Here's an interesting event for librarians: Virtual World Librarianship - Your Second Life (My thanks to the Shifted Librarian for the heads-up on this.)

If you're already up to speed on the usual social media stuff: blogs, wikis, rss, tagging etcetera, you might just be ready to learn more about Second Life, a virtual world of buildings and landscapes and avatars. Some of the avatars are weird, but don't be put off. A lot of them look pretty much like their owners.

Second Life even contains an information island where all manner of libraries have created a presence there, thanks to the Talis' sponsorship of the Cybrary City area.

Anyway, to get back to the Second Life course, you can guess where it runs, can't you? Yep in the Info Island in Second Life itself. It is presented by the Illinois Alliance Library System and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. You'll need to tune in between 1:30 and 3:30 pm, Illinois time (6:30 to 8:30?), on May 25, June 1, 8, 15, July 6 and 13. It will cost you $200.

These are the sessions:

Introduction to Libraries in Virtual Worlds
Second Life 101
Collections, Resources, and Exhibits in Virtual Environment
Reference and Information Services in Virtual Worlds
Managing and Working in a Virtual Library or Department
Skills Needed by 21st Century Librarians in Virtual Worlds

The system requirements for Second Life are listed on this page. Basically, you need a reliable broadband connection and a decent graphics card. Without that, you're just going to get irritated.

Discussions and assignments will surround the course.

Fill in the registration form or talk to Marianne Steadley +1 217 244 2751, if you have any questions.

And, if you do decide to join in, why not comment on this blog post about your experiences? I expect a lot of information professionals would be really curious to know whether Second Life can be relevant to their work.