Second Life: an overview of the potential of 3-D virtual worlds in medical and health education

This hybrid review-case study introduces three-dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds and their educational potential to medical/health librarians and educators. Second life (http://secondlife.com/) is perhaps the most popular virtual world platform in use today, with an emphasis on social interaction. We describe some medical and health education examples from Second Life, including Second Life Medical and Consumer Health Libraries (Healthinfo Island-funded by a grant from the US National Library of Medicine), and VNEC (Virtual Neurological Education Centre-developed at the University of Plymouth, UK), which we present as two detailed 'case studies'. The pedagogical potentials of Second Life are then discussed, as well as some issues and challenges related to the use of virtual worlds. We have also compiled an up-to-date resource page (http://healthcybermap.org/sl.htm), with additional online material and pointers to support and extend this study.     

Using Second Life as a Training Tool in an Academic Library

Training is an important factor for successful employee growth within an academic library. The purpose of this article is to scrutinize the option of using the virtual world, Second Life, as a training tool within an academic library. In doing so, various topics will be examined including training within libraries, the use of Second Life in educational settings, and Second Life as a training tool. Second Life offers unique opportunities for training but also presents a definite set of challenges, the first of which is the steep learning curve. Second Life is a virtual world that is being used with varying success as a training technique within corporate settings; however, little has been documented within a library setting. Nonetheless, libraries may find that Second Life can be an asset toward achieving their training goals.     

Libraries in Second Life: Linking Collections,Clients, and Communities in a Virtual World

The multi-user virtual environment Second Life has drawn attention from many librarians who established virtual libraries and information spaces there. Even as interest in Second Life diminishes, it is worthwhile to look at how libraries in Second Life were established and what models they followed. This study examines the purposes, users, collections, and community integration of Second Life libraries. Researchers identified over 75 libraries in Second Life through the professional literature and search results within Second Life. Using this sample, they identified seven general categories of libraries and discuss examples of each. Some Second Life library spaces help to set a scene and contribute to the ethos of a larger space. Other Second Life libraries connect physical libraries with virtual communities. Still others serve communities that exist only in virtual spaces, supporting common interests or role-playing scenarios. Finally, some Second Life libraries expand understandings of what a virtual library might be, whether through imaginative architecture or unusual collections. Second Life libraries offer collections of resources tailored to the needs of individual communities and make them available in different formats. They also offer social and educational programs, much as physical libraries do. Whatever the future of Second Life, the libraries that have been established there raise important questions for future virtual library work.     

A health education outreach partnership between an academic medical library and public library: lessons learned before and during a pandemic

Background:Public libraries serve as community centers for accessing free, trustworthy health information. As such, they provide an ideal setting to teach the local community about health and health literacy, particularly during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2018, an outreach partnership between an academic medical library and public library has developed, delivered, and continuously evaluated a health education program targeting public library users.Case Presentation:Health education activities were integrated into three existing public library programs: adult workshops, child and family programming, and circulating family activity kits. Prior to COVID-19, events were held at the public library, which then pivoted online during the pandemic. An interprofessional team approach combined the expertise of academic medical and public librarians, medical school faculty and staff, and medical students in developing the educational programs. Twelve in-person and five virtual programs were offered, and five circulating health education family kits were launched. Activities were assessed using program evaluation surveys of the adult and children''s programs and circulation statistics of the kits.Conclusions:This case report showcases the lessons learned from implementing a longitudinal outreach partnership between an academic medical library and public library before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interprofessional team approach and flexibility in program design and delivery in both the in-person and virtual environments proved critical to the success of the partnership. This partnership could serve as a model for other libraries interested in pursuing interprofessional collaborations in educating local communities on healthy behavior and health information–seeking practices.     

Second Life中图书馆的服务模式

介绍Second Life图书馆是一种在三维虚拟世界展示完全不同于传统类型图书馆服务的新型图书馆。在调研Second Life图书馆提供多元化服务模式的基础上,如召开国际会议、参考咨询服务、阅读讨论会、创新用户教育、青少年图书馆、游戏娱乐等,分析Second Life图书馆服务模式的优点及缺点,总结该发展模式对中国图书馆在虚拟空间开展服务的有益启示。     

Engaging in research: challenges and opportunities for health library and information professionals

This year's virtual issue (the 6th in the series) has been published to coincide with the European Association for Health Information and Libraries’ (EAHIL) 2015 workshop (10–12 June, Edinburgh): Research‐Minded: Understanding, Supporting, Conducting Research. This event is being run in collaboration with the International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists and the International Clinical Librarian Conference. Although research has always been a central part of any librarian's role, until recently health librarians and library users and funding bodies assumed that librarians were ‘midwives’ – there to assist students, clinicians, academics and managers set up and carry out their research. The notion of the librarian as a professional with a research agenda, who understands research methods, submits research grants, and publishes, is a relatively new perspective. If librarians are to take an evidence‐based approach to their profession they need to acquire research skills. This is the rationale for the 2015 EAHIL workshop. To support the workshop, this virtual issue contains six original articles published in Health Information and Libraries Journal over the last 2 years that demonstrate the range of research activities carried out by health librarians, as well as a review article and articles from each of the three feature columns. All articles included in this virtual issue are available free online.     

