The metamodern librarian in the metaverse: mentoring digital citizens through metaliteracy

Purpose This article explores the potential for librarianship in the metaverse by examining 2 decades of virtual world library services. Drawing on examples of immersive simulations and learning environments, it considers the benefits and challenges of the metaverse, particularly in Second Life, as a meaningful place for teaching, learning and community engagement. The article highlights the role of librarians in mentoring digital citizens and promoting metaliteracy for future learners. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory longitudinal autoethnographic study reflects on over twenty years of practitioner experience in virtual environments. Combining reflective field notes, observational data, machinima recordings and direct participation in 3D immersive building, the methodology examines how virtual world librarianship has evolved and identifies key practices for future library services in the metaverse. Findings The study identifies both benefits and challenges of the metaverse when approached as a meaningful place rather than simply a technological platform (a real place, not an app). The findings accentuate the growing importance of digital citizenship as individuals navigate immersive environments. As society transitions from the Information Age toward an emerging Intelligence Age at the close of the “Gutenberg Parenthesis,” the study highlights the need to take a new look at literacy. Metaliteracy is positioned as a key framework for supporting learning and participation within our metamodern digital culture and the metaverse is demonstrated as an ideal to teach metaliteracy to digital citizens. Research limitations/implications Although this study offers qualitative insights into immersive library practices, it reflects a limited number of virtual environments and a relatively small global network of librarians and educators. The findings are not intended to be universally generalizable, but rather to provide examples of how serious learning can be embedded in the metaverse. Despite these limitations, the study illustrates how meaningful learning can occur within immersive environments and highlights opportunities for libraries to support digital citizenship through metaliteracy in metamodern educational contexts. At the same time, the findings underscore continuing challenges related to the digital divide and unequal access to immersive technologies. Practical implications The article has practical implications for library practice, education and society. The article argues that librarians can function not merely as providers of technological access but as mentors who help users navigate immersive spaces critically, ethically and intentionally. The examples involving digital citizenship, metaliteracy instruction, virtual exhibits, information-resource curation, artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, communities of practice and immersive learning demonstrate several ways librarians can translate the article's conceptual framework into practice. Social implications The societal implications include resisting presenting immersive technologies as universally positive as the manuscript discusses online safety, digital inequity, technological access, information overload, AI-mediated communication and the need to balance physical and virtual experience. The limitations section explicitly acknowledges that high-bandwidth immersive environments may exacerbate the digital divide and that the findings derive from one librarian's longitudinal experience rather than representing all librarians or virtual environments. Originality/value This research provides original insights into the evolving role of academic libraries in the metaverse, particularly within platforms such as Second Life and other virtual world environments. Drawing on more than 2 decades of continuous practitioner engagement as a participant–observer, the study offers a rare longitudinal perspective on the development of virtual world librarianship. The work demonstrates praxis, integrating theory and practice through active intervention in immersive environments to address real-world educational challenges while simultaneously contributing to theoretical understanding of librarianship, metaliteracy and digital citizenship in emerging metamodern learning spaces.