Info Island this week

Many exciting events and developments are taking place on the Info Islands this week:

Caledon
The Caledon branch is very pleased to announce another book discussion, led by the redoubtable Maxito Ricardo. This month’s book is Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a tale of Love, Honor, Bravery, Derring-do and Chivalry. The discussion will take place at the Caledon Branch Library, in Caledon Tamrannoch (SLurl) On Monday, January 29th, at 6pm SLT.

Genealogy Center on Info Island I
January 24, 2007 - 6 PM SL time Open Air Auditorium on InfoIsland
Researching American Revolutionary War Military Records Presented by Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, a professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than nineteen years, he specializes in the records of the National Archives, especially those that relate to the military. Mr. Scott is the CEO and President of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 2,600 titles in print located in Westminster, Maryland. The bookstore division Willow Bend Books is the largest genealogy bookstore in the world. To be followed at 7 PM SL with an Open House at the new InfoIsland Genealogy Research Center.

Info Island II Exhibit and Reenactment
Marie Antoinette: The Teen: Queen Marie Antoinette, Queen of France in the 18th century, who was beheaded before the French Revolution, will visit Second life Library and the “Throne Room” on Info Island II at 6 pm sl on Friday January 26 and Saturday January 27. Marie will tell her story and introduce you to the people in her life during 18th century France. A young woman born at the wrong place at the wrong time, she will share her story from her point of view in an eighteenth century French environment with life size pictures of the people in her life. Contact Lorelei Junot for more information

Training - Fleet Goldenberg’s Classes
“Establishing an Educational Presence in Second Life / Teen Second Life”
— Monday 10am or Thursday 1 am SLT

“Life Confidence and Potential Maximization”
— Tuesday 10am or Friday 1am SLT

HealthInfo Island - The Orange Dutch Guy
Trondheim, Oslo - meet SL’s medical librarian, Namro Orman! In real life, Guus van den Brekel is the Coordinator for Electronic Services of the Central Medical Library at the University Medical Center, Groningen (UMCG), in the Netherlands. As a Medical Information Specialist and the IT coordinator, he’s responsible for library service development and innovation.

Innovation really is where van den Brekel excels, with his emphasis on exploration, extended to artificial intelligence and other ways to get information to RL and SL residents at HealthInfo Island. He’s the creative mind behind the Medical Library, having an interest in the interoperability of SL with real life internet information and all kinds of communication. And this week, he’s been spreading the word (sing it, brother!) about SL to audiences in Norway, where he says this new information was received with real excitement and interest. In fact, after one talk, “I logged into SL, got to the Consumer Health Library, and there was (one of the audience), introducing himself.” You can see his slides at: http://www.slideshare.net/digicmb.

What’s New at HealthInfo Island?
The new InfoStations on any of the Second Life Library Islands have the ability to search through all of the items available to the libraries. Choose the “Library” button at the top of the search menu or click the “Second Life Library” logo. It also contains links to the Second Life Library 2.0 help services, blogs, and website.

Next to the already included search options for SLQ News, Items, Web Search,Amazon and Wikipedia for HealthInfo Island, two special search engines for Medical and Consumer Health Information will soon be implemented too! So don’t forget to drop by and have a look. At HealthInfo Island you can find the new Infostation at the Welcome Center. Ask Namro Orman or Carolina Keats if you want to know more!

In a Strange Land
Imagine yourself lost in a linoleum maze with endless paths. People around you speak, and you are aware they speak to you - but the language is not your own. Machines whirr and click and hum, and rubber-wheeled carts roll past, bearing strangers whose bewilderment must mirror yours. Now imagine that you must make decisions here that will change the quality of your life…

Health literacy is about being able to navigate the often alien territory of health care and health information, in order to become a more active participant (citizen, to extend the metaphor) in one’s health care. It’s about learning how to tell hype from substance. If you’re lost in the maze - we’re here, on HealthInfo Island, to help.