Virtual Information Space Research Articles

An Innovative Perspective for Constructing Cultural and Creative e-Commerce Platforms: Integrating Insights from ICDT Theory and Brand Personality

Thriving in competitive business environments requires innovation, especially within cultural and creative-based e-commerce platforms. This study examines the application of two prominent theories, ICDT theory and brand personality, in assessing new business models. Focusing on 479 respondents from Taiwan, this research explores how the implementation of ICDT and brand personality in cultural and creative e-commerce influences customer behavior. Statistical analyses and the Smart PLS method are adopted to identify the significance of and relationships between the variables in the structural equation model. The profound influence of the ICDT model is evident in the emergence of virtual information space, virtual communication space, and virtual transaction space. Brand personality traits underscore the significance of intellectual excellence, M-type traits, seeking innovation and change, and stable reliability in shaping customer values. This research enriches the literature by emphasizing the essential role of innovative technologies and brand issues integrated with core product attributes for successful consumer acceptance in the fiercely competitive landscape of e-commerce platforms.

“E-GOVERNMENT” AS A PRIORITY COMPONENT OF THE FORMATION OF NETOCRATIC PUBLIC GOVERNANCE: ESTONIAN DEVELOPMENT VECTOR

The article discusses the main approaches to defining the concept of «electronic government »; it was found that the integration of public administration into the virtual information space creates favorable preconditions for the formation of effective electronic democracy as a logical continuation of the transformation of socio-political processes in the conditions of the information society, which indicates a netocratic vector of development of public administration. The experience of Estonia regarding the successful testing and implementation of an effective electronic governance system has been studied. The factors that influenced the formation of a high level of electronic government services in Estonia are considered. It is recommended to focus on the Estonian experience in the practical application of e-government with the aim of developing information and digital infrastructures in the management sphere and effective domestic e-government as an integrated platform for the formation of netocratic public administration.

Deepfake - manufacturing the reality with the aid of the artificial intelligence

The development of information technologies has formed the parameters of reality. Penetrated into various spheres of human activity, they change the way we perceive, interact, socialize between individuals and social groups and even produce changes in the behavioral and acting field of man. This article highlights the meanings of the deepfake phenomenon, which has penetrated the virtual information space and gained extension in recent years. As artificial intelligence technology is used in modifying and / or fabricating reality, it becomes increasingly difficult to identify manipulation, misinformation in the online environment. In this regard, it is imperative to investigate the specificity of this concept and at the same time to map a set of actions that would prevent and diminish this phenomenon.

Verification of Geographic Laws Hidden in Textual Space and Analysis of Spatial Interaction Patterns of Information Flow

The rapid development of Internet technology has formed a huge virtual information space. In the information space, information flow has become a link of communication between objects. Information flow is an alternative or supplement to the traditional physical flow for the study of the spatial interaction of geographical entities. The research uses toponym co-occurrence and search index as information flow data, verifies the geographical laws hidden in the information space by spatial autocorrelation analysis and gravity model fitting, and analyzes the spatial interaction patterns of provinces in China in the information space by complex network analysis methods. The results show that: (1) information flow in the information space obeys Tobler’s first law of geography and Goodchild’s second law of geography. The spatial interaction represented by information flow has a distance decay effect. The best distance decay coefficients for toponym co-occurrence and the search index are 0.189 and 0.186, respectively. (2) The inter-provincial spatial interaction network of China shows a hierarchical pattern of the triangular primary network and diamond secondary network, and the ranking of provinces in the centrality analysis is basically stable, but the network hierarchy is deepening. The gravity center of spatial interaction is located in the east-central region of China. (3) The information flow-based interaction network is of higher asymmetry than the population mobility network, and its spatial structure is also obvious. This research provides a new idea for studying the spatial interaction of geographical entities in the physical world from the perspective of information flow.

«ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT» AS AN INTEGRATED PLATFORM FOR THE FORMATION OF NON-TOCRATIC PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: THE EXPERIENCE OF ESTONIA

The article considers the main approaches to the definition of the concept of «electronic government»; it was found that the integration of public administration into the virtual information space creates favorable prerequisites for the formation of an effective e-democracy as a logical continuation of the transformation of socio-political processes in the information society, which indicates a netocratic vector of development of public administration. It has been established that the successfully tested elements of egovernment are being introduced into wide use, which leads to the gradual formation of netocratic management, which is acquiring more and more mechanisms, tools, methods and forms of communication between government and society. It has been proven that governments should use the mechanisms and capabilities of the information society in order to ensure that the work of government bodies meets the needs of citizens as much as possible. The experience of Estonia regarding the successful testing and implementation of an effective e-government system is studied. The factors that influenced the formation of a high level of electronic government services in Estonia are considered. In particular, attention is focused on the awareness by the country's officials of the priority development of the information and communication technology industry and the possibility of stable state funding; the state program of general computerization «Tiger Leap»; global informatization of the country; the introduction of a number of electronic systems and services, thanks to which the level of bureaucracy has decreased, there has been an increase in the participation of citizens in public life, the reaction of subjects of power to the appeal of citizens has improved, the decision-making process by authorities has become transparent and accountable to the public, etc. It is recommended to focus on the Estonian experience in the practical application of e-governance in order to develop information and digital infrastructures in the management sphere and an effective domestic egovernment as an integrated platform for the formation of netocratic public administration.

INTERNET MEME AS A PHENOMENON OF MODERN MEDIA DISCOURSE: STYLISTIC-PRAGMATIC ASPECT

The article deals with the German creolized memes of recent years, dedicated to prominent political figures and events, selected by continuous sampling on various Internet platforms and social networks (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook). Modern linguistics focuses on the study of language as a communication tool and the study of verbal structures in accordance with the conditions in which they function. Language means are considered in their purpose to solve specific pragmatic tasks and achieve specific communicative goals, which predetermines the study of not only the structure of language units but also their participation in real communication. The media environment as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon is now not just an area for the creation and consumption of an information product, but also a space, where the information needs of a modern linguistic personality are met, certain life guidelines and values are created. In the digital plane of the media sphere guidelines, trends, and methods of genre organization are formed during the textual transmission of information in a virtual coordinate system, where the new means of transmitting ideas about reality, norms, and problems are approved. The relevance of the article is due to the need to study the linguistic picture of the world of a modern German person and the present German authorities, captured in the digital plane in the format of a meme – a standardized and integral unit of Internet communication in the German-speaking infosphere. The purpose of the study is to highlight the structural features and stylistically pragmatic potential of Internet memes through the prism of their contextual transformation and conversion into elements of ideological influence in modern German-language media discourse. The use of Internet memes in the political sphere stimulates citizens to be more active and interested in various political events, suggests the support of certain political forces. Purposeful creation of such memes is characterized by a clearly expressed ideological goal: influence on the consciousness of members of society and their involvement in a communicative discussion in the vast virtual information space.

STAGES OF FORMATION OF INFORMATION SECURITY SKILLS IN MASTERS OF SPECIALTY 013 PRIMARY EDUCATION

The processes of technology and informatization of the modern world create new challenges and threats to the modern education system. Overcoming these threats by rejecting the achievements of civilization or by imposing significant restrictions is not rational and may lead to the degradation of society. The safety of primary school students in virtual information spaces can only be guaranteed by the level of information culture and skills to counter information threats. Given the mostly low level of readiness of adult members of society to counter informational and psychological attacks and influences, primary school teachers have maximum opportunities to form appropriate skills in primary school students. The effectiveness of their activities depends on their personal level of readiness to carry out this work. This level can be formed during course retraining within the framework of postgraduate education and during studies at universities in pedagogical specialties, in particular, in the master's degree under the educational program 013 Elementary education.The effectiveness of training will ensure the gradual assimilation of theoretical and methodological foundations on the issue of information security. Based on the above, we can distinguish the following stages of preparation of master's students for the activity of forming the skills of safe behavior of younger schoolchildren in virtual information spaces:1. Formation of master's students' understanding of the real threats of the information society and the ability to analyze their impact on both adult members of Ukrainian society and children of primary school age.2. Formation of countermeasures against detected and potentially predicted information threats.3. Formation of general methodological approaches to teaching subjects of the informative educational cycle in primary school with an emphasis on the topic of information security.4. Practical training during trainings of acquired methods of formation of information security skills in primary school students.The first three stages of training should be practically oriented with the involvement of lecture-seminar support, multimedia and printed resources. The fourth stage is purely practical and takes place in game and training form. Students at the fourth stage should be placed in virtual learning situations, during which they will have to convince and teach information security methods to virtual primary school students, identifying and taking into account their psychological, mental and epistemological features. To increase the effectiveness of this stage, you can create electronic simulators on the teacher's educational resource, which will allow each student to practice difficult situations at a convenient time, taking into account the age of the child and the presence of special educational needs.

