OpenSimulator Community Conference 2017

Virtual worlds provide high quality learning experiences that are not always easy to find. Join librarians from the Community Virtual Library who are providing groundbreaking library services across the metaverse through the creation of the Virtual Worlds Database. The Metaverse is a collective of virtual shared spaces, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet (Wikipedia, n.d.). The database includes landmarks for immersive learning simulations across various virtual worlds. More importantly, however, the database presents virtual world communities as library resources and connects users with relevant communities and subject experts. By joining together and sharing our worlds we can better serve information seekers across the Metaverse. Join this session and find out how the Virtual Worlds Database is promoting the best educational content virtual worlds have to offer, such as CVL’s upcoming Digital Citizenship Museum. And learn how to add your world or community to the database!

Understanding digital literacy is about understanding our relationship to how technology is at once shaped by society and is also influenced by society. Centers of education, including libraries, museums, science centers, and others need to go beyond simply presenting facts and figures. The future of these institutions requires that we broaden the mandate to create a culture of enablement as compared to being passive observers. This presentation will help establish some of the challenges facing the future of education in a culture that is quickly realizing digital literacy as a necessary core skill.