Chicago Public Schools Dept of Libraries Sim Now Open!
20 March 2008We finally did it! On Monday, March 17th we officially opened the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries sim in Second Life. The event featured an informational presentation about our project followed by a St. Patrick’s Day bash complete with views of a dyed-green Chicago River and dancing at the new Sepia’s Blues Lounge.
The purpose of this sim is to provide professional development, collaboration, networking, and educational opportunities to CPS teachers, librarians, and administrators. This sim provides many nods to Chicago, including a Lake Michigan beachfront, the Chicago River, and custom builds of arts and crafts homes, bungalows, and graystones. Working drawbridges, a blend of new and historic architecture, and ample park areas represent Chicago.
Our CPS Professional Library is a focal point of the sim and serves as a virtual extension of the real life library, providing educational resources and information for our teachers, librarians, and administrators. The library provides links to recommended websites, research data about the importance of school libraries to student achievement, many books in notecard form to read, conference and comfortable seating space, and information about our department. There are many places for your avatar to “read” while you work in SL. See our current special rooftop exhibit: “Outstanding Young Adult Authors”.
The sim also features various places to promote collaboration and instruction: a lakeside auditorium, a westside park, library seating, office spaces, beach seating, and floating small group clusters. To foster a sense of community and enjoyment, there are recreational areas, including Sepia’s Blues Lounge, canoeing, windsurfing, a classic movie theater, a gaming area at the Professional Library, and casual seating throughout the sim.
Join our group “Friends of Chicago Public Schools” to receive information about upcoming events and exhibits.
Project Partners:
University of Chicago eCUIP
Golden Apple Foundation
Chicago State University
DePaul University
National-Louis University
School of the Art Institute Library
Illinois School Library Media Association
See Flickr pictures.
Visit the CPS sim in Second Life. SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chicago%20Public%20Schools/56/142/23
This sim was made possible by a generous grant from the Illinois State Library.
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