Though I have come across many references to Second Life through articles, discussions, or experiences from SL users themselves, this virtual environment was one that had – up until now – remained personally unexplored. Like many of my peers, the creation of a Second Life avatar prompted me to think critically about how people choose to portray themselves online, and more specifically, how I wanted to portray myself. As I began browsing through the different avatars available, I found myself giving serious thought to the avatar-creation process.
In real life, people are continuously judged based on their physical appearance, and so far, my introduction to SL has led me to believe that a virtual world is no different. Whether human, robot, vampire or animal (among others), each avatar allows you to communicate a specific first impression. However, unlike everyday existence, the ability to change who you are in Second Life can happen almost instantaneously. Whether selecting different facial features, hairstyles, clothing, etc. often times these alterations can be made with little money (or sometimes for free) and occur within a matter of seconds, catering to our culture, which is increasingly more expectant of instant gratification – especially when it comes to anything online!
Having never used Second Life before, at times I would become frustrated, not always knowing how to use certain features, or where to find what I needed. During these times, I considered such feelings and issues on a larger level. Over the summer, I was given a co-op placement at a large, academic library. Working as a Reference Librarian, I was responsible for answering questions through a variety of venues, some of which (phone, email, virtual chat) catered to students who required help from a remote location. I noticed that the majority of questions dealt with an inability to gain access to the information they needed (usually locating the right article), and often led to immediate frustration and concern caused by these issues - similarly to how I had felt during my early days on Second Life.
Though I believe that issues are often best confronted in face-to-face interactions, it is clear that these types of situations are not always possible. Therefore, it is important for us as librarians to be understanding of distance learners, providing them with the same level of service that would be given to users who approached our desk for an in-person reference interview. As librarians, it is our responsibility to learn how to communicate through alternative (and sometimes unfamiliar) venues in a way that is easily comprehendible and able to effectively meet the information needs of distance learners.
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