The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) is the only advanced degree LIS education program in the state of South Carolina accredited by the American Library Association. Its large distance education (DE) program serves several geographical areas (i.e., South Carolina, Georgia, Maine, Virginia, and West Virginia) through a hybrid of web-based technologies and on-site instruction to deliver a complete Master's degree program.

To enhance LIS education, the SLIS has been experimenting with a virtual world environment. A simulated library has been under development to help students adapt Web technology into practice. The purposes are to:

• serve as an LIS instructional aid,
• connect on-campus and DE students in a virtual community,
• create a social network to connect information professionals and alums with current LIS students.

The Davis 2.0 Virtual Center honors the historical heritage of the Davis College building, where the SLIS is housed. As we celebrate the building's forthcoming 100th birthday, we take great pride in naming our virtual library after this cultural landmark.

The SLIS Davis 2.0 Virtual Center in the Second Life world and its virtual library foster excellence in LIS education and scholarship at the SLIS/USC and beyond by (1) training students in information services and (2) evaluating their performance skills based on their ability to apply technology, access appropriate information resources, and form professional collaborations.

So, how to visit the SLIS Facility in the Second Life World? This is the easiest way!

• Open a new tab or browser and copy/paste this SLURL to your browser: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%204/73/216/25
• Click on the "teleport now" tab
• When you see the 2nd Life program screen, type your avatar's First name, Last name, and Password and then click on the "Connect" tab

If you create your own avatar, the first time you log in to the SL world, you will enter the orientation area, not the Davis 2.0 Reference Center. In order to prevent any confusion, please close the SL software immediately. Open a new Internet browser and copy/paste this SLURL to your browser: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%204/73/216/25. Click on the "teleport now" tab and enter the SL world again. You'll be at the main entrance of the Davis 2.0 Reference Center this time.

If you have not yet used the Second Life world and/or are not familiar with using the software, we are more than happy to work with you. Please e-mail the main contact, Feili Tu, Ph.D., of the SLIS Second Life Team at feilitu@sc.edu.