044

rc07 1/9/2010 17:49:43

General Session - Conference Presentation Only (no formal paper)

//Robin Ashford, George Fox University, Portland, Oregon, USA, rashford@georgefox.edu// //Denise Cote, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA,// //cotede@cod.edu// //Beth Kraemer, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA, kraemer@email.uky.edu// //Diane Nahl, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA,// //nahl@hawaii.edu//
 * Academic Librarians in Second Life: Roles, Benefits, and Challenges**

Second Life (SL) is being utilized by hundreds of higher education institutions, and over the past six years academic librarians have been extending their work into SL. To better understand perceptions of the value and limitations of professional participation in virtual worlds, four members of the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in SL group conducted a survey of academic librarians in SL. This session will present results of the survey including demographic data, the perceived benefits and challenges of working and learning in SL, and the new and traditional roles librarians adopt within virtual environments. Issues to be examined include administrative support and buy-in, the variety of ways academic librarians serve their constituents inside these environments, and how academic librarians are using SL as a communication tool for continuing professional development and community building amongst themselves and the academic community.

All Audiences SecondLife librarians ACRL VirtualWorlds community