Long time readers of our blog will remember that we started the Virtual Libraries Interact blog back in late 2006 as a sister site to our blog.

Unfortunately due to a number of reasons the Virtual Libraries Interact blog has been languishing for a while and no new posts have been added.

It with some regret, and a tinge of sadness, that we have decided to merge the Virtual Libraries Interact blog into the main blog. Do not worry, all of the content has been imported into the Libraries Interact blog.

The posts are still available and they have been aggregated into a new Virtual Libraries Interact category. Also preserved are Australian Libraries in SL and SL Avatar list pages.

In the new year we look forward to posting more information here about libraries and second life. Also, don’t forget that those of us using second life and other virtual worlds may be writing about their experiences on their own personal blogs.

Just a reminder to drop everything on Wednesday night, slip you avatar into something comfortable and come to the LINT Christmas party in Second Life…6pm to 8pm (WA time), 8pm to 10pm EST.

We’ll meet at the Australian Libraries building (Cybrary City 210,70,24. Teleport there now ). Lori Bell from Alliance Library System is getting out of bed at 3am her time to give us a tour of Info Island. Then we’ll visit the Kansas Library next door.

Back at the library building, we have a dance floor, music…and now the wonderful and amazing “Library 2.0 Ideas Generator Monolith“, kindly lent to us by Dave Pattern. Touch it and have a library 2.0 idea generated just for you…I wasn’t too sure about “discombobulate Walt Crawford and upload the result to YouTube” ..but your MMV. (In the image, it’s the floating pavement slab above the blue couch..next to Dancing Dave himself)
If your hardware can’t run Second Life or you’d rather watch over someone’s shoulder, please email us at LINT and we’ll try to arrange something. librarian at librariesinteract dot info. (Add the relevant punctuation.)

You can check out our VLINT blog to find out more, and look out for these Australian libraryfolk on the night:

• Emerald Dumont
• Paradoxa Kurrajong
• snail Voskhod
• Hypatia Arcadia
• Midjen Zauberflote
• Fiona Bradley
• Victoria Draken
• Curious Forager
• Jemminy Platypus
• HeyJude Jenns

The Thali is bringing you another blog: Virtual Librariesinteract.info:blog central for Australian Libraries in Other Worlds .

It started as a place to record the nuts and bolts of the Australian Libraries in Second Life project, so LINT wouldn’t get flooded. The scope grew to include Australian libraryfolks’ adventures in virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft, speculative fiction, interactive fiction, gaming and virtual library branches. It’s for detailed and techie kinds of posting.

LINT is still the right place to discuss issues about Other Worlds that will interest a general library audience.

Please visit, subscribe if you’d like, and enjoy.

Ever attended a virtual Christmas party before? I certainly haven’t, and I hope you’ll join me for my first one – Kathryn and I are hoping to welcome you all to our building in Cybrary City, Info Island, Second Life!

When? Wednesday 13 December 2006. 6pm – 8pm WST (this is 1am PST/Second Life time).

Where? The Australian Libraries building, at 207, 68, 23. Or log in and IM Paradoxa Kurrajong (me) or Emerald Dumont (Kathryn) and we’ll teleport you over.

Picture: Paradoxa (blue hair) and Emerald (green dress) in the library building with a visitor, Walty. Emerald is trying to figure out where to put the couch.

Why? For the sheer fun of it, and because it’s Christmas! It’s a pity you don’t all live in the Best City in Australia, but thanks to technology we can still meet up! We’re also hoping Second Life Librarian Lorelei Junot will come along to say hello and tell us a bit about Second Life Library. (6pm WST will be 3am her time so it is very gracious of her to say she’ll try and be there!)

Let us know if you’ll be there (leave a comment or email us – librarian at librariesinteract dot info). Would you like to know more about Second Life? (Do we need to post a few how-tos here?)

I’m gobsmacked! I just popped into Cybrary City in Second Life for a visit before bed, and have come out with a building for all Australian Libraries to share. Ooops.

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Cybrary City is an island sponsered by Talis and administered by the Alliance Library System. It provides free buildings for libraries for a year, in return for a couple of hours staffing per week. It was created last week, and I was checking out the island because I’d blogged about how great I think the initiative is.

I ran into Lorelei Junot from Alliance, and while following up CW’s email to her about maybe holding a LINT Christmas party in Second Life, she offered me an entire building for all Australian libraries. Who was I to refuse? (or accept, for that matter – but I was so stunned, that I did.)

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A Second Life presence is no small thing. IBM plans on investing $10 million in Second Life to set up a secure place where they can hold meetings with their clients. Schools, universities and companies are conducting business there. According to the Wikipedia Entry for Second Life:

Linden Lab has stated that the Second Life economy generated US$3,596,674 in economic activity during the month of September 2005.[22] According to a September 2006 Popular Science article, Second Life, through currency trading, shopping and land sales, has a GDP of $64 Million.[23]

The building is now empty, but we can furnish it. While I’m thrilled and excited to be part of the project, I have no time to run it. I have been dreaming about the possibilities, and let my imagination run riot…Here’s some ideas about how we could use the building:

1. A meeting place for Australian library folk who want to know about Second Life.
2. If a library sees its role as educating their clients about Virtual Worlds, this could be a good place to hold a class.
3. ALIA could hold section meetings in the SL building, without people needing to physically gather.
4. National Library could create a display of some of the Flickr Picture Australia photos.
5. Libraries Australia (or any other catalogue) could have a searchable portal in the building.
6. As a place to virtually host library folk from other countries
7. As a student project in a library school..create the furtniture, mash up something amazing, staff an Australian reference desk
8. A venue for Australian writers to give talks.
9. A place for displays like Childrens’ Book Week finalists.
10. Cybrary City has an auditorium and facility for conferencing, so seminars and presentations could be held there.
11. A place to host Australian Library Week events.

We are not yet obliged to do 2 hours a week service, as we are still finding our feet. If any organisation would like to take on ownership of the project, or was planning to apply for a spot in Cybrary City anyhow, I’m happy to hand it over. I can co-ordinate temporarily, but would love to see someone else run with it.

The double storey building is at Second Life 207, 68, 23. I’d love to know of any other Australian librarians in Second Life…whether you are interested in the building or not. Please leave a comment here, or email my avatar. User: Emerald.Dumont Domain: gmail.com

UPDATE 4 Dec 2006: Cybrary City and Info Islands were moved last week after porn shops bought out the surrounding lands. The new co-ordinates are: Cybrary City 210,70,24. Here’s the SLURL, so you can Teleport there now