This document discusses a 2009 law firm management seminar on legal issues in virtual worlds like Second Life. It provides an overview of Second Life and examples of universities, libraries, and other organizations that have a presence in Second Life. The document also summarizes a study on the types of questions users ask librarians and educators who provide information in Second Life.

1. “Lawyers and Legal Issues in Second Life® and Beyond”
2009 Law Firm Management Seminar
July 31, 2009, Monterey, California
Ida M. Jones Lorri Mon Geri N. Kahn
CSU Fresno Florida State U. Attorney at Law

2. Active Worlds There.com
http://www.activeworlds.com http://www.there.com
Getty Art Museum in Whyville
Whyville http://www.whyville.net Habbo Hotel http://habbo.com
* The Blue Book: A Consumer Guide to Virtual Worlds

3. IBM SUN
MICRO-
SYSTEMS
DELL
DELL
Second Life
CDC http://www.secondlife.com SONY BMG
Launched in 2003; 10 million+ registered (6 million
unique registered users) free basic accounts in 2006;
audio in 2007; over 80 universities, many libraries; 390
square miles of virtual land (6 times the size of D.C.)

4. Princeton U. New York Law School NSU Law School
Examples of universities, libraries and
nonprofit organizations in Second Life
U. of North Carolina-CH - LIS American Cancer Society Harvard’s Berkman Law School
Glenview Public Library San Jose State U- LIS Shawnee-Topeka PL

5. “a world imagined & created by its residents”
Surrealist Art Exhibit NOAA Weather Demo Reuters News Service
NOAA Hurricane Sim Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Chinese College Monash U.

6. IBM Islands on Second Life Map; inset has auditorium detail

7. Virtual World Information Spaces
“there's still a personal space issue…”

8. “the majority of Questions are about SL”
“a lot of How to's... and Where do I start's”
How to (examples): Where to (examples):
• earn money in SL? • go to learn skills
• learn to build or script? • find specific places, e.g.
• find clothes/hair? – is there a sim here for....
• dance/stop dancing? – where is …
Specialists (law & health/medical
librarians) reported more RL questions
than generalists (reference librarians,
educators):
• divorce
• disability
• diseases and prognoses

9. To contact me:
Email: lmon@ci.fsu.edu or SL: Lorri Momiji
Mon, L. (2009). “Questions and Answers in a Virtual World :
Educators and Librarians as Information Providers in Second Life.”
Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, Volume 2, Number 1 (April 2009).
http://www.jvwresearch.org/v2n1_Mon.html