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This paper aims to explore the existence of Metaverse or 3D virtual libraries and how they use Metaverse to expand library services.

The authors use literature to search projects and research papers that discuss the metaverse library. They also did observations on metaverse libraries.

There are some virtual realities or metaverse platforms that a library or virtual community can use to build their 3D virtual world. Some libraries already create a virtual world library or metaverse library. However, those initiatives are still in the prototype stage and are used for exhibitions and projects.

This paper overviews and builds a simple understanding of the metaverse library. The value of the paper is giving motivation when building the metaverse library. This initiative shows that big hi-tech companies do not dominate Metaverse.

This paper aims to study the value of informal care (IC) time from the perspective of caregivers using two alternative contingent valuation tools – willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA) – and to identify the variables that affect the stated values.

The authors used data from a multi-centre study of 610 adult caregivers conducted in two Spanish regions in 2013. The existence of “protest zeros” and “economic zeros” because of the severe budgetary constraints of the households was also considered. Two-part multivariate models were used to analyse the main factors that explained the declared values of WTA and WTP.

The average WTP and WTA were €3.12 and €5.98 per hour of care, respectively (€3.2 and €6.3 when estimated values for “protest zeros” and “economic zeros” were considered). Some explanatory variables of WTA and WTP are coincident (place of residence and intensity of care time), whereas other variables only help to explain WTP values (household and negative coping with caregiving) or WTA values (age and burden of care). Some nuances are also identified when comparing the results obtained without protest and economic zeros with the estimated values of these special zeros.

Studies analysing the determinants of WTP and WTA in IC settings are very scarce. This paper seeks to provide information to fill this gap. The results indicate that the variables that explain the value of IC from one perspective may differ from the variables that explain it from an alternative perspective. Given the relevance of contextual factors, studies on the topic should be expanded, and care should be taken with the extrapolation of results across countries and settings.