Second Life:Going Where the Users Are

Michael SauersTechnology Innovation Librarian,Nebraska Library Commission

What is Second Life?

• “Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents.”

• An environment

Statistics

19 March 2007 9:05SLT

Is Second Life a Game?

• “For me, it is a game because it’s a form of entertainment.”

• There are games in Second Life (Super Lag Ball)

• “There is no manufactured conflict, no set objective. It’s an entirely open-ended experience.”

• It’s an OS

Recommended System Requirements• Internet Connection*: Cable or DSL• Computer Processor: 1.6GHz Pentium 4 or

Athlon 2000+ or better• Computer Memory: 512MB or better• Video/Graphics Card**:

– nVidia GeForce FX 5600, GeForce 6600, or better

– OR ATI Radeon 9600, X600, or better• NOTE: Second Life does NOT currently

support Windows Vista

Account Options

• Free– Additional free accounts are $9.95– L$225 signup bonus

• Premium– $9.95/mo– L$1000 signup bonus– L$300/week stipend

Quote

“What is there to teach? You just log in and do it.”−Sara, age 13

Avatars!

www.flickr.com/photos/araiya/31927037/

www.flickr.com/photos/pathfinderlinden/386259434/

In-world Communication• Text chat

• IM

• Stream in audio and video

• In-world voice coming soon

Economy

• Linden Dollars (L$)

• Liquid Market– Buy L$ with real US$– Sell L$ for real US$

• $1=~L$240

Owning Land• Must have a premium account to own land.• Islands are priced at US$1,675 for 65,536

square meters (about 16 acres). Monthly land fees for maintenance are US$295.

• We offer a discount to verified real world educators and academic institutions (e.g., universities/schools) or 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that will be using the regions to support their organization's official work. For these organizations, small islands are priced at US$980 for 65,536 square meters (about 16 acres), and monthly land fees for maintenance are US$150.

83 sq miles

Building

• Create a “prim”

• Shape it, color it, texture it

• Apply physics and lighting

Scripting

• Avatar and object control– Movement (sexy walk, pose, dance,

combat)– Permissions (ownership, copy, modify)– Audio/Video– Event sensing– Output

Who owns what I create?• You retain all rights to your

intellectual property.

Camera View

• You don’t have to look through your eyes.

Learning Environments

• Walk through molecular models• Meditate in a Shinto temple• Heart Murmur Simulation• Live in Victorian times• Live in Ancient Rome• Visit the Globe Theatre

Events• US Congress• Henry VIII• Book discussion

groups• Author events

– Kurt Vonnegut,Dean Koontz

• Concerts– Jay Z, U2,

Duran Duran, Suzanne Vega

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34929109@N00/422987698/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyvaught/422358779/

http://www.nevillehobson.com/2007/03/14/dean-koontz-comes-to-second-life/

Par-tay!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/photolibraries/419796290/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/christajoy42/385233507/

Groups

• Librarians of Second Life

• Podcaster Island

• Stroke victims

• Wheelies

• The Land of Doctor Who

Machinima

Info Island

Alliance Library Systems

April 2006 – Rented spaceMay 2006 – InfoIslandCurrently: 10 ALS Islands9 Associated Islands

Places & Faces• InfoIsland• InfoIsland 2• Health InfoIsland• Cybrary City• Cybrary City 2• EduIsland• EduIsland 2• ALA/ Arts Island• Imagination Island• Renaissance Island• Eye4YouAlliance Island (Teen Grid)

Service• Outreach

– Public– Academic– Special

• Conversation– Events– Workshops– Displays &

Exhibits– One-on-one

interactions

Benefits

• Networking• Partnerships

& Collaboration• Events, workshops,

discussion groups• Meeting space• Creative Space• Continuing education• Library education

• Individual Library Space– Academic

• Johnson & Wales University• Stanford Engineering Library• Claremont College Digital Library

– Public• Kansas State Library• Society Hill (SC) Public Library • Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County

(NC)– Special

• Law• Medical• Nebraska Library Commission

Cybrary City 1 & 2

Cybrary City – Library Schools

UNC Chapel HillUNC Greensboro

University of South FloridaSan Jose State University

University of MichiganUniversity of PittsburghCity University of NY

ALA Headquarters and Washington Office Come to SL David Lankes from Syracuse University delivered ALA'sWashington Office's first interactive presentation in SecondLife

http://iis.syr.edu/projects/PNOpen/

Reality Checks

Reality Checks

1. If you don’t have the “recommended” hardware it’s going to be a frustrating experience.

2. If you can’t follow several conversations and are easily annoyed by tyops…

3. You don’t have to spend real money, but it helps.

Reality Checks

4. The more people at an event/in a location the greater the lag will be.

5. Your boss and co-workers will probably not view this as “work” so you’ll be contributing personal time.

6. The more fun you’re having, the more time you’ll want to spend on the grid.

Reality Checks

7. People are generally polite but they’ll still fall on your head.

8. Don’t plan on keeping track of acquaintances based on their appearance as many change their avatars regularly.

Reality Checks9. Updates, updates, updates.

– Trying to log in for an event at the last minute only to find out you need to download a new version first.

10.System problems– Grey Goo– Purchased items disappearing– The world goes offline

Getting Started

• Sign up for a free account and play!

• InfoIsland.org• Podcasts

– Who’s on Second– Second Life Library

• Videos on YouTube

Thank you!Michael Sauers

a.k.a.TravelinLibrarian Mandelbrot

Nebraska Library Commission

msauers@nlc.state.ne.uswww.travelinlibrarian.info

del.icio.us/travelinlibrarian/secondlife