Virtual Reality and Libraries

 Virtual Reality is a new tool for learning. Public Libraries are key locations for making virtual reality technology more accessible to the public. Virtual reality in a public space gives patrons the opportunity to become familiar with the technology. I have no personal experience with virtual reality. At first I questioned how virtual reality could be helpful in the library but after reading this article it has many uses like giving people a chance to see places they may have never seen. Giving someone a chance to do something that otherwise they may be limited maybe physically or financially to do. Probably also very appealing to bring the youth into the library. I would like to try VR one day just to see what its all about.

Negin Dahya, Jin Ha Lee, Kung Jin Lee, W.E. King, Megha Goel, and Hekma Yassi 

            University of Washington Information School

Libraries in a digital age

 I am one who enjoys being able to have the library at my hands anytime I want but I also like to be able to visit a library and hold a book. Libraries in the digital age have allowed us to have access to the library 24 hours 7 days a week, not only public libraries but academic ones as well. Digital libraries allows free card access to information otherwise only available to those that could get to the library (Freedman). Digital library offers countless convivences and advantages with many databases to chose from books, articles, music, audiobooks and many more. 

 Freedman, Maurice J. “Continuity and Change for U.S. Libraries in the Digital Age: How U.S. Public                   and Academic Libraries Are Confronting the Challenge of the Digital Library.” Information                         Services & Use, vol. 23, no. 4, Oct. 2003, pp. 211–26. EBSCOhost, https://doi-                                             org.ezproxy.palomar.edu/10.3233/ISU-2003-23402.

Digital Story Telling

When giving the subject of digital storytelling I didn't really understand what is was, but after researching I realized how much I have used digital storytelling through podcasts and digital books. I found a good article that opened my eyes a little more, and gave me a better understanding of digital storytelling.

I learned that digital stories are more than just videos they include many multimedia formats and tools that allow students to communicate ideas to an audience (Hernandez). Digital stories can include digital books, audio recordings, podcasts, visualizations and infographics (Hernandez). Many benefits to digital learning including student engagement. Digital storytelling redefines literacy. I welcome digital storytelling.

Hernandez, Michael. “The Power of Digital Storytelling.” Educational Leadership, vol. 81, no. 4, Dec. 2023, pp. 59–          64. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=174169202&site=ehost-                      live&scope=site.

Virtual Reality and Libraries

Image Source: Photo by julien Tromeur on Unsplash

Adapting and integrating new and emerging technology into a library environment can bring about challenges and adjustments. Adoption of new technology may also often generate questions about usage and usefulness to the library. VR is one such technology we can consider within this context. VR or virtual reality can be defined as a user experience where they remain physically within the real world while entering a virtual world, while using a headset attached to a computer or mobile device (Frost). VR, as it’s a newer emerging technology that’s yet to gain widespread usage, is not considered to be part of a library’s core technological infrastructure. Instead it is perceived as an extension of library services, one geared towards a library’s educational goals and information literacy (Ellern). The adoption of VR technology has been done mostly by academic libraries, and through various studies we can get and idea about library usage and the challenges that arise from adopting such technology. 

A common challenge VR adoption faces is VR training. With the use of VR technology not being widespread as others, the average library user may not have much experience using the technology. To fill this gap librarians and library staff find themselves having to creating introductory training protocols to introduce this technology. Staff find they have to be in charge of both safeguarding VR equipment and ensuring appropriate use, while also coaching new users on proper usage of equipment (Ellern). Another challenge arising from VR adoption is how to apply its use to a broader demographic. Based on a survey of usage at an Academic Library, those in STEM related fields made up the majority of VR usage (Frost). When asked about the issue many students couldn’t see a use for VR in fields outside of STEM, such as those within the humanities and social sciences (Frost). However, outside of an academic context, many students were able to see a use for VR for more extracurricular use, such as stress relief or exploring other parts of the world. These ideas hint at the potential VR may have in nonacademic libraries, as the casual library user may find similar uses of VR technology to be an intriguing activity to experiment with. 

VR highlights how libraries find themselves having to adapt to the introduction of new technologies and how they can be used to benefit library users. The issue of VR also highlights how such new technology can bring about new challenges libraries must adapt to in order to effectively use such technology. 

Works Cited:

Ellern, Gillian D., and Laura Cruz. “Black, White, and Grey: The Wicked Problem of Virtual Reality in Libraries.” Information Technology & Libraries, vol. 40, no. 4, Dec. 2021, pp. 1–18. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.palomar.edu/10.6017/ital.v40i4.12915.

Frost, Megan, et al. “Virtual Reality: A Survey of Use at an Academic Library.” Information Technology & Libraries, vol. 39, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 1–12. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.palomar.edu/10.6017/ital.v39i1.11369.

Digital Storytelling

Image Source: https://clipart-library.com/clipart/typing-cliparts-23.htm

Digital storytelling can be defined as a subset of storytelling where digital media is used to create and share stories in a digital format. These stories tend to be short and often tell personal tales or recount historical events (Detlor). Libraries can use these digital stories to record memories of a community and also to engage with learners while cultivating different intelligences and literacies (Sukovic). Historical digital storytelling is a more popular focus of digital storytelling, during which the public works in partnership with the library to create, collect, and distribute digital stories. This focus on history is good way to engage with a library’s community, by providing them with means to share and express personal stories (Detlor).

