Member Specialist for the American Library Association Kay Tairov sent out this short, sad message to the ALA group in Second Life about the closure of the ALA Island:
I wanted to let you know that ALA Island will be closing come the new year. ALA will still maintain a presence in SL, just on a smaller scale. Please send me an IM if you have questions. Thank you, Kay Tairov
Libraries, librarians and library associations have historically been some of the most active nonprofit groups in Second Life, establishing an entire archipelago of library-related islands during their heyday. The American Library Association is one of the most prestigious and well-known library associations, and so their island closing is a major loss to the virtual world.
See their blog for some history and background on ALA's activities in Second Life. We'll approach them for a comment on why they decided to close the island after all these years.
