LAND OF LINCOLN TO BE FEATURED IN VIRTUAL WORLD

The Alliance Library System is pleased to announce the development of “Land of Lincoln,” a new immersive learning and library area in the virtual world of Second Life. The learning area is being launched for the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The space will feature area replicas like Lincoln’s birthplace, his home in Springfield, and the White House years. The immersive community will be planned and built by librarians, historians, educators, students, and anyone interested in that time period. Individuals will be able to live in the community, open up a period shop, participate in period events such as the Lincoln-Douglas debates, meet characters of the period and experience the music, art, science, and literature. In addition to reading and hearing lectures about the time. place, and people, attendees will be able to live it. ALS also plans to purchase a teen space for the Lincoln topic so that high school classes and students can participate. The first planning meeting for the project will take place in Second Life on Info Island on November 16 at 7:00 am sl, 9:00 a.m. central.

“We are very excited about this initiative,” said Kitty Pope, Executive Director of the Alliance Library System. “Our other immersive learning area, Renaissance Island, has been very popular and we think it is appropriate with the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, to build a space about Lincoln and his time period.”

“A “Land of Lincoln” teen space presents a fascinating opportunity for our students to immerse themselves in Lincoln’s world through research and the creative process of Second Life. Who said history can’t come alive for teens today!” stated Barb Lieber, librarian at Quincy Notre Dame High School.

The initial Second Life island or space was donated by an anonymous donor. Alliance Library System is seeking partnerships with universities, corporations, or individuals who would like to donate to this important endeavor. To join a discussion list for the project, go to http://groups.google.com/group/landoflincoln?lnk=gcimh.

“It is truly amazing what can be done with talented volunteers on a shoestring,” stated Pope, “however, we would like to see what we can do when we have great funding from sponsors and grants to go with it. We are looking for partners who want to position themselves in the leading edge of library innovation. Land of Lincoln will attract huge attention nationally and internationally. We expect at least traffic of 6000 per day to visit the immersive environment and celebrate the legacy that is Abraham Lincoln.”

Alliance Library System(ALS) is one of nine regional multitype library systems in Illinois and is located in East Peoria. ALS provides continuing education, consulting, delivery, resource sharing, project collaboration, and more to its 259 members in a 14,000 square mile area. ALS started the Alliance Second Life library project in April 2006 and works with hundreds of library volunteers from all over the world to provide library services in Second Life. In 2007, the project won the ALA Information Today Library of the Future and one of six Sirsi-Dynix Building Better Community awards.

Second Life is a virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents, which are called avatars. Participants build an ‘avatar” or alternate persona to actively participate in the creation of media. Since opening to the public in 2003, Second Life has grown explosively, and in October 2007 is inhabited by more than ten million people across the globe compared to 180,000 in April 2006. Second Life is a community with businesses, entertainment and education. Everything you can and some you cannot can be found in Second Life: museums, 19th century worlds where residents dress in period clothing, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, Egyptian tombs, walk in molecules and much more.

For sponsorship opportunities and more information on the project, contact Lori Bell at Alliance Library System at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com

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