Rik Riel's Skating Tour of Info Island

Rik Riel of The Click Heard Round the World blog created the greatest video of a skating tour around Info Island. For those of you who have not tried Second Life yet, hopefully this will give you a feel for some of the things there. It is only 3 minutes long, gives a great overview and has some fantastic upbeat music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTQkzfz5osQ

Great program on Info Island by Jeff Barr, Amazon Technology Evangelist

Over 50 people attended a great program on Info Island tonight presented by Jeff Barr, Amazon Technology Evangelist. He talked about web services offered by Amazon and their activities in Second Life.

Fantastic art show opening by Bucky Barkley on Info Island

Congratulations to photographer Bucky Barkley on a fantastic art show on Info Island on Saturday, October 7! Almost 80 people attended the elegant event held from 6-8 pm sl at the Library Gallery. The show was called "Blurred Realities" and featured photographs by Bucky Barkley. This has been the most well-attended event at Info island and was a terrific kickoff for our grand opening week. Bucky's artwork was the first to be displayed on Info Island. For more information on Info Island art shows, contact Abbey Zenith.

New Library Search HUD by Damek Tretiak

Damek Tretiak in SL and Patrick Ward in RL has created a special search HUD(heads-up display) which can also reside on the user's screen for Second Life Library. Library users can ask a question via Question Point via chat or via email, search world-cat, wikipedia, google, view a map of the library, Amazon, Findarticles.com, and Second Life itself. According to Damek, this is only the beginning. Currently in Second Life, the only ways we are aware of to search the web is through other search mechanisms created by Hugo Dalgleigh and a 411 search engine. When finished searching, the user can minimize the small search screen on their Second Life screen. Users can get one of these free of charge in front of the library in the Second Life Library kiosk. If you have further suggestions for the HUD, contact Damek Tretiak or Lorelei Junot. The search engine is powered by slquery.com.

In real life, Damek is the CTO for a small, international company called TransWorld. He works with several European auto makers managing port operations and other activities related to the United States market. He also has several associated companies such as a marketing group and a new restaurant management group. Damek has been in the software industry for around 10 years now, building everything from real-time inventory management systems to e-commerce sites on the Internet. He joined Second Life mainly because he was curious about what the fuss was about, but quickly realized its potential. His mission soon became to find new ways to be creative with the information we have available in RL, and of course have a little fun! Again, the Search HUD is just the beginning. The library is thankful to Damek for creating such a wonderful tool which should help library users.

PLCMC partners with Alliance Library system to open cultural/creative space in virtual world

PLCMC partners with Alliance Library system to open cultural/creative space in virtual world



Charlotte, NC - Oct. 6, 2006 - The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) and the Alliance Library System are pleased to announce a partnership to collaborate on the "Eye4You Alliance," an island in Teen Second Life that will offer virtual library services to teens.

Teen Second Life is a 3-D, international gathering place on the Internet where teens 13-17 can make friends, play, learn and create. Teens create a digital version of themselves, called an avatar, that they use to travel around the "virtual world," meet new people and participate in a variety of activities.

The goal of "Eye4You Alliance" is to create an interactive and informative space for young adults within the Teen Second Life virtual world and to collaborate with other educators who serve youth and are already present in Teen Second Life and in real life.

"At a time when many libraries are offering collaborative spaces through social tools, a 3-D immersive environment is the next logical step to libraries remaining relevant to teenagers," said Helene Blowers, director of Information Technology at PLCMC. "This project is an opportunity to engage teens in services and activities that will excite them in a place they already are."

The project hopes to build teen developmental assets, encourage collaboration and promote active learning that will prepare teens for future learning. PLCMC and Alliance Library System leaders believe this environment has significant learning potential by being a Web interface that can challenge teen users to figure things out for themselves.

"We see this as an important service our libraries can collaborate on, and we are proud to team up with the library in Charlotte," said Kitty Pope, executive director of the Alliance Library System in Peoria, Ill. "We are excited to be offering new outreach programs, events and services to teens who might not otherwise come to the library."

Both library systems will provide the leadership and expertise in extending their outstanding real-life programs and services to the virtual world.

Founded in 1903 as a Carnegie Free Library, PLCMC has become one of the premiere libraries in the country with 24 locations, 1.6 million volumes, and 28,000 videos, DVDs and CDs. The library sponsors a variety of community-based programs - from computer- and Internet-education workshops to the award-winning Novello Festival of Reading, a celebration that accentuates the fun of reading and learning. As a public library, we are dedicated to our mission of expanding minds, empowering individuals and enriching our community.