Digital storytelling can also be a way to engage younger library users and provide them with storytelling tools to share their voices and personal stories. In Yazadian and Diamant-Cohen’s article, “Upping Your Digital Storytelling Game,” they discuss multiple storytelling tools available specifically for younger users. These tools are suited for younger audiences both in preschool and at the school age. They also range from websites, web-based platforms, or apps, providing a wide variety of formats to choose from. With these tools younger users can engage in digital storytelling in a variety of activities such as, creating comics, graphic novels, or other similar projects utilizing various multimedia tools (Yazdian and Diamant-Cohen). 

 Works Cited:

Detlor, Brian, et al. “Digital Storytelling: An Opportunity for Libraries to Engage and Lead Their Communities.” Canadian Journal of Information & Library Sciences, vol. 42, no. 1–2, Mar. 2018, pp. 43–68. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=146114292&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Sukovic, Suzana. “ITell: Transliteracy and Digital Storytelling.” Australian Academic & Research Libraries, vol. 45, no. 3, Sept. 2014, pp. 205–29. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.palomar.edu/10.1080/00048623.2014.951114.

Yazdian, Lisa M.Sensale, and Betsy Diamant-Cohen. “Upping Your Digital Storytelling Game.” Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, vol. 21, no. 1, Spring 2023, pp. 35–36. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.palomar.edu/10.5860/cal.21.1.35.

Presentation Tools in Libraries

Image Source: https://clipart-library.com/clipart/101764.htm 

Presentation tools can be a useful resource for libraries, with many potential functions. As we’ve seen throughout this course, these tools can be a useful way to share and promote library services and resources. There is a wide variety of presentation tools available to choose from, and it may be challenging to decide which one is a good fit, or if a combination of multiple presentation tools is the best choice. When deciding on which presentation tool is the best fit one can do a brief evaluation to find the best one. Some of the evaluation criteria includes; ease of use, technical compatibility, accessibility, and security. Other factors to consider include the development status of the tool, the help system of the tool, and the available features of the tool (Hodges and Clark). 

We’ve utilized Canva a lot in this course, and it’s very easy to use and one library users may find easy to learn. Some other presentation tools mentioned that I have used before and could also be useful options include Google Docs and Prezi. A lot of users may already be familiar or have working knowledge of Google Docs and its features. Users may be less familiar with Prezi, but it is still a good presentation tool with useful features. Prezi may also have a steeper learning curve for users, which may be less ideal in library settings. If you're looking for a tool that offers more templates and customization options then Prezi would be the ideal choice, but if user interface is more important then Goggle Docs would be the better choice. Cost can also be a deciding factor between the two. Unlike Google Docs which is free with a Google account, Prezi has a monthly subscription fee, which may be cost prohibitive to users when there’s equally available free options.  

Works Cited:

Hodges, Charles B., and Kenneth Clark. “Selecting a Web 20 Presentation Tool.” Library Media Connection, vol. 30, no.3, Nov. 2011, pp. 42-45. EBSCOhost, https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=67787787&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Howfinity. "How to Use Google Docs - Beginner's Guide." YouTube, 26 May. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9i_h-WMQ68.

How to Simple. "Prezi Tutorial For Beginners | How to Use Prezi in 2024." YouTube, 17 Aug. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKxbCYFSf6E. 

Libraries in the Digital Age

With an increasing shift towards a digital age, libraries are finding themselves in positions where they must adapt to continue serving users effectively. From personal experience some of the main ways I have seen libraries make this shift is by adopting digital resources and materials for their collections. Libraries have begun to add ebooks into their main collections in addition to the physical print materials already within their collections. We can also see many libraries offering and adopting apps that offer collections of ebooks and audiobooks for users to check out, my local libraries tend to use the app Libby for this service. While the digital age does translate to an increased demand for digital collections and offerings, there is still a constant demand for physical print resources. Many library users still like to check out physical copies of books. The equal demand for both print and digital materials highlights one of the many challenges libraries in the digital age face. Fortunately, when libraries have the budgetary funds they need, many find themselves able to maintain a balance between print and digital for their collections. It may seem that libraries have to be at the forefront of innovation as they transition into the digital age, but there are some that don’t believe libraries should take such a leading role. Some believe libraries should be more reactive and adaptive instead. Rather than striving for innovation libraries should focus on reacting and adapting to the needs of their users. An ideology that is definitely useful for libraries who face limited budgets and cannot afford to adopt the latest technology and the latest innovations in the field. While the digital age has brought about changes to libraries, many seem well equipped to meet and adapt to these changes, and continue fulfilling the needs of their users. 

Works Cited:

Benton Foundation, Washington, DC. Buildings, Book, and Bytes: Libraries and Communities in the            Digital Age. A Report on the Public's Opinion of Library Leaders' Visions for the Future. 1 Nov, 1996.    EBSCOhost, https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search-ebscohost-   com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED403884&site=ehost-live&scope=site. 

Readers Win when Libraries Add e-books, but Preserve Print, as Well (Posted 2015-07-11 01:00:10): In    the Digital Age, Libraries have to Balance Electronic and Print Options. WP Company LLC d/b/a The    Washington Post, Washington, D.C., United States Washington, D.C., 2015. ProQuest,    https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-   websites/readers-win-when-libraries-add-e-books-preserve/docview/1695335367/se-2?accountid=35685