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The purpose of this study is to raise awareness of the benefits and drawbacks involved in using digital technologies for business meetings, and identify key concerns. The shift from in-person to virtual meetings has multiple consequences, some of which impact recordkeeping.

Drawing on research from records management, anthropology, organizational theory and computer science, this study establishes the norms of physical meeting spaces and recordkeeping and explores how these norms are challenged as meetings become virtual.

Virtual meetings allow for collaboration to work across time and space and offer multiple affordances that do not exist in on-site meetings; however, they also involve the additional barrier of technical access and reduction in user attention. Virtual meetings also enable the creation, capture and sharing of increased contextual data, and this increased documentation challenges traditional recordkeeping models. Meeting technologies are also worryingly invasive. This study shows that concerns over privacy have been dismissed in the design of virtual meeting spaces, and therefore the authors recommend their more thorough consideration.

Meetings are a pervasive feature of organizational life whose significance has been overlooked in the recordkeeping literature. By bringing together research about in-person and virtual meetings in a novel and necessary way, the authors started to fill a gap and hope to inspire further studies.

The study aims to report on a research project that analyzed social websites for booklovers. These sites represent a service that is promising for public libraries in their efforts to find new ways in promoting reading and literature. At the same time the growth of such sites is another example of how technological developments challenge librarianship. Many of these sites are established and run independently from the library field.

This paper reports from a research comparing two such websites – the Norwegian Bokelskere.no and the Hungarian Moly.hu. A questionnaire was published on the two websites in mid September 2010. It was accessible for approximately 20 days. A total of 777 users filled in and returned the questionnaire.

As the typical user of Moly/Bokelskere is a young, ethnic Hungarian or Norwegian, well educated, female from the bigger cities the complexity and pluralism of society is not reflected in the websites in the same way as it is in physical libraries. They are not heavy library users, and they have a relatively low trust concerning libraries in comparison with other sources of information. The sites are mainly used as information sources and not as places where one can meet with others. Although the social dimension of reading appears, it is related mainly to the family or friends and not to strangers.

It would be inaccurate to claim that the study gives a comprehensive overview on social sites for booklovers. The relatively high number of respondents from the two analyzed websites provides an extensive, but not comprehensive, sample. Self‐recruitment of respondents might cause biases compared with a randomly drawn sample.

The study on which the paper is based is a part of the PLACE project, which aims at exploring the role of public libraries as meeting places. The study generates knowledge on the potential and role of virtual meeting places that is relevant for public libraries in their efforts to adapt to a new reality.

The study generates knowledge that can be of importance for developing libraries and library policies in relation to digital meeting places.

There are few studies analyzing literary websites for booklovers and the study contributes in developing a new research field in library and information science.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether virtual space can be used to alleviate physical space constraints for group collaboration in an urban academic library environment. Specifically, this paper looks to uncover whether library users will turn to library‐provided virtual space when there is a scarcity of physical space.

This project discusses the design of the physical and virtual environment, and then measures the use of this environment quantitatively over a 47‐month period (2005‐2009).

Results indicate that physical spaces for group collaboration are in very high demand, whereas virtual ones are not. A scarcity of physical collaboration spaces does not lead users to library‐provided virtual space, but rather to work around the scarcity in the physical world.

The paper highlights the value of the library as a gathering place and the ways in which virtual collaboration space cannot easily take the place of physical collaboration space.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the relevant role of users/learners as designers/creators of meaningful and effective learning places and spaces in both digital and virtual worlds.

The paper is based on research and observation of changing trends in users' behavior in physical and digital collaborative workplaces and spaces all over the world.

In this third millennium, the new spirit of knowmadic workers and learners is breaking down old design concepts and rules. The progressively more subtle frontier between virtual and physical learning environments and working environments is changing the use by, and the behavior of, learners in these places and spaces. In this context, the transversal‐thinking, designer‐guided paradigm is rendered effectively useless. The era of user‐led design has started. User‐oriented design is an old trend; it has changed over time. In societies and economies based on learning, reflection and constant collaboration, the individualistic design guru has no place.

This paper discusses the evolving strategic role of users/learners as designers and co‐creators of their own places. Traditional design criteria and theories are outdated. The role of the designer as master/creator is not compatible with the collegiate and collaborative, reflective spirit of knowmadic learners. A consequence is a requirement for new strategies and a redefinition of the designer's role in the creation of space. The axis of design control has shifted.

Describes a networked virtual environment, a type of virtual reality most commonly known as a “MUD” or a “MOO”, which was used at an internationally‐attended scientific conference held on the Internet. Interviews with conference attendees indicated enthusiasm for the effectiveness of the medium, and revealed how the virtual environment can be modified to improve conferencing efficacy. Such alterations included: novel input‐output control management; automation of conference registration; control of anonymous or guest connections; simplification of conference center topography; an improved methodology for recording discussion sessions; use of moderated rooms to compensate for network lag; and providing buffers to update late arriving participants. Concludes that networked virtual environments provide an inexpensive means for effective international conferencing on the Internet.

As the user‐base of the Internet expands, on‐line “virtual communities” may have the potential to become the key customer‐infomediaries, social forums, and trading arenas, of the early twenty‐first century. In parallel, new delivery channels and new means of fostering long‐term customer relationships may prove critical for success in the financial services industry. As these two developments intertwine, many organizations in the sector may therefore need to consider desktop icons as an emerging customer interface. Reviews the economic argument for virtual communities as the first viable Internet value‐creation model to combine content and communication. Drawing from practical experience with pioneering virtual community developments, and a consideration of direct and indirect financial service delivery channels, the conclusion is reached that many companies in the sector now face an important, strategic choice in the development of their on‐line presence. For most, this will be between deciding to act rapidly to build their own virtual community, or instead opting for a more effective third party, virtual community “inhabitation strategy”.

