The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library no longer has just one branch.

The organization has opened up a new location at the coordinates 24, 157, 24 in Cybrary City, a growing community for libraries in Second Life, an online virtual world. 

SecondLife.com, which started in 2003 by Linden Labs, is a 3-D Internet community created entirely by the members of the site. Members, which now total close to 2.5 million worldwide, create online personas, called avatars, and interact with one another just as they would in real life. Avatars can buy land, build houses and create businesses, having a "second life" online.

Jeff Dawson, youth services manager at TSCPL, said his organization recently became a part of this growing trend and now plans to use the program as a new way to reach Topeka youths.

"This is so new. We're not even sure we understand all of it yet," Dawson said. "We just know we need to be here."

Large companies, including Ford and CocaCola, small businesses, universities and other libraries have taken up residence in Second Life as well. The program allows people anywhere to interact with members all over the world better than in a chat room or instant messaging. All members can see each other, talk to one another, ride in each other's cars or grab a bite to eat. The Web site evens allows people to go beyond human capabilities by flying around the world or visiting underwater communities.

Dawson said the real pull of Second Life for the library is that the world allows users to create and build whatever they want. If users are into the American Revolution, they can create a community where everything from clothing to language is based on that time period.

"It really requires a lot of creativity, which teens have," Dawson said. "I really believe once the teens get on there and are let loose, they'll have a blast."

Second Life is free for basic membership, but owning land requires a fee. The library's virtual branch, which is open to anyone to visit and browse the library catalog, is on the main grid of the virtual world.

To make the experience more enjoyable and safe for teens, Dawson said the library purchased an island for Topeka youths on the teen grid, which restricts access to only teens ages 13 to 17. Anyone older must complete a background check to gain access.

Dawson said even with the safety precautions, the library isn't quite ready to let teenagers have complete access to the library's land, called Oz Island, just yet. Two pilot programs have been developed to help the library staff get a better feel for how the technology can be used to benefit local youths.

For the first Second Life pilot program, the library is working with a class at the Hope Street Academy. Laura Smith, curriculum director at Hope Street, said the class is made up of upper classmen studying current social issues, science and literature. Once the teens are trained on Second Life, they will be create a world on the library's Oz Island based on what they have learned in the class.

Hope Street Academy teachers and TSCPL staff had Second Life training last week. The students will begin Friday. Afterwards, Smith said the teens will start creating all aspects of the island, even the environmental features. She said students have been studying biologist Rachel Carson's work and Henry David Thoreua's "Walden Pond," which will help them build the land's natural areas.

"Once they understand the program, the students may actually start to develop new ways to use Second Life to enhance what they are learning in the classroom," Smith said. "I have very high hopes for the project and how this can be used as an educational tool."

Jean Gardner, a young adult librarian, said Second Life members learn about social skills, spelling, writing, economics using Linden dollars, the world's currency, and several other subjects while using the program. Dawson said some universities and hospitals are even using the Web site for distance learning or to train nurses on patient interaction.

For the second pilot program, Gardner said she is hoping youths will use Second Life to learn and get excited about literature. During Topeka schools' spring break, the library will open up Oz Island for local teens to create content based on their favorite books.

"Remember when you made dioramas, and you used a shoe box and little figures?" Gardner said. "They'll basically be doing that, only in a virtual world."

Gardner set up a number of streets on Oz Islands that are based on fiction and nonfiction genres, such as Mystery Avenue or Biography Drive. Teenagers will be able to create displays about their favorite books that fit into those categories. For instance, if a reader likes Harry Potter, he or she can create a display of Hogwarts on Adventure Avenue. Or if a teen liked a romance novel from the dark ages, their display would illustrate that book at the corner of Romance Avenue and Medieval Drive.

"We're really excited about the potential for Second Life," Gardner said. "We're going to have to get imaginative, and we're hoping teens will help us with that."

Dawson said after the pilot programs have been completed and evaluated at the end of the semester, the library will start to create new ways for all Shawnee County teens to have access to Oz Island. He said the main purpose is to reach the youths and help them become avid library users and readers.

"We're going to where the teens are out in the world," Dawson said. "We want them to be involved and active with us. We want them to have a safe place online. This isn't a Myspace. This is a whole new world to explore."

Taylor Atkins can be reached at (785)295-1187 or taylor.atkins@cjonline.com.

Submitted By Linden Research Inc

Second Life, an online virtual world, allows users to create their own persona and interact with other members around the world. Residents of the Second Life community can build houses, buy land, start businesses, shop, dance and do other everyday activities. They have the ability to fly and live underwater.