Alliance Virtual Library

Alliance Virtual Library, coordinated by the Alliance Library System and staffed by
hundreds of
volunteers from all over the world, has been named as oneof 10 finalists for the
Linden Prize which will be announced on April 30.
For more information on the award and the finalists, check out this url:
https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/features/blog/2009/04/23/announcing-the-
finalists-for-the-linden-prize
Linden Lab received over 230 applications for the award from all over the world
which illustrate creative and diverse uses of the virtual world of Second Life, with
compelling impact that is both broad and deep. The winner will receive a $10,000
US dollars prize.
The award is for an innovative in-world project that improves the way people work,
learn and communicate in their daily lives outside of the virtual world. The award is
intended to align with Linden Lab’s company mission–to connect all people to an
online world that advances the human condition. For more information contact Lori
Bell at ALS, lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com
AVL Second Life Text for award

The Alliance Virtual Library (AVL), an international collaborative community, opened in April
2006 and has experienced phenomenal growth, innovation, and development since that time.
From a small rented space, the AVL and its partners have grown into an Info Archipelago of over
50 islands with over 1100 self-identified librarians and 2000 "friends of the library." Under the
direction of Alliance Library System Executive Director Kitty Pope, Alliance Library System
coordinates the exciting activities, programs, services , and innovations of the AVL. The project
is staffed by volunteers from all over the world and funded through a combination of grants,
donations, events and conferences, and rental of community spaces. Within Second Life and the
virtual world community, AVL is a much emulated model of community, creativity,
collaboration, and innovation.
Info Island was the first island and is the center of the Info Archipelago of over 50 library and
partner islands. Info Island is home to interactive library collections and exhibits, an outdoor
auditorium where many programs and discussions are held; Mystery Manor; the SciFi Fantasy
Portal; Peace Park. There are five "core" library islands including Info, Info International,
Infotainment, Illumination and Imagination. Live reference services are offered more than 80
hours per week by global volunteers answering over 300 questions per week. Magical
Imagination Island has gardens, mazes, Mythica, and Rachelville and is home to information,
exhibits and programs about children's literature.
Through several contracts from the National Library of Medicine, AVL has built Health
InfoIsland with medical and consumer health libraries, and numerous exhibits and programs on
how to locate accurate health information. Virtual Ability Island contains a Second Life
orientation center for individuals with disabilities and chronic health problems. The new Karuna,
an island for AIDS information and community debuted in December 2008.
AVL has pioneered a variety of immersive learning environments including Renaissance Island,
which features housing and shops of the Elizabethan period built by educators and residents; a
replica of the Globe Theater, our own Henry VIII, and events and entertainment of the period
including balls, jousting, theater, and more. In honor of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial in
2009, AVL created "Land of Lincoln" which has a period White House and furnishings, a typical
plantation with interactive resources on slavery, a nineteenth century village, and the opportunity
to talk and dance with Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln. This fall,
Bradburyville opened honoring the life and work of author Ray Bradbury. There is a walk in
book of "Fahrenheit 451," a carnival with rides from "Something Wicked This Way Comes," a
multimedia Bradbury Museum, and a Bradbury Palladium theater with a solar system. Investing
InfoIsland contains interactive stations on investing and saving targeted at baby boomers and
hosts programs, resources, and book discussions on saving and investing.
Eduislands 1-6 were created for educators who wanted to work together and be housed near
other educators, libraries and non-profits. Cybrary City 1 and 2 , Talis Cybrary Island, and
Cybrary Square provide a global community of libraries who want to build presences in virtual
worlds and offer services and collections.
AVL also hosts non-credit continuing education courses on virtual worlds for librarians and
educators and conferences like "Stepping into History in Virtual Worlds" to introduce and
highlight the activities happening in the Info Archipelago and other places in Second Life.
The AVL and the members of the Info Archipelago are acknowledged innovative pioneers in the
development and implementation of libraries and educational programs and services in virtual
worlds. The global partnerships, volunteers and efforts have been nothing short of amazing!
Lori Bell
Director of Innovation
Alliance Library System
600 High Point Lane
East Peoria, IL 61611
(309)694-9200 ext. 2128
skype: lbell927
lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com
lbell927@gmail.com
"Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries"
http://books.infotoday.com/books/VirtualWorlds.shtml

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Alliance Virtual Library, coordinated by the Alliance Library System and staffed by

AVL Second Life Text for award

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