Dear Colleagues:

Happy New Year, and I wish you all prosperity and wellness in 2009.

Many of you are aware that DLF set up shop in Second Life on Entropia island <http://slurl.com/secondlife/Entropia/147/127/22>, but have you dropped by? If not, I wanted to ensure you know you're always welcome not only to visit, but use the island as a venue for ad hoc or planned meetings and possibly more ambitious endeavors.

Since late 2008, UCLA has been using a meeting space with a live-video feed at the nucleus of Entropia to host a series of Mellon-funded seminars on digital humanities. Check out this article to find out more <http://snurl.com/9j9l0>. These seminars are just one of the possibilities for using Second Life to further our missions to support learning, research, and teaching.

To up the ante from meeting invitations, DLF has been thinking strategically about how to develop the space around Entropia. New neighbors have to secure the permission of adjoining islands in order to stake a claim in Second Life. DLF formally invites any member institution to move next door to Entropia, whether the plan is for creating a new sim or re-located an existing one. Entropia is strategically located on the West coast of the InfoIsland continent, and therefore geographically allied with ALA, EDUCAUSE, and the Alliance Library System. Speaking on behalf of InfoIsland, co-founder Lori Bell was supportive of a coordinated westward expansion endeavor of DLF members and allies, remarking DLF would be "the first group to take a leadership role in expansion" with this plan.

As the economic downturn shapes our opportunities to connect, network, and share information in person, virtual environments present a viable alternative. If you are interested in locating next in Entropia and working in partnership to expand the InfoIsland Archipelago westward, please contact me or the DLF SL initiative co-chairs, Deni Wicklund or Esther Grassian, who are copied on this message.

Kind regards,

Barrie

DLF Program Manager
+1-202-436-4749