click the corresponding number to see the video!

Newest videos available:
Christie Hefner Interview
Before her Opening General Session speech at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference, American Libraries spoke with former Playboy Enterprises CEO Christie Hefner about her message to librarians, her memories of Judith Krug and the important First Amendment battles they fought, and what helped her to succeed in what some would call a man's job.
Wanda Urbanska Interview
After her speech at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference, Simple Living host Wanda Urbanska spoke with American Libraries editor Leonard Kniffel about her work with libraries and how librarians can advocate for green choices to administrators charged with monitoring the bottom line.
NOTE: There is an ALFocus video of Wanda Urbanska's entire hourlong speech -- which is just too large to squeeze in here! Instead, view the speech off-world here

Sylvia Ivie at the Coretta Scott King Book Awards
Sylvia Ivie, presenter of the first Coretta Scott King Book Awards, spoke to AL Focus at the 40th anniversary celebration about what the Awards have developed into and why they're still necessary.
Dan Kraus at the Live @ Your Library Stage
AL Focus caught up with Dan Kraus, the founder of AL Focus, current editor with Booklist magazine, and author of the forthcoming novel The Monster Variations, after his reading on the Live @ Your Library Stage at the ALA Annual Conference. Dan discusses his new book as well as the experience of being on the other side of the AL Focus cameras.
NMRT (New Member Round Table) Resume Review Service
Sarah Johnson, a reviewer for NMRT's Resume Review Service, discusses the program and how to participate in it, as well as some of the common resume mistakes she sees. NMRT Resume Review Service

Carl Kasell Backstage at Wait, Wait… Don't Tell Me!
NPR newscaster and official judge and scorekeeper for Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! Carl Kasell spoke to AL Focus before the July 9 taping of the show, which was attended by 500 librarians. Topics included the NPR library, the First Amendment, his use of libraries as a child, and Charles Kuralt.
Paula Poundstone at Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!
AL Focus visited ALTAFF Spokesperson Paula Poundstone July 9 before a taping of National Public Radio's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! attended by 500 librarians. The conversation covered Poundstone's role as ALTAFF spokesperson, her kids' reading habits, The Three Stooges, the dreaded acronym game, and the horrors of math.

Mixed Reality Video: Valibrarian Gregg created a Mixed-Reality Video of SL librarians who attended the ALA conference and their Avatar counterparts.

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