Libraries Reach Out to Virtual Communities

Harford County Public Library, along with several other public libraries, is venturing further into the virtual worlds created on the Internet. For instance, on Second Life, a 3-D world with over 8 million "citizens," HCPL is sending librarians to be trained to work at the Alliance Library, an international cooperative with librarians from all over the world. In this world, reference services include traditional reference questions as well as in-world help. As Tom Peters, known in SL as Maxito Ricardo, a consultant and instructor for the University of Illinois in Champaign says, "we are looking to a future where people will no longer just 'multi-task' but 'multi-world.'" Other virtual worlds like Second Life are being developed for entertainment as well as networking, training, and artistic expression.