Management Issues in Virtual Libraries

The more I visit different types of places in SL (Renaissance Island, CVL) I realise that there is also concerted efforts among librarian volunteers to balance their First Lives with their responsibilities in First Life. I could completely relate to Rhonda Trueman's article Management in Virtual Worlds when she writes that working in Second Life can be extremely overwhelming for a librarian who has not experience in gaming or other virtual spaces (i.e. me). Speaking with several colleagues in the class on Western Island, there is an expectation that one who volunteers in a virtual library is skilled in the virtual world already. As one friend noted during office hours last night, some virtual managers may be challenged with the prospect that finding volunteer librarians may be difficult, especially since the learning curve is fairly steep. 


Trueman's article also points out that volunteering in a virtual library (she cites Alliance Virtual Library) can take up much of a librarian's time to the oint of excess. Too much focus on activities can cause a volunteer librarian not to take notice of creativity around them, or hopefully pick up new skills in the process. I found it particularly interesting that some librarians are paid for their time working in SL. Could this be a sign that a shift to more participation in virtual libraries on the wide scale is an attainable goal? I was also unaware of how formalised a volunteer schedule is so much like that of first life libraries. She describes Alliance Virtual Library as a network of small teams that promote reference services, collection development, or any other part of library work that may interest him or her. Another value I found in SL libraries is that of networking with a librarian in any part of the world -- the collaboration experience seems quite rewarding. From what I can gather, part of any time of librarianship is that of working together and sharing skills. SL provides a unique venue to accomplish this.