Prospects for the Development of Electronic Resources for Social and Communication Activities of Information Institutions in Ukraine and the World

The purpose of the article is to study the prospects of the development of electronic resources for social and communication activities of information institutions in Ukraine and the world.
 Research methodology. General scientific and special research methods were used, in particular analysis and synthesis, comparison, generalization, and system-structural analysis.
 Scientific novelty. It is determined that electronic information resources in the form of digitized documents are currently the most effective form of involvement in the scientific circulation of huge arrays of documents contained in the funds of state archives of Ukraine for social and communication activities of information institutions. Measures to ensure the development of information potential in the context of digitalization are proposed.
 Conclusions. Thus, such types of electronic resources as local, network and electronic resources of combined distribution are distinguished. It has been clarified that among the virtual representations in the virtual information space, a significant place belongs to the websites of information institutions. It has been established that information infrastructure is a means of interaction and exchange of information resources. It has been defined that information potential is an important resource that is positioned, disclosed and used to form new resources and products and ascertainment of information needs of modern users. It has been clarified that the result of the introduction of information potential in the context of digitalization can be the formation of a single regional consolidated information resource with a single format for presenting data based on the use of modern digital platforms, increasing the level of development and application of information potential in general. It has been determined that to further ensure the development of electronic resource potential, it is necessary to consider the possibility and organization of interaction between a library, archival and museum institutions in the modern information and communication environment.

INFORMATION SERVICE FOR USERS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Purpose. The article is aimed at the analysis of the current problem of the higher educational institutions, namely the creation of favorable conditions for teaching students with special educational needs. Methodology. Benchmarking – study and analysis of the experience of university libraries and other organizations. Formation of requirements for support of this category. Result. Creation of comprehensive assistance in learning and conditions conducive to the successful adaptation of students, their psychological rehabilitation and personal development in society. Therefore, one of the priority areas of libraries’ work is adaptation to learning, library and information services for users with special needs, providing them with free access to information, exercising their rights to receive quality services. Conclusions. Creating a virtual information space, ensuring physical accessibility, staff training contributes to the effective implementation of the tasks and motivating this category of users to personal adaptation and learning.

MUSEUM COMMUNICATION IN THE CONDITIONS OF DIGITALIZATION

The purpose of the article is to investigate the process of qualitative transformation of museum communication at the present stage, which takes place under the influence of digitalization factors. The methodology of the research consists of the application of analytical, system-functional, and culturological methods to identify features of technical and technological influence on changing the ways of museum representation in modern conditions and practical implementation of new forms of museum work mediated by new technological communications. The scientific novelty of the article is expanding and summarizing information on the updating of museums of communication strategies developed in connection with the gradual introduction of digital technologies in museums, and means as well as channels of communication designed to diversify forms of museum activities. Conclusions. As a result of the study, it was found that information and computer technologies occupy an important role within the formation of modern museum space, which can give new representativeness to the museum object and build multifaceted communication with visitors. Museum communication is increasingly mediated by digital technologies and means of communication, which directly affect both the way the museum is represented and the aspects of communicating with visitors, the positioning of museums in terms of the information space. In modern conditions, the visual communication of the museum communication occupies a significant place, which determines both the representation of the museum collection in digital format and the special communication channel that forms the field of museum semantics in the virtual information space. There is no doubt about the role of digital technologies in the process of musealization, which helps to choose the best ways to adapt the necessary objects for museum presentation. Keywords: museum communication, museums, exposition, information space, visual communication, virtual museum space, musealization.

