Ready for my presentation at 11AM PST in Second Life-AIDS Epidemic Update
Today I'll be sharing key information from the AIDS epidemic update December 2009 report: http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/JC1700_Epi_Update_2009_en.pdf Please join me if you can in the Karuna Resource Center (click link below). If you can't, please read the report as this epidemic impacts us all. If you have a SL account:
Update: The presentation went well and had some interesting visitors all of whom were quite interested and knowledgeable of the global AIDS epidemic. Here's a flickr link of a few snapshots I took during the presentation.
HIV/AIDS questions? I'm available to help on the reference desk in the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life
I'm, Robin Mochi in SL and the Karuna Consumer Health Librarian working one of my live help shifts in Second Life. I'm here to help any who stop by with HIV/AIDS information needs. I'm also working on my next presentation which will feature the latest World Health Organziation HIV/AIDS report, scheduled to take place here this Wednesday at 11AM PST .
Really do love this job, will miss it when the grant is over on April 1, 2010.
New Display-World Health Organization & HIV/AIDS in Second Life Karuna Resource Center
Just completed a new World Health Organization display by adding a stand with object to click for a new report by Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organization (WHO) 2009 PDF "AIDS epidemic update December 2009" which can be found:
Those not familiar with SL may wonder what the point is of my work here since this information exists on the web already. I think about my position as the Karuna Consumer Health Librarian in terms of serving as a type of digital curator. Yes, the information exists on the web, but I carefully choose, upload and maintain what I display using criteria based on the needs of SL users and visitors to the Karuna Island (HIV/AIDS National Library of Medicine grant funded island).
Does this make sense? Suggestions/comments/criticisms are welcome.
IBM World Community Grid Presentation Live Now in Second Life
Great group from IBM World Community Grid (WCG) presenting live here on the rooftop of the Karuna Resource Center on their FightAIDS@Home project.
The group in attendance was from around the globe...this is what Second Life does best. How else could people connect and share like this (don't even mention web conferencing programs as they simply do not compare-read on to understand). After the short presentation and Q&A time, the IBM representative mentioned in my previous post on the World Community Grid, Bettina Cutler (Skippy Leafblower in SL) and I took all who were interested inside the Karuna Resource Center to tour the World Community Grid exhibit on the second floor. People appeared to enjoy the tour and Bettina somehow managed to get everyone together for a group snapshot. After our time in the IBM exhibit room an interested group headed out to the back deck to look over the Facing AIDS exhibit created for AIDS.gov, which I posted on earlier here. It was an informative presentation and a good time. I look forward to continued collaboration with folks from the IBM WCG, many of whom had not been in Second Life before this World AIDS Day event.
World AIDS Day Live Now on Karuna Island in Second Life
Just listened to an incredibly moving audio message by Ryan White's mother, Jeanne White-Ginder. This is the opening World AIDS Day launch event on Karuna Island. The live music, by SL Cylindrian Rutabaga, has also been amazing. I'll try to get the audio file to post here later. The Karuna World AIDS Day event is off to a great start.
December 1, 2009 is World AIDS Day 09 (WAD09). In Second Life (SL), as in other worlds, we are busy preparing Karuna Island for this major annual event. This year promises to be extraordinary. Click this link to learn more about the event: http://www.tvwsp.com/home.html
As the Karuna Consumer Health Librarian and the person responsible for the Karuna Resource Center on Karuna Island, I work to meet the objectives of the information resources section of our National Library of Medicine (NLM) funded grant. For WAD09 I worked closely with two organizations to prepare something to compliment and extend awareness of their work inworld (inside SL).
The project I'm showcasing in this post was coordinated with our AIDS.gov representative, Michelle Samplin-Salgado. Michelle and I met inworld and she shared about the AIDS.gov Facing AIDS Campaign. After reading about the campaign, I went about creating a type of inworld equivalent on the back deck of the Karuna Resource Center. An earlier display I'd created on WAD09 already out there would compliment this one nicely.
The snapshots here show the display, which is open to anyone with a Second Life account. There is a notecard with step-by-step instructions embedded in a couple of the signs for visitors. The instructions include steps on how an avatar can choose to "wear" one of the signs on the table and then on how to take a snapshot and drag it onto the photoboard. The outside world equivalent can be found here on flickr (Michelle and I included our snapshots in both inworld and outworld locations :) )
Below is the SLurl (for those with SL downloaded) to the FacingAIDS display on the back deck of the Karuna Resource Center (feel free to explore inside the resource center and the rest of the Karuna Island as well!). http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/24/5/23
Please IM Robin Mochi inworld with any questions/comments or if you need assistance. Comments welcome here as well.
