Philippine E-Journals

THE USE OF AUGMENTED REALITY (AR): TRANSFORMING THE WAY LIBRARY ORIENTATION IS CONDUCTED IN ACADEMIC LIBRARY

Sharon Maria S. Esposo-Betan | Jonathan F. Santos

 

Abstract:

With the vast number of emerging technologies that are currently being introduced to the library world, it is essential for academic librarians to fully utilize these technologies to their advantage. However, it is also of equal importance for them to first make careful analysis and research before deciding whether to adopt a certain technology or not. Augmented reality (AR) offers a strategic medium through which librarians can attach digital information to real-world objects and simply let patrons interact with them. It is a channel that librarians can utilize in order to disseminate information and guide patrons in their studies or researches. And while it is expected for AR to grow tremendously in the next few years, it becomes more inevitable for academic librarians to acquire related IT skills in order to further improve the services they offer in their respective colleges and universities. The main objective of the study is to discover the advantages of using AR based on how it is currently being used in libraries, as well as to identify the challenges of implementing AR in library orientation programs. It employs the pragmatic approach to research, conducting an extensive review of available literature on AR as used in academic libraries, designing a prototype to illustrate how AR can be integrated to an existing library orientation program, and performing surveys and interviews on patrons and librarians who used it. Findings show that using AR in library orientation is advantageous in terms of (1) cost of implementation, (2) ease of learning, (3) functionality, (4) interactivity, and (5) fun to implement and use, while the challenges are (1) most AR platforms are proprietary, (2) lack of interoperability, (3) cost of mobile devices and internet connection, and (4) it is still emerging. The study concludes that by using the information gathered in this study, academic and research librarians should assess whether implementing AR in their libraries will be appropriate, in accordance to their respective vision and mission.