Call for Papers: 2nd annual Virtual Worlds: Libraries, Museums and Education conference

Call for Presentation and Paper Proposals and Topics

The second annual "Virtual Worlds: Libraries, Education, and Museums (VW LEM)" Conference will be held in Second Life on Friday and Saturday, April 24 & 25, 2009.

Purpose of the Conference:To provide a gathering place for librarians, information professionals, educators, museologists, and others to learn about and discuss the educational, informational, and cultural opportunities of virtual worlds.
Please note: Although the conference will be held in the virtual world Second Life, presentation and paper proposals about LEM developments in other virtual worlds are encouraged.

Possible Topics for Presentations, Papers, and Participatory Events:· Virtual world events and exhibits as the drivers of attendance and engagement· Immersive learning environments· Reference service possibilities and practicalities in virtual worlds· Corporate and special librarianship in virtual worlds· Educational tools and resources· Enterprise uses of virtual worlds· Tours of LEM locations in Second Life· Gaming and virtual worlds· VW LEM opportunities for children, tweens, and teens· Dreams and visions for LEM activities in virtual worlds· Assessing LEM initiatives in virtual worlds
· Sustainability issues and opportunities for LEM activities in virtual worlds· Other topics pertinent to the broad topic of LEM activities in virtual worlds are welcome!

Send us your innovative proposals! If you have a topic you really would like to see addressed at this conference but don't know of a speaker who can address the topic, please send us the topic and we'll try to find a speaker.
Proposal Guidelines and Deadlines:· Each session will be 45 minutes long.· All sessions will begin on the hour.· All proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. SLT on Saturday, February 28, 2009.· Please send proposals to Tom Peters (tpeters@tapinformation.com) with "VW LEM proposal" in the subject line.·

For presentations, please send a paragraph about your proposed presentation, the intended audience, and any pertinent URLs or SLURLs.· For papers, please send an abstract of your paper.· Notification of acceptance will be sent by Friday, March, 2009.· Proposals from students and general citizens are welcome. You do not need to be a member of the LEM professions to present at this conference.
Conference Schedule (tentative):· Friday, April 24, 2009, from noon to 4:00 p.m. Second Life Time (U.S. Pacific Time):o
noon to 12:45 p.m.: Keynote Panel (no conflict)o
1:00 to 1:45 p.m.: First group of sessionso
2:00 to 2:45 p.m.: Second group of sessions
3:00 to 3:45 p.m.: Third group of sessions
4:00 to 4:45 p.m.: Social event·
Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. to noon Second Life Time (U.S. Pacific Time):o
8:00 to 8:45 a.m.: Keynote Panel (no conflict)o
9:00 to 9:45 a.m.: First group of sessionso
10:00 to 10:45 a.m.: Second group of sessionso
11:00 to 11:45 a.m.: Third group of sessions·

Note: Pre- and Post-Conference conversations, announcements, and documents will be available in the "Virtual Words: Libraries, Education and Museums" group in Facebook.Conference Sponsors:· Alliance Library System (http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/)· Talking Communities (
http://www.learningtimes.net)· TAP Information Services (http://www.tapinformation.com)

Conference Organizers:· Lori Bell (Lorelei Junot in Second Life) from the Alliance Library System: lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com· John Walber (Wilbur Wood in Second Life) from Talking Communities: john@learningtimes.net · Hope Kandel (Rye Checchinato in Second Life) from Talking Communities: hope@learningtimes.net · Tom Peters (Maxito Ricardo in Second Life) from TAP Information Services: tpeters@tapinformation.com