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Located in the Babbage Canals, the R.F. Burton Library sits amidst the bustling city of New Babbage. New Babbage, originally created as a community for Steampunk roleplay, has grown since its inception to become a vibrant celebration of this particular Victorian aesthetic. The new library, which opened on October 3, offers its residents the literary background and history of Victorian Steampunk, along with a community area for meetings and recreation.
Canolli Capalini, the creator of the library, feels that the library was "one of the first places that doors were opened for me, the idea that there was something bigger in the world, was a library Growing up, on hot summer days, it was a cool, quiet retreat where I could lose myself. When I obtained that plot of land, it just seemed natural that I would build a library there.”
For Capalini, the library is more than simply an information resource. Especially in New Babbage, a roleplaying community built on an reimagining of Victorian history, a library was a needed resource. She states "There is always something new, the imagination of the residents is beyond what one would expect and there is always something trying to push the envelope of limits. A town this size, with this many people, would naturally have a library as a resource; For inspiration, research, entertainment.”
Three levels house a large collection of works related to Steampunk and Victorian literature and history. While many libraries focus on providing readers with information regarding steam-powered technology and the works of Nikola Tesla, the R.F. Burton Library has expanded that view immensely. Roleplaying residents, along with those new to Steampunk, can find something of interest. The collection of the library spans a wide array of subjects, including Victorian history, domestic science, and spiritualism. In addition, the builders have included fiction and poetry of the time and classics such as Shakespeare and Whitman.
When you walk among the stacks of the R.F. Burton Library, you will find the shelves divided by subject or type of work. For example, there are areas dedicated to travel literature, non-fiction, and technology. Clicking on the shelves provides a drop-down menu with a list of books included in that area. After choosing a title, the library adds a notecard to your inventory with the table of contents, which supplies you with the contents of that book. Rather than simply giving you a link to an online source, the library is truly a fully functional in-world library.
In addition to its collection, the library’s many specialized areas provide the library with artistic value as well as a comforting feel. As you enter the library, you will notice a large pendulum that perpetually traces a path along a circumscribed area. To the right is a roaring fire surrounded by comfortable chairs and free hot drinks for warmth and enjoyment. Toward the back, a door provides access to a large tree with plenty of room for sitting and thinking about steam power or the latest intrigue of New Babbage. Upstairs, on the third floor, a hidden room allows a group of people to rouse the spirits and read the Tarot during dark, moonlit nights. As Capalini says, these special features were tributes to some of her favorite books. For example, the tree could have been found in one such book, "The Secret Garden."
The R.F. Burton library, the public library of New Babbage, will contribute much to the Second Life of both the average resident and the dedicated Steampunk enthusiast. In addition, as a member of the Alexandrian Library in Second Life, it will provide a valuable service to the larger community as well. As the head librarian, Serafina Puchkina, states, “It is important to me to give back to a community that has become my home here in Second Life. The library will be my focus as I endeavor to make Miss C's vision a reality.”
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