SL Adventures: Music Pavilion, Cultural Arts Museum

In my post on November 26^th, I wrote about exploring the Cultural Arts Museum created by James Madison University in Second Life. Now, I mentioned visiting a Roman Grotto, a Roman Villa, a Greek Temple, an Egyptian Tomb, a Russian Orthodox Church, and the Starkweather Art Pavilion. Well, I did NOT mention a Music Pavilion…mainly, because there was not one when I visited the museum. Now, however, there is one! So, here is the SLURL… enjoy playing the harp and the piano. Also be sure to check out the beautiful scenery.

Bunny Burnstein

SL Adventures: James Madison University’s Cultural Arts Museum

Earlier this week, I had the fortune to visit James Madison University’s Cultural Arts Museum in Second Life: SLURL here. This site is a lot of fun! It has a little bit of everything: a Roman Grotto, a Roman Villa, a Greek Temple, an Egyptian Tomb, a Russian Orthodox Church, and the Starkweather Art Pavilion. Plus, the entrance has an introduction and art exhibits of its own.

Since I couldn’t hope to do it justice with words, here is a slideshow of some pictures I took:

To see the photos, one at a time, go to my Picasa page. Or just scroll down to the very bottom of this blog to see my photo albums.

Bunny Burnstein

Second Life Seminar: Web 2.0 for Lawyers

Yesterday afternoon, I attended a CLE (Continuing Legal Education) seminar in Second Life called "Web 2.0 for Lawyers." This seminar was part of the Speaker Series held in world by the Second Life Bar Association and taught by Cat Galileo (known in the real world as Kate Fitz). These seminars are free and open to anyone interested (and cost $25 for anyone interested in receiving CLE credit). I have attended quite a few of the SLBA seminars, and I must admit that each one has been informative and interesting. This particular seminar was no different.

In this seminar, Cat covered a wide variety of topics, including blogs, wikis, and social networking sites. She discussed how these new 2.0 technologies are being used in the legal world. She explained these various technologies - what they are, how they work - and then she explained how these technologies are becoming legitimate professional tools in the legal world...which, in turn, means they can be legitimate tools for a multitude of professions.

I, personally, appreciated that last part. As a librarian, I have always believed in the importance of exploring new technologies. We are the gatekeepers of information. The more we know...the more we can teach others. Unfortunately, not everyone feels this way. A lot of people believe that these new technologies are "toys," and that librarians are "playing" when we use them. To hear Cat discuss the use of these tools in a legal environment validated my own feelings about exploring applications like Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, and, yes, even Second Life.

Anyway, long post short...I really enjoyed the seminar and highly recommend any future seminars by SBLA or Cat Galileo. For anyone interested in the information provided during this seminar, here is a link to the handout. Enjoy!

Bunny Burnstein