Gimmick or groundbreaking? Canadian academic libraries using chat reference in multi-user virtual environments.

Library users of the future, aka "digital natives" (Prensky), and the pervasiveness of Web 2.0's focus on the user, will require institutions and organizations to re-evaluate their service models to ensure they are positioned to best serve this new clientele, in new environments. One such environment is the multi-user virtual environment Second Life. This online "world" is created by its residents (represented by avatars) and currently has over 13 million registered users. Hundreds of librarians from around the world are exploring and volunteering their time in this virtual world, including offering reference assistance to Second Life residents. By first examining face-to-face and chat reference, we can place virtual world reference within the reference continuum. Then, using McMaster University Library's pilot project, we aim to determine how reference could be offered by a single institution in a virtual world, what additional skills were required by such a service, and whether there was a need for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]