Rooftop of Karuna Resource Center in Second Life-HIV/AIDS Videos/Presentations Coming Soon
Spent some productive time here this morning. I'm not finished, still need to add a few more trees and comfortable seating, but I'm excited about the potential to offer short but regular video presentations and global discussions on HIV/AIDS. I love my National Library of Medicine grant funded position as Karuna Consumer Health Librarian. What an amazing learning experience. All for today, off soon to my first life job as Reference & Distance Services Librarian at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon USA If you're interested in learning more about Karuna, feel free to contact me - IM Robin Mochi in Second Life or email Robin@karunahiv.com
Professor Diane Nahl (aka Adra Letov in SL) and seven of her graduate Library and Information Science (LIS) students visited the Karuna Resource Center (RC) this past week to see the types of resources and displays being featured and to speak with me about my role as the Karuna Consumer Health Librarian. We also discussed the evolving work of librarians in virtual worlds.
I welcomed the group at the front entrance and enjoyed chatting with Diane while watching her students clicking on the displays and touring the building. After exploring, the students began asking questions. I had them get comfortable on the couches and chairs and did my best to answer. They were a sharp group and it was good to see and hear from future librarians who seek to understand the changing roles of information professionals. We discussed the resources and presentations I included in the resource center and how they meet the outcomes of the National Library of Medicine grant that funds the island. We also discussed the benefits and challenges for librarians working in virtual worlds, how statistics are gathered, and more.
After Diane and her graduate students left, I reflected on my own experience in graduate school. I attended the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the Unviersity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC GSLIS) not all that long ago, graduating in December 2003. It was a very positive experience and I am thankful to have attended an institution where I was pushed towards newer technologies. From learning basic html during my orientation to courses on web usability, online information literacy and more, I felt fortunate to be learning in a place that valued what was relevant and important for future librarians.
Professor Nahl's students, and many other GSLIS students from several universities who are offering courses in SL, are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn about librarianship in Second Life. Virtual Worlds (VW) are here to stay, and as VWs develop and more of our constituents use VWs, the information needs in these places will grow. These LIS students will be better prepared than those without this exposure. It really is an exciting time to be a librarian.
The Karuna Island in Second Life is funded via a National Library of Medicine grant to provide support and information resources for HIV/AIDS afflicted individuals, family, friends and the public. Jena Ball, (aka SL Jenaia Morane) is the Project Coordinator for Karuna and I was hired as the Consumer Health Librarian. In first life I am an academic librarian at a small private university.
H1NI Flue and HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents-New Second Life Karuna Resource Center Display
The new CDC display in the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life. In this podcast, Dr. John Brooks, of CDC's HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, discusses CDC's Interim Guidance for HIV-infected adults and adolescents regarding the novel H1N1 flu virus: http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=14199
Tomorrow evening at 8:00 SLT (PT) I'll share a short presentation in the Karuna Resource Center on The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation http://www.pedaids.org/Home.aspx
To mark the Foundation's 20th anniversary they're launching "Join the Moment" a campaign to create a generation free of HIV. I'll share what I've learned about the work being done related to this campaign.
All are welcome to attend but if you don't have a free Second Life account or can't make it in, you can watch this video and visit the website to learn more. For those who already have a free Second Life acct, here is the SLurl to the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/33/50/23
There will also be a short video shown "Creating a Generation Free of HIV, by Nigel Barker" available here:
You may wonder why people would want to visit Second Life to view things that are available on the web. For one, while anyone with access to a computer can watch videos on YouTube, one generally watches those videos alone or maybe with a friend, and I suppose sometimes in a classroom with your peers. In Second Life there is a global audience. It's a wonderful way to connect with diverse groups of people, especially when the topic is one with such a strong global impact. Together we can discuss the presentation and video via chat or voice while they are taking place.
Also, the materials in this presentation, along with all the materials in the Karuna Resource Center, were evaluated and chosen by an academic librarian in real life (me :) ), (Robin Mochi, Consumer Health Librarian in Second Life). I follow a set criteria and choose only those materials deemed useful and that meet the guidelines and outcomes of the National Library of Medicine grant that funds the Karuna Island for HIV/AIDS information and support in SL.
The materials shown in this short video will remain in the Karuna Resource Center for viewing 24/7. Feel free to stop by anytime that's convenient in your time zone of the world.
Questions, comments or suggestions? IM Robin Mochi inworld or email Robin Ashford at Robin@karunahiv.com or comment here.