ALA in Second Life

The American Library Association established a presence in Second Life back in February of 2007. Since then, they have been experimenting with a variety of ideas of how librarians can play a role in this virtual world. It' serious food for thought: just today, I read on a blog that "Orientation Island" (the first stop for new avatars) was functioning improperly, and that dozens of "noobs" were being hopelessly left wandering among the grassy knoll. Where can they go? Who is there to help them? Librarians to the rescue?
This article from RUSA discusses some of the steps that RUSA is taking to play an active role in Second Life. They are experimenting with a reader's advisory course in SL, which I think would be very interesting and perhaps an appropriate setting for such a class. As Second Life introduces SL Voice (the ability to talk while using your Avatar), the possibilities really expand as to where libraries might be able to go from here. Second Life is already being largely used as a performance space, and many musical artists are catching on and playing sets for large crowds of diverse avatars. Suzanne Vega was one of the first. Check it out here.
Penny Theas