The Library's role and challenges in implementing an e-learning strategy: a case study from northern Australia

Background: The Northern Territory Department of Health and Families’ (DHF) Library supports education programs for all staff. DHF is implementing an elearning strategy, which may be viewed as a vehicle for coordinating the education function throughout the organisation. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the concept of elearning in relation to the Library’s role in implementing an organisation‐wide elearning strategy. Methods: The main findings of a literature search about the effectiveness of elearning in health professionals’ education, and the responsibility and roles of health librarians in elearning are described. A case study approach is used to outline the current role and future opportunities and challenges for the Library. Discussion: The case study presents the organisation’s strategic planning context. Four areas of operational activity which build on the Library’s current educational activities are suggested: the integration of library resources ‘learning objects’ within a Learning Management System; developing online health information literacy training programs; establishing a physical and virtual ‘elearningLibrary/Centre’; developing collaborative partnerships, taking on new responsibilities in elearning development, and creating a new elearning librarian role. Conclusion: The study shows that the Library’s role is fundamental to developing the organisation’s elearning capacity and implementing an organisation‐wide elearning strategy.     

Health sciences librarian research and instruction services in pandemic information environments

This study examined research and instruction services provided by academic health sciences librarians in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 205 respondents (N = 205) completed an anonymous online survey about academic health sciences librarian involvement in providing research and instruction services during the global pandemic. In-depth literature searching services (86%, n = 176), curated COVID-19 research through guides (66%, n = 135), and systematic review consultations (53%, n = 109) were reported as the top three research services in demand. Librarians supported online teaching and learning at their institutions by providing online instruction for a course (92%, n = 189), facilitating access to licensed resources (73%, n = 150), and identifying open access and open educational resources (62%, n = 127). Overall, this study contributes to understanding pandemic-responsive academic library services to meet the unique needs of health sciences education and research in evolving COVID-19 pandemic information environments.     

Second Life与图书馆2．0的实现

SecondLife是互联网上的三维虚拟生活,正好为实现图书馆2．0提供了技术平台。SecondLife虚拟世界不仅能提供一个个信息数字对象,还能创造一种经验。SecondLife中实现的虚拟图书馆正是一种图书馆2．0,表明图书馆可以借助SecondLife为互联网用户提供更多具有创意的服务。     

The “Gallop Poll”: Using Evaluation to Develop Fossil Horses in Cyberspace,An Online Exhibition

The number, complexity, and popularity of World Wide Web sites has increased dramatically in recent years, providing a new opportunity for museum access. This case study describes the front‐end and formative evaluations conducted during the development of the Florida Museum of Natural History's first virtual exhibition, Fossil Horses in Cyberspace < http:www.flmnh.ufl.edunatscivertpaleofhcfhc.htm >, which during 2000 received −540,000 hits equating to −60,000 user sessions. As with physical exhibitions, evaluation is critical to enhancing the educational effectiveness and appeal of online exhibitions.     

Increasing impact in a time of decreasing budgets

This virtual issue (VI) has been compiled to mark the CILIP Health Libraries Group Conference 2012. In line with the conference theme: ‘Health libraries under the microscope: perfecting your formula’, the VI is a collection of 10 articles and regular features that have been published in Health Information and Libraries Journal in the last 2 years. The VI focuses specifically on the topics of impact, value and cost‐effectiveness. All the articles and regular features contained in this VI are freely available online.     

Policy Game,Online Game—Simulated: Applying the Ecology of Policy Game to Virtual World

Courses: Communication Policy, Media Law, Emerging Communication Technologies

Objective: Students will learn the genesis of regulatory gridlock by applying the ecology of policy game (Dutton, 1992; Neuman, McKnight, & Solomon, 1997) in the virtual environment of Second Life     

Library involvement in health informatics education for health professions students and practitioners: a scoping review

Objective:The purpose of this scoping review is to evaluate the extent of library or librarian involvement in informatics education in the health domain.Methods:We searched eight databases from their inception to 2019 for reports of informatics educational activities for health professionals or health professions students that involved library staff or resources. Two reviewers independently screened all titles/abstracts (n=2,196) and resolved inclusion decisions by consensus. From the full text of the 36 papers that met the inclusion criteria, we extracted data on 41 educational activities.Results:The most frequent coded purposes of activities were “teaching clinical tools” (n=19, 46.3%) and “technology” (n=17; 41.5%). Medical students were the most frequent primary audience (34.1%), though 41.5% of activities had multiple audiences. Evaluation was reported for 24 activities (58.5%), only a few of which assessed short or post-activity impact on attitudes, knowledge, or skills. The most common long-term outcome was applying skills in other courses or clinical experiences. Thematic analysis yielded three areas of outcomes and issues for the library and organizational partners: expanded opportunities, technology and resource issues, and value demonstration.Conclusions:Limited published examples of health informatics educational activities provide models for library roles in informatics education. More librarians should report on their informatics educational activities and provide sufficient details on the interventions and their evaluation. This would strengthen the evidence base about the potential impact of libraries within informatics education.     

