Long Island University Second Life Project
In the summer of 2009 Digital Initiatives began a collaborative project with Professor Steven Heim from the Computer Science Department that highlights the William Randolph Hearst Archive in the virtual reality environment known as Second Life. The Hearst Archive exhibition space is located in the Research, Education and Cultural Arts Center on Long Island University's virtual island. The exhibition in progress includes a Powerpoint presentation introducing Hearst and the Archive, virtual books featuring selected images and documents from the collection and a recreation of the La Fontaine room, a bedroom in Joan's Castle, Hearst's Long Island home. The room was created referencing primary source materials from the collection. In addition to the recreation of architectural features and furniture originally found in the room, there is a painting by Francois Boucher and an ornate tapestry now in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Screen shots from Second LIfe
The Future is Now: Libraries and Museums in Virtual Worlds On March 5-6, 2010, Long Island University presented at the virtual poster session during the ALA sponsored The Future is Now: Libraries and Museums in Virtual Worlds conference in Second Life. Members of the Long Island University team presented on the William Randolph Hearst Archive and its presence and pedagogical use in the virtual environment. For screenshots from the conference on Flickr, click here.