This paper aims to describe the immersive atelier model (IAM), a pedagogical model for remote inter-university studios that promotes quality education. The IAM uses multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) in two atelier types: A predefined MUVE and a student-shaped one. The study questions how the IAM, using MUVEs, meets the needs of remote inter-university studios. The research explores how MUVE types are used and experienced by students.

Forty-six students that participated in a remote studio course involving three universities were monitored through observations and a post-course questionnaire, responded to by twenty-five students.

Findings provide insights into the learners’ experience and a rich description of the teaching and learning acts that emerged while using the MUVEs types. Student-shaped MUVEs were found particularly supportive of acts associated with indirect learning and conceptualization. The study identifies subtypes of student-shaped MUVEs that support these desired educational acts.

Findings provide encouraging insights for expanding the traditional atelier beyond its physical constraints and supporting sustainable quality education in remote inter-university studios.

The IAM can assist tutors in designing future virtual design studios to achieve diverse knowledge and learning progress.

This paper fulfills an identified need to update the atelier pedagogical model to support sustainable quality education in remote inter-university studios. Based on the affordances of MUVEs, the IAM expands the traditional atelier with types of virtual ateliers to support the learners’ sense of belongingness and engagement.

Innovatively, the IAM simultaneously uses MUVEs as educational and design spaces that enhance learning.

The research goal of this study was to determine how flow experience and perceived behavioral control (PBC) affect participation behavior in the backpackers' forum.

Subjects were self‐selected by placing messages on over five recommendations members in the backpackers' forum. In total, 2,000 invitation messages were mailed to members of the Taiwanese backpackers' forum, of which 435 were returned completed (a return rate of 21.75 percent).

As our analysis, flow experience in a virtual community is positively associated with the behavioral intentions to use the virtual community. Perceived enjoyment in a virtual community is positively associated with the behavioral intentions to use the virtual community, and behavioral intentions to visit a virtual community are positively associated with the member's actual participation in a virtual community.

While this study has produced meaningful data for the development of multidimensional measures of factors that influence participation behavior in the Taiwanese backpackers' forum, the validity of an instrument cannot be firmly established on the basis of a single study. All of the data used for tests were collected only from a single backpackers' forum.

Our study shows that travel agencies must become technologically astute to keep up with its customers, should be viewing the internet as a vital distribution channel for marketing, and should be linked to other well‐known reservation web sites.

The backpacker community served as a reference group that could significantly influence travelers' beliefs, attitudes, and choices.

In the present study we found that a basic understanding of the essence of the backpacker community is a prerequisite for any organization operating a travel‐oriented community if they are to be clear about their mission, purpose, and the right direction to take to achieve their goal. That goal will increase the commitment of the members to a virtual community by increasing their helping behavior and active participation.

This paper aims to examine the experiences of new users of Second Life in order to identify potential barriers and attractors to the expansion of the userbase and therefore the market for in‐world information services.

A multi‐faceted methodological approach was taken utilising two questionnaires (pre‐ and post‐immersion), non‐participant overt observation, structured interviews, and online diary keeping. Data was then analysed to identify barriers and attractors.

More negative experiences were recorded than positive, with the costs, time commitment, stigma of using, the lack of structure, social interaction, and the complexity of the control interface all provoking negative responses. Avatar creation, and the creativity and quality of graphical presentation produced positive responses.

Due to the investment in time required to participate in the research, the sample size is smaller than ideal thus limiting the conclusions that can be generalised. The research also did not directly include interaction with online library or information services.

For librarians using SL the research demonstrates that the response from new users is less than enthusiastic and that when designing virtual library services care should be taken to avoid the barriers identified here and to focus on the features found attractive by participants.

Previous studies have examined the implementation of in‐world information services without examining the experience of new users. Those studies that have looked directly at the user's interaction with virtual worlds are more focused on MMORPGs and on current users.

The aim of this chapter is to analyse and to define the role and opportunities offered by the adoption of a new ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tool within an organization, focusing attention on internal collaborative processes that have been induced by the development and use of the new tool. As noted by some authors, ICT tools may create a virtual meeting place where individuals can engage in dialogue and collaboration. However, other authors argue that technology could reduce direct involvement, social interaction, collaboration and reflective conversations that traditionally give rise to knowledge processes and thus to innovation processes inside the organizations. Nevertheless, some research contributions show that it is not an ICT tool itself that provides positive or negative effects on organizations, but how the tool is used in conjunction with complementary human resources. These contributions avoid technological determinism by stressing contingency and by coupling human design intent and activity with the disposition of actors inside organizations.

In order to fulfil the aim of the chapter, a study was carried out in a leading firm in the automotive industry, till now involved in a project aimed at implementing a new simulation tool for the assembly process. The evidence from the case seems to suggest that the development and use of the simulation tool activated the social interactions and collaborations that enacted innovation processes. The simulation tool seemed to facilitate a productive dialogue among the different departments and a deeper understanding of the different challenges involved. The development of the simulation “forced” experts of different departments to meet and to keep the focus on salient aspects. The simulation acted as a boundary object. The development of this boundary object was un-intentional but it is clear that the simulation contributed to the formation of a community of collaborators.

It is worth noting that this was not the result of the simulation tool itself but rather the result of management actions aimed at making sense of the whole project, supporting the initiative and thus motivating users.