A Clonal Selection Optimization System for Multiparty Secure Computing

The innovation of the deep learning modeling scheme plays an important role in promoting the research of complex problems handled with artificial intelligence in smart cities and the development of the next generation of information technology. With the widespread use of smart interactive devices and systems, the exponential growth of data volume and the complex modeling requirements increase the difficulty of deep learning modeling, and the classical centralized deep learning modeling scheme has encountered bottlenecks in the improvement of model performance and the diversification of smart application scenarios. The parallel processing system in deep learning links the virtual information space with the physical world, although the distributed deep learning research has become a crucial concern with its unique advantages in training efficiency, and improving the availability of trained models and preventing privacy disclosure are still the main challenges faced by related research. To address these above issues in distributed deep learning, this research developed a clonal selective optimization system based on the federated learning framework for the model training process involving large-scale data. This system adopts the heuristic clonal selective strategy in local model optimization and optimizes the effect of federated training. First of all, this process enhances the adaptability and robustness of the federated learning scheme and improves the modeling performance and training efficiency. Furthermore, this research attempts to improve the privacy security defense capability of the federated learning scheme for big data through differential privacy preprocessing. The simulation results show that the proposed clonal selection optimization system based on federated learning has significant optimization ability on model basic performance, stability, and privacy.

Concepts of «information society» and «electronic state»: issues of legal support

The article is devoted to the research of conceptual problems of legal support of functioning and development of information society and electronic state in the context of today’s realities. In the article the author proceeds from the fact that the information society is not just a society in which the activities of most people are related to the creation, analysis, storage and dissemination of information, using of information networks, information communication channels, etc., and such a society, in which the existence and activity of almost every individual are inseparable from the complex of information technology devices and related segments of the information space, free access to which is possible regardless of specific temporal-and-spatial dimensions, that is, from anywhere and at any time at the request of the individual. According to the author, the most urgent problems of legal regulation of the modern information society are the following: 1. The problem of the optimality of the relation between law and other social regulators in regulating relations functioning in the information society, in particular, finding a balance between legal and moral regulation of relations in the extraterritorial (global) information space. 2. The problem of establishing more relevant relationships between national and international (supranational) law in the process of regulating modern information relations. 3. The problem of correct alignment of priorities in the regulation of social relations in the information society. 4. The problem of transformation of the institution of legal responsibility for offenses and crimes committed through the use of information and telecommunication systems, in particular, the Internet. As a result of the research the author draws the following conclusions: 1. The complexity of ensuring effective legal regulation of relations in the information society is primarily due to the fact that within it individual freedom is gradually becoming an end in itself, which takes on various forms of expression, including those that are harmful to society and contrary to the norms and principles of the traditional morality. Freedom as an end in itself is already practically fully embodied in the virtual component of the information society, which, having a multifaceted relationship with the real social environment, contributes to the fact that within the latter the moral regulation of human relations is increasingly lost, which, among other things, is a necessary prerequisite for respect for the law and its prescriptions, embodied in the legislation, and therefore, for their proper implementation in an appropriate form. The devaluation of the values of traditional morality in the virtual information space has already led to a considerable number of moral-and-law problems at the theoretical and applied levels, as well as to the practical impossibility of solving them only through legal norms. 2. The functioning of the concept of «electronic state» should not completely supersede the traditional in society variants of the relationship between public authorities and individuals and legal entities, the benefits of which have not lost their relevance today. In particular, citizens and legal entities should be left with the right to choose the form of interaction with the authorities (oral, written or electronic), and individual exceptions to it can be established only in relation to specific relationships, the objective specificity of which stipulates the need for their normative fixing. Keywords: information society, electronic state, law, morality, Internet, legal liability, legislation.

