The season of local fairs and expositions is upon us! An avid midway follower can experience it only once a year. From scarfing down candy floss, mini-donuts, and elephant ears to the traumatizing rides of terror and excitement we take it all in. And then there’s the fun house where nothing is as it seems—costumed characters live to frighten and delight visitors with make-believe props. Wait a minute—are we talking about a local fight delight or the virtual experience? Hopefully the visit isn’t too frightening but that could almost serve as a description for Second Life where Avatars are assumed and the world is created. Welcome to the epitome of the virtual experience. So how does all this apply to libraries? Do all libraries have to be hosted in Second Life to be virtual? Let’s explore those and other ideas a bit further.
Increasingly, there is a need to invite and engage internet users used to obtaining the information they need within seconds. As of March 2009, approximately 1,596,270,108 people worldwide use the Internet, according to Internet World Stats, while the average user is 29.77 years of age. (de Argaez, 2009) These Web 2.0 users demand accessibility, flexibility, and collaborative ability as they have come to expect in the social networks that they frequent. With a decrease in the use of hard copy books as reference tools, it is clear that the internet is the most used source of information, not the public or school physical library. As a result, it has become necessary to meet the users where they are most comfortable—on the web.
In its purest form, a virtual library is an online location that offers information, services, archives, and exemplars that are not housed in a physical location. The library web page should have continuous access, from anywhere at any time. However, I suggest that most of our virtual libraries for major institutions are likely a cross between the physical and online environments because we need students, teachers and parents to know what’s available given any learning circumstance. Should the power go down or the district decide to shut down services for repairs or updates, teachers and students need to know that they can continue in a physical world when the virtual world is inaccessible. “The effective library Web page pulls together, in one unified interface, all of a library's resources--print and electronic... The library website represents the library program. It offers guidance and instruction while it fosters independent learning. It models careful selection. It offers valuable public service and can redefine “community.” The site supports reading, learning, and the building of knowledge.” (Valenza, 2007) The term, virtual, implies a hosted site whereby an institution or collective can post information about that library’s resources, whether they are online, e-books, or print resources. Several school and public libraries have sophisticated virtual libraries which offer open sources of information and access to Web 2.0 tools at any time of the night or day given that connection is available.
In keeping with one of the primary mandates of schools, the virtual library and all other school related web pages likely run from an intranet which is protected by a firewall. (Loertscher, 2007) An intranet is theoretically designed to keep predators or outsiders out of the system so that FOIP is not breached and our staff and students are relatively safe while using the system. Although this site will not carry everything available, it will contain everything available that library hosts or holds. The theory of school library collections is that they hold a small but large enough resource collection to challenge a targeted set of learners. Quality of resources, a curriculum match, appropriate level of difficulty and reader ability all should still be considered for any school library collection. The core collection will include the essentials for basic research such as encyclopaedias, dictionaries, atlases, and curricular based databases, and online resources. E-textbooks, curriculum based resources such as the Albert Online Reference Centre connections, non-fiction and fiction along with graphics packages, presentation software, web construction software, assistive technology, audio and video, student archives and other tools required by students and staff members so they may engage in quality learning and teaching will also be purchased or accessed through online services.
Each of the virtual libraries that I visited offered many of the same features although in very different manner. I chose to follow three high school virtual libraries since those are most synonymous with my school. All sites were eye pleasing but I found myself attracted to the two that had the visual components: Creekview offered a cheerful looping video of scenes from the library, while Penfield’s illustrated a Bart Simpson excerpt with advice from the library. Some of the sites that I looked at were much easier to navigate than others such as the Harry Ainlay site which offered a library search and search engines list so they could be seen immediately. I think this would be very useful to students. This site also ran an RSS news feed and a link to the Edmonton Public library. It listed together pertinent information that could be found in the community, again a useful and well organized feature. All sites offered an OPAC or information search, and to varying degree, tutorials. The informative tutorials from Penfield would be very helpful for students but may obscure the other aspects that this library has to offer. Each site offered information regarding reading, book lists or choices and literary awards. All sites appeal to students of Web 2.0 as they offer learning connections to social networks, intermingled with the databases and e-books hosted by the library. Creekview’s site has a fun-loving and personable charm while Penfield’s site was informative but significant information may be overshadowed by the tutorials which are very visible. Harry Ainlay, while being functional, is not as visually appealing as either of the others. There is a style of presentation for everyone and the style depends upon the individual(s) constructing the library site; however, if we are to follow Valenza’s advice, books and reading, information access and delivery, teaching and learning, and program administration are the categories that are significant for any school virtual library.