Alliance Library System is one of the most innovative regional library systems in North America and is the lead agency on the Second Life Library project on Info Island in the adult version of Second Life. It is located in East Peoria, Illinois with 253 library members of all types. Alliance offers continuing education, consulting, resource sharing, and delivery service to members

For more information, contact Teen Second Life Project
Leaders Matt Gullett, mgullett@plcmc.org or Kelly Czarnecki,
kczarnecki@plcmc.org

Upcoming Programs for Info island and NMC Library

*On Tuesday, October 10, Jeff Barr (Jeff Batra in Second Life), Web Services Evangelist at Amazon.com, will discuss the
full line of Amazon's web services from a technical and business
perspective on Tuesday October 11 at 5 pm s. The presentation will
include a review of developer activity within Second Life and there
will be ample time for discussion and Q&A. Open air auditorium, Info island, 141,
81, 33

NMC library programs
i *On Wednesday,October 11 at 5 pm sl, Henry VIII will visit the NMC library to talk about his life and how biographers have villified him. Come and heckle Henry during his one hour program.

*On Monday, October 16 at 7 pm SLT/PST, Lorelei Junot and Maxito Ricardo will host an informal discussion in the NMC library on “Digital Media and how it is Affecting Libraries.” There are now downloadable audio books, ebooks, and video. Libraries are stretching their budgets on new media to keep students engaged. Lorelei and Maxito will discuss current trends and open up the topic for discussion. The program will last approximately one hour and will be held at the NMC library.

*On Saturday October 21 at 12 noon sl, Troy McLuham, from the International Space and Flight Museum will present a program on “Life on Mars?” at the NMC library which begins with a 14-slide presentation, including prepared notes (chat text). He encourages interruptions for questions, comments, and discussion… that’s what makes it fun and interesting! It’s a historical overview of humanity’s knowledge about life existing on Mars, now or in the past. he usually allow san hour for it… the exact duration depends on the size of the audience and how much discussion arises. Come and catch a surprise!

Blog moving to http://www.infoisland.org

As of October 11, this blog is moving to the Info Island website at http://www.infoisland.org. (The new RSS feed is at http://infoisland.org/feed/) Check it out. Between now and then posts will be made at both sites.

You're Invited! Grand Opening of Second Life Library/Info Island

Alliance Library System and Second Life Library/Info Island Pleased to Announce Official Opening

The Alliance Library System and the Second Life Library/Info Island collaborative group of librarians are pleased to announce the grand opening and a host of activities planned for Second Life residents scheduled October 12-14, 2006. All events will be held in Second Life and are free to residents.

“We have been working on this project with partners from around the world for six months,” stated Kitty Pope, Executive Director of the Alliance Library System. “We are grateful to all the librarians and others who have put in huge amounts of time to make this happen and we are pleased with the reception the library has received in Second Life.”

Gonzo Mandelbrot, Coordinator of Grand Opening Activities said, “We have a variety of activities, events and tours that people can pick and choose from or they may attend everything. The goal is to highlight all the different aspects of the library and Info Island and all that is available there.”

A detailed schedule of events is provided below. If attendees have questions about specific locations, come to Info Island. We will have tour guides there who can show people to the event location.

Thursday, October 12 – Virtual Worlds and Education: The Cutting Edge – 4 pm sl – 6 pm sl – Speakers: Pathfinder Linden, Kitty Paul, Puglet Dancer, Professor Beliveau, Lorelei Junot and Maxito Ricardo – Puglet Dancer and Kitty Paul will cut the ribbon to begin grand opening ceremonies at Info Island open air auditorium (Info Island 143, 82, 34)
Friday, October 13 - Virtual Worlds and Alternate Realities – Where Do Libraries Fit In? – 7:30 a.m. sl – 1:30 pm. sl – A variety of wonderful speakers with keynote by Pathfinder Linden - Info Island open air auditorium(Info Island 143, 82, 34)
Friday, October 13 – 5:00-6:00 p.m. sl – Scary Movies at Second Life Pantheon Picture House (Info Island II, 98,71,24)
6:00-8:00 p.m. sl – Costume Ball at Info Island Mystery Manor – prizes for best costumes! (Info Island, 214, 163,33)
Saturday October 14 – 8:00 a.m. sl – Opening of Caledon Branch – 19th century library (Caledon Tamrannoch (211,31,22)
9:30 a.m. sl – Grand Opening of Second Life Library Medical Library – special events (Info Island 165, 204, 33) – Bioterrorism demonstration
Speakers: Moriz Gupta and Sojourner Truth
12:00 p.m. sl – Second Ribbon Cutting and special speaker – Info island Open Air Auditorium (Info Island 143, 82, 34) – Katt Kongo, editor, Metaverse Messenger
3:00 p.m. sl – Talis SciFi & Fantasy Portal Opening – special events (Info Island 29, 62, 33)
5:00 – 8:00 p.m. sl – TX950 Beach party and celebration – dancing refreshments, fun (Info Island 85, 33, 23)
Throughout the day – Tours, scavenger hunts, information kiosks – come and have fun!

For further information, please contact Gonzo Mandelbrot or Lorelei Junot.

Book Making

Today I taught the first class I wrote specifically for the Second Life Library. It met with great success, as the participants learned both about prim editing but also the features of notecards. I am glad that the class went well, and none of the students became lost, all though I did at times :). I will repeat this class again, and develop new ones. In the mean time we all prepare for the great events happening in October. I hope to see you at the library.

