Augmented Reality - Thing 14

Thank goodness Rudai 23 provided an explanation of what augmented reality is at the start of their post. Basically it is a scanned image that comes to life with video, images, further information etc.

I looked at all the information and links on the post, and even visited the pinterest page. I thought the practical use of AR in public libraries for reading challenges etc was well documented and I could see how it would work in such a location, but I struggled to see how it would work in academic libraries.

The following articles helped to clear that up:

• Keeping up with Augmented Reality by Carli Spina, posted in the ACRL
• A dose of (augmented) reality by Anthony Humphries, posted in the elibrary team blog of Birmingham City Library

Ideas like video demonstrations of service points (e.g. self service machines, multi-functional devices) and directional maps seem to be a couple of suggestions that would be useful in any library setting. One of the staff options that was mentioned was the use of AR to identify when books were shelved in the wrong location - something every library can identify with.

Having satisfied myself that there could be a use for AR in academic libraries, I looked at Anatomy 4D and LibrARi.  I had previously come across Aurasma whilst flicking through a magazine. Using the app to look at the images wasn't at all successful. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing, nor did I know what I should have been looking at. I can only assume that it was me and not the app, or that the app has improved in order to still be around.

Anatomy 4D - I can see this being very useful if you're studying anatomy, physiology, medicine, nursing etc etc. I can't see how this applies to a library context but maybe the library just facilitates the use of this technology. It took me a couple of attempts to get the app to work but once up and running, it was fascinating to see the body come alive. I will mention to the research team in work to see if it is something they would recommend.

LibrARi - I just couldn't see the point of this. Why wouldn't you just ask one of the librarians or library staff that seemed to be sitting at the enquiry desk?  It might be useful in an unstaffed library, but surely the app would need to take into account that the item might have been mis-shelved, rather than pointing you to the section it should be in. Isn't it better to inform and educate our users about our classification scheme, whether Dewey or Library of Congress? I'm sorry, I'm not really behind this application.