When I reflect on my school’s virtual library site, I immediately notice several differences when compared with what Joyce Valenza recommends and what is demonstrated at these other virtual libraries. In schools within our district, the library page is an extension of the school website template which follows system-wide guidelines and is run from an intranet. Although high schools have considerable open search capabilities, we are still blocked from some of the web 2.0 applications and tools. We can search and locate all of the sexual diseases because they relate to curriculum but we can’t access a tool such as Wordle which would benefit many curriculums.
My school library site targets high school students who include: the gifted, ESL, the worldly, and those with academic and physical challenges. Therefore, I purchase or supply resources which fit a reading range of teens from those who are beginning readers to those who are experienced and insightful readers. I also address a population of high school students who come from all over the world and who have specific learning and cultural challenges. And, of course, like all too many libraries, our already tiny budget which has steadily decreased for the past 3 years, draws upon the graces of the school Parent Council to host casinos in order to support learning. Because we do not have optimal funding and our students are more comfortable researching online, it is necessary that we meet the needs of these various learners and how better to do it than provide them with a virtual library that informs them which books are housed physically in our library, which e-books we own that are housed online for their specific use, which student vetted resources are available provincially and federally and which open source sites are best for the type of research students are engaging in. Primarily the information that I need to add to our school’s virtual library pertains largely to Web 2.0 tools such as searches for: video, wikis, audio books, images, RSS feeds, digital citizenship, how-to’s and orientation assistance. I see a benefit to offering social networking services to students but I also feel that it takes a wise student to know when their own social networking should be accessed and generally I have found that a large number of our students do not have these discretionary abilities yet unless guided by a teacher. I will need to ponder this one further. By providing the variety offered by a virtual library, we are serving all students from those comfortable and adept at using the web to conduct open searches to those who require guidance and specific direction.
Second Life, a free online virtual world created by its members called Residents, and filled with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity is the full virtual treatment. Although it was conceived of as an entertainment site, societies, and institutions have seen worth in it as a means to inform those who are members. “Much of this population is homebound and virtual worlds give them the opportunity to experience things they would not otherwise get to do...The many library services available in Second Life increase its utility for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions.” (Lorelie, 2009) When explained like that, I can see the use of Second Life libraries; however, this requires extensive knowledge and time to set up and run as well as time to learn to manoeuvre around in this world. Since I am only just having some success in manoeuvring the various aspects of Web 2.0, a Second Life library is not one that I will be building any time soon. An interesting concept though not one that I would suggest for school library use.
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References:
de Argaez, E Internet Usage Stats: The Internet Big Picture. 2009. In Internet World Stats [Web]. Bogata, Columbia: Nielson Online. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
Loeartscher, David (2007) The Digital School Library: a Worldwide Development and a Fascinating Challenge. In Rosenfeld, E and Loertscher, D. (Eds.) Toward a 21st Century School Librariy Media Program (pp. 108-117). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecros Press, Inc..
Lorelie, (2009). Alliance Virtual Library. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from The many library services available in Second Life Web site: http://infoisland.org/2009/05/14/share-the-health-project-report-in-second-life-now-available/
Valenza, J (2007). A WebQuest About School Library Websites. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Virtual library Web site: http://schoollibrarywebsites.wikispaces.com/
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