Методологічні проблеми соціальної педагогіки в умовах інформаційного суспільства

The article justifies the necessity of fundamental renewal of social pedagogy’s methodological foundations under the influence of information civilization establishment, because adequacy of social-pedagogical technologies to the requirements of the new age will ensure harmonic interdevelopment of the dual unity that is “individuality-sociality” and sociality of the “real-virtual” person and their societies: from traditional ones – family, ethnic, civic, to innovational ones – regional and global. It reviews theoretical-methodological differences of sociocivic, essentially, social pedagogy of the industrial society and socioglobal – the information society. It proves the dependence of methodology transformation of pedagogy’s social branch on renewal of its philosophical, interdisciplinary (cultural studies, sociology, psychology etc.) and general-pedagogical levels regarding cybersocialization of social subjects in the global information space. The issues of developing methodological basis of social-pedagogical accompaniment are made topical: social adaptation of the elderly in “the culture of new” to prevent their marginalization; development of youth’s sociality under conditions of the global “personality triumph”, unlimited value pluralism of virtual information space, dynamics of types and forms of family, possibility of person’s transfer not only by gender and civic qualities, but also by cultural-ethnic and cultural-racial qualities to avoid egocentrism of the new generation; social integration and individualization of the second age members in times of long-term changes of types, forms and contents of sociality (especially professional) to ensure social transformations in “the culture of human”. The prospects of developing a reliable methodological basis of information society social pedagogy to overcome “Brownian” qualities of global social education are justified in order to preserve real social and natural environment of humanity and improve it through virtual social space.

Strategic directions of social management of the Voronezh region economy

Over the past decades, Russian society has changed significantly. A virtual information and financial space is being formed, where there are no customary boundaries of territories. Social communication begins to develop in new forms, knowledge is exchanged and social consciousness is manipulated. To develop the economy, the most acute social need is its focus on social landmarks. An urgent need is the creation of mechanisms: the approval of uniform, equitable, social bases of legality in all regions of the Russian Federation; maintenance of civil peace; intellectual self–reproduction of the nation, through the appropriate system of education, education, health; reduction of income differentiation; self–realization of man. The ongoing social tolerance is not an expression of the slavish or heroic traits of the nature of Russian citizens, but rather the manifestation of expectations from the political process of what the immature market economy was not capable of accomplishing. Potential factors of the region's strategic development or its competitive advantages are highlighted in the paper. Five strategic directions of social management of the region's economy are grounded: the first is the creation and maintenance of a healthy atmosphere for sustainable development of the region; the second – stimulation of the aggregate consumer demand of the Voronezh region; the third is the democratization of capital; the fourth – the social orientation in agriculture; the fifth – the adjustment of the environmental policy of the region. For each direction, the distribution approaches are highlighted. So, the first direction involves: increasing the social responsibility of entrepreneurs, the entire population, executive and legislative authorities to society. The second is based on the skilful expansion of the intervention of regional and municipal authorities in the economy. The third should involve considerable investments in the regional economy, expand and strengthen the middle class, people living not only on wages, but also on other incomes. The fourth involves: improving the economic security of the country and preserving the integrity of the territories and the region as a whole. The fifth is aimed at saving natural resources and strengthening environmental control. The mechanisms for implementing these directions are considered.

Interaction of cultures in virtual space

The intensification of the dynamics of migration in recent years due to globalization trends. These same trends over migration processes lead to the interaction of cultures, which have an impact on the technology of the information society, guides interpersonal and intercul-tural communication through the virtual information space. The study of the socio-cultural specificity of functioning of social networks as a new paradigm of social community and their impact on the social structure of the transformation initiated by new social practices and normative-value orientations and possibilities of social control over them. The effectiveness of the network of communication as a universal mechanism is the result of social and cultural genesis and functioning of culture in relation to social parameters and use them in infor-mation and communication technologies creates conditions for easier overcoming cultural boundaries. As the number of Internet users has increased not only the social importance of networks, but also appeared numerous problems associated with self-identification in online communities, social practices, normative values and possibilities of social control over them. In these circumstances, the model is transformed cultural identity and self-identification, as well as new trends are outlined in the representation of “cultural core”. Based on the analysis of these processes highlights the main trends in the development of mechanisms of cultural distinction and overcoming cultural borders in the virtual space, which can lead to a dialogue between cultures, and initiate the degradation of “cultural core”.