融入Second Life的高校图书馆虚拟参考咨询服务探讨

目前以Second Life(SL)为代表的虚拟世界在互联网上广泛流行并引起学术界的诸多争议。通过界定SL的定义、介绍与其相关的概念,探讨高校图书馆利用SL开展虚拟参考咨询(VR)服务的目的性、服务时间、问题类型、服务方式和服务内容等,指出融入SL过程中开展VR应注意的问题。     

Transforming your service: the right evidence at the right time and place

This virtual issue is published to coincide with the CILIP Health Libraries Group Conference 2016. The theme of the conference is Knowledge for Healthcare (KFH), the development framework for health care library and knowledge services (LKS), published by Health Education England. Transforming the service, and delivering the right evidence at the right time and place, is a key strategic focus of KFH. Therefore, this virtual issue draws on content published in Health Information and Libraries Journal (HILJ) in the last 2 years, which demonstrate initiatives in health care LKS in line with the transformation strands outlined in KFH. The virtual issue follows the same structure as a regular issue of HILJ, containing one review article, a series of original articles and our three regular features: Dissertations into Practice, Teaching and Learning in Action and International Perspectives and Initiatives.     

英文摘要

Robert van Gulik＇ s Works on Ancient Chinese Sexual Life： On Material Culture Per-spective famous Dutch sinologist Robert van Gulik, who wrote Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Dynasty and Sexual Life in Ancient China, had opened a mysterious door of Chinese sexual culture. However, people seldom notice the fetish tendency in his original and groundbreaking researches. The fact is, besides using erotic colour prints to knock the door of ancient Chinese sexual culture in these two books, especially in the first one, Gulik also paid at-tention to sex toys, sex medicines, underclothes, beddings and other sex aides, and investigates them in depth.     

Save the Time of the Avatar: Canadian Academic Libraries Using Chat Reference in Multi-User Virtual Environments

Hundreds of librarians from around the world are exploring and volunteering their time in Second Life, evaluating the possibilities of offering a reference service in this environment. This article places virtual world reference service within the reference continuum and explores how a reference service could be offered by an academic institution in a virtual world, what additional skills are required for such a service, and whether there is a need for a virtual reference service.     

Sex,Love, and Risk-n-Responsibility: A Content Analysis of Entertainment Television

This study documents the extent of sexual content, including sexual health content, in scenes with and without expressions of love on network and cable television popular with emerging adults. Sexual talk and/or behavior was found in 20% of all television scenes coded across 53.5 hours of programming. One third of these scenes featured sex alongside expressions of love. An additional 10% of scenes suggested love but not sex. Coded as a separate category, 25% of analyzed scenes contained a passing joke or pun referencing sexual organs, making these nonspecific, comedic one-liners the predominant reference to sex in this sample. Beyond jokes, most of the sexual or loving talk in this sample consisted of expressing a romantic interest in someone; sex- and love-related behaviors largely consisted of kissing or flirting. Very few scenes specifically referenced sexual intercourse. Sexual health messages were also rare. The majority of scenes mentioning any health consequence (7% of analyzed scenes) concerned emotional heartache. One scene mentioned sexually transmitted infections; 12 of the nearly 2,600 scenes coded mentioned condoms or contraceptives. It is thus a challenging proposition to build upon existing sexual depictions on television to promote safe sex practices within sexual and loving contexts.     

Reference in a 3-D Virtual World: Preliminary Observations on Library Outreach in “Second Life”

ABSTRACT

As technologies continue to evolve, the library will need to explore new ways to communicate with the public. One of the newest technologies is a 3-D virtual world software called Second Life. Second Life presents new opportunities and challenges for reference librarians to support the information needs of that community.     

The role of the health information professional

This virtual issue has been published to mark the CILIP Health Libraries Group 2014 Conference, taking place in Oxford on 24th and 25th July 2014. The issue's theme is to highlight the key role of the health information professional and it shines a spotlight on professional expertise, demonstrating what we can share and learn from each other. It comprises a collection of articles published in the Health Information and Libraries Journal during the last 2 years but is very much about looking forward. The articles selected embrace three main themes: new ways of working; acquiring new skills and competencies; and fine‐tuning existing skills and practices. The virtual issue mirrors the format of the regular journal, namely a review article, six original articles and the three regular features, covering Dissertations into Practice, International Perspectives and Initiatives and Learning and Teaching in Action. All articles included in this virtual issue are available free online.