Reuters health trial at medical library

The Second Life Medical Library now offers a three months trial access to Reuters Health News Services. Anybody with an SL account can get access! Details are available at the Reuters health display in the SL Medical Library and at the New Consumer Health Library

Reuters Health offers Health E-line, health related news for the general public interested in wellness, healthcare and the latest treatments for medical conditions. Health eLine offers accurate, readable and informative news reports every day. Reuters Health eLine is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.


Reuters Medical News for health professionals
With content selected for relevance and newsworthiness, the daily Medical News is a convenient way for physicians, researchers and other medical professionals to stay informed of developments in their field. This service is available in English and Spanish.

Reuters Health Industry Briefing
Offering up-to-the-minute news on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, Industry Briefing delivers a fast, accurate business information service for the healthcare community.

Come and have a look! Things are moving faster and faster. More breaking news soon about the Second Life Medical Library

Info Island This week: Halloween Haven of Horror to Science Center

The Library Gallery opens with "Blurred Realities" October 7th!

A new gallery opens on Info Island on October 7th! The
initial show is entitled "Blurred Realities", which explores
the zoom blur photography technique of Bucky Barkley. Bucky
explains: "A Zoom Blur is a bit like an impressionistic painting,
done completely in-camera in a half second. It's also a wonderful
way to wear out a lens!". Come see the photos, the 3 story space,
see old friends, and make new ones. Opening event is on
Saturday, October 7th - 6-8 pm SL time. The gallery is located
at Info Island (24, 125, 33).




A meeting for planning the new Science Center headed up by Hayduke Ebisu was held on Info Island II Thursday night and attended by 8 people. If you would like to participate and join the Science Center group, contact Hayduke Ebisu.








Info Island I will be decorating the libraries for Halloween during the next few weeks. One of the exhibits is Halloween Haven of Horror: Stephen Kind Reads Here." If you are looking for good scary horror books, this is the place to go - to our mausoleum of good scary reads.





Stop by Info island to play a game of giant checkers created by Librarian Eiseldora Reisman.





Chris Reitveld has build a Victorian bookshop which is on Info Island II for Halloween and Christmas.

Activities this week at Info island - "the Early Years of Elizabeth I"

Info Island/Second Life Library is pleased to be working in collaboration with the New Media Consortium on library services and resources for their beautiful library. Watch this column and the NMC Campus Observer for updates. The libraries will work together to provide a variety of services, events, training and resources for students and residents of Second Life.

Approximately 20 people attended an excellent program given by author Greyfox Book (Jon Klements in real life) about his writings on superheroes.

"The Early Years of Elizabeth I" will be presented at the Second Life Library open air auditorium on Wednesday September 27 at 5 pm sl. The young Elizabeth I herself will visit Info Island to share the story of her early years before taking the throne of England at age 25, Elizabeth I is thought to be one of the greatest monarchs of English history. Come and hear her story and ask her questions.

Reference librarians on Info island are staffing the welcome/reference desk several hours per day to help visitors and answer reference questions. Terminals have benn placed around the island so visitors can ask questions via email or text chat with a librarian via Question Point software. Soon, we hope to place these in other educational locations. If you have informational questions, visit Info island for help from librarians.

There is a new exhibits building built by Shadow Fugazi on Info Island II. It currently displays the Library of Congress Declaration of Independence and will feature new displays from Library of Congress and other places every few months.

Info Island II has a new movie theater and events area called the SL Pantheon Picture House. The building was constructed by Nubian Bliss. Old movies and other types of entertainment will be offered here. Watch the Second Life events calendar! The building was purchased with funds from the second prize in the Talis Library Mashup contest.

Hayduke Ebisu is Founder of a Science Center which is being built on Info Island II. If you are interested in science, and would like to become involved, please contact Hayduke Ebisu.

Experience the magic and mystery of Xibalba inside and outside. Usu Ventura has just finished building the first stage of Xibalba, an evocation of the Maya Otherworld. It features a Second Life version of
the Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico. Inside the temple
is a gallery of Maya art and architecture. Donations will benefit the
Hospitalito in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, which is rebuilding after
a mudslide destroyed it in 2005. You can visit at Info island II
41,217, 24. For more information, contact Usu Ventura.

October is Charles Dickens month at the Caledon branch library. On October 19, there will be a discussion of Dicken's novel "Hard Times" and on Halloween, Dickens' ghost stores will be shared. For more information on the Caledon branch, contact JJ Drinkwater, Head of the Caledon branch.

The grand opening for the Alliance Second Life Library/Info Island is scheduled for October 13 and 14. On Friday, the 13th, Mystery Manor will show horror films at the new theater and host a costume ball with prizes for the best costumes. On October 14, a variety of fun activities and tours of the library will be available. More details will be provided closer to that time. Put the date on your calendars!

If you have ideas for programs, training , or materials you would like to see offered by Second Life Library, please contact Lorelei Junot or Abbey Zenith. If you have a class or a group that would like a tour, do not hesitate to contact us.