The Corporate Librarian has decided to try an experiment, once he’s back from Vermont with high-speed Internet access. Initially, it will just be for a few months.
He’s going to try freelance research in the world of Second Life. If you’re not familiar with Second Life, it’s a virtual world in which you have a 3-D avatar and can explore various virtual goods and services.
Now there’s a region with lots of libraries already – Info Islands I & II. The various libraries have access to various free information sources. But they’re currently bound very much by "First Life" examples – limited hours, a "physical" building to navigate. The Corporate Librarian wants to see what else is possible.
How much will users of Second Life pay for answers to their questions by a professional researcher? Second Life time is the same as Pacific time, so the Corporate Librarian can pull a shift in the evening weekdays and longer shifts on weekends and see:
- What kind of questions people ask?
- How much they’re willing to pay for the answers.
Marketing – the Corporate Librarian can give his contact details to people he meets in-world, as well as posting a classified ad in-world as well. Plus, he can solicit referrals from clients.
Research sources – The Corporate Librarian can access DIALOG and LexisNexis from their websites – get a copy of The Encyclopedia of Associations and he’s golden.
Will the Corporate Librarian be able to cover the Second Life fees, converting his fees from Lindens (the currency of Second Life – 1 Linden is about 1/270th of a dollar) to US dollars? Will he be able to cover access fees for online information services? What is the IRS policy on taxing virtual currency?
Stay tuned for the answers to these and other questions.
Posted by Steven Kaye 