RESEARCH ON THE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION BARRIERS AND COUNTERMEASURES IN THE NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

Business communication in the network environment is a modern business communication which takes network media as the carrier and realizing the digital processing through virtual information space. However, there are certain obstacles and problems of business communication in the network environment. The network media, virtual “face to face” space, and digital language in the network environment are used to sort out the barriers of business communication. Suggested ways to improve the existing obstacles, such as paying attention to digital processing to avoid language communication barrier, increasing network media investment, and enhancing network security awareness are given.

Засади інтеграційної маркетингової комунікаційної діяльності виставкових компаній України

Мета роботи – розширити теоретичне уявлення про функціонування моделі стосовно інтегративних засад маркетингової комунікаційної діяльності виставкових компаній України.
 Дизайн/Метод/Підхід дослідження. Застосовано методи порівняння, систематизації та узагальнення, аналізу особливості позиціонування виставкових послуг, інтегративні методи в управлінні функціями виставкової компанії, методи цифрового маркетингу та веб-аналітики у контексті інтегрованого розуміння конверсії та моделювання атрибутів маркетингових комунікацій.
 Результати дослідження. Удосконалено модель AIDAOUC(s) урахування та комунікаційного забезпечення інтеграції інтересів, уваги, побажань та взаємодії стейкхолдерів у просторі партнерського маркетингу виставкових компаній.
 Теоретичне та практичне значення дослідження. Розвинуто теоретичні аспекти позиціонування виставкових послуг у комплексі інтегративного комунікаційного маркетингу. Висвітлено комунікаційні особливості, які мають виставкові послуги, вісім компонентів інтегрованого підходу до управління ними на основі моделі 8 Ps. Практичне значення полягає у визначенні показників успішності виставкового заходу при впровадженні моделі AIDAOUC(s).
 Соціальне значення дослідження. Посилено толерантність у взаємодії зі споживачами та маркетингову цінність при комунікаційному впливі на цільові аудиторії. Це може бути забезпечено завдяки розвитку національної ідентичності та змістових особливостей торгівельної марки, бренду.
 Оригінальність/Цінність/Наукова новизна дослідження. Ураховано оптимізацію управлінських внутрішніх впливів, оновлення основних активів виставкового об’єкту, зміну розподілу коштів у бюджеті комплексу інтегрованих маркетингових комунікацій під час аналізування інтересів і побажань економічних агентів, комунікаційної підтримки просування послуг виставкової компанії задля забезпечення задоволеності цільових клієнтів і стейкхолдерів.
 Перспективи подальших досліджень – поглиблювати оцінювання детермінант взаємодії і взаємозв’язку елементів маркетингових комунікацій у ході системної їх інтеграції у віртуальному інформаційному просторі.
 Тип статті– теоретична.

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ВІРТУАЛЬНОГО ІНФОРМАЦІЙНОГО ПРОСТОРУ У ПРОЦЕСІ САМОСТІЙНОЇ ПІДГОТОВКИ МАЙБУТНІХ ФІЛОЛОГІВ

This article is about the features of the virtual information space in the organization of self-study of students who enrolled in higher education institutions in profile departments and are trained as specialists in Foreign Languages and Translation; outlined are the main features and benefits of the use of information technology and Internet computer capabilities to achieve educational goals during self-study of future philologists; the components of students' self-study by use of information technologies; analyzed the verities of future philologists process in self-study with virtual information space. &nbsp

A Design of Augmented Tabletop Game Based on RFID Technology

Context-aware technology provides a potential to interact between real physical world and virtual information space more directly and naturally, which can improve efficiency and user experience. This paper introduces an exploration of integrating context-aware technology into traditional game, aiming at offering players innovative playing experience. One kind of context-aware technology, namely RFID, and one genre of traditional game, namely tabletop game, were selected to combine together to develop a new genre of game, called Augmented Tabletop Game. The procedure of user-centered design (UCD) was applied during the development. Firstly, player requirements were surveyed and analyzed. And then we determined which functions of RFID could be augmented into the traditional tabletop game, making the game different and more enjoyable. After that, specific game rules and a low fidelity prototype were designed for a usability evaluation, in which six experienced players were invited to do the heuristic evaluation. Finally, a high fidelity prototype was implemented, including game board, control panel, game pieces, graphical/audio output device and data process center, based on the improvements of low fidelity prototype.

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.