Do you think that libraries should be in virtual worlds such as Second Life, why or why not?
I'm fairly new to Second Life and while I think it is fun, I wonder how many people actually attend meetings held by libraries and information organizations. That said, Second Life is the type of social application that needs to be marketed to be successful. I know the California Library Association held an event at their island in 2008 for which they sent email to their members. That type of notification probably guaranteed a well attended event.
Pros:
1. The graphics for the kiosks, gardens, landscapes and buildings are amazing.
2. The new user orientation is very helpful as well as fun.
3. There is something for everyone so interest is sustainable.
Cons:
1. Not everyone has access to a computer or high speed connection.
2. The learning curve seems high for those who wish to advance.
3. Librarians may not have the bandwidth to develop SL content or services.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
I feel the same way about Second Life. It's visually stimulating and seems like great potential for fun, but I don't have the patience to do all the fiddly bits that would make my experience richer - I like the idea of interacting with people and looking at things, but I don't want to spend a lot of time buying clothes or figuring out how to build things.
As to your point regarding the number of players using SL for library servers, I'd like to see some statistics. I'd be very interested in seeing how many users come to these 500 or so librarians with referencing or other library-related queries. Although its an entertaining game, the job can be done just as effectively with other Web 2.0 tools. Thanks for the observation!
Phil