Librarians in Virtual Reality: An Immersive Empathy Project

Title

Librarians in Virtual Reality: An Immersive Empathy Project

Description

Lightning Talk at the 2024 CALA Midwest Annual Conference

Creator

Hu, Xinhui

Publisher

Chinese American Librarians Association

Date

2024-05-24

Rights

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Format

video/mp4

Language

eng

Type

Video

Abstract

"Libraries serve diverse communities with a wide range of needs. However, bridging the gap between librarians and patrons' perspectives and experiences can be challenging. This project explores the potential of Virtual Reality (VR), often referred to as the ""empathy machine,"" to foster empathy within the library setting. We propose a user-centered design approach that leverages VR to create immersive scenarios. Participants will embody various library roles, such as a reference librarian assisting patrons, a children's librarian planning events, or a technical librarian developing the collection. This VR experience aims to cultivate empathy by allowing participants to ""walk in the shoes"" of different library staff members."

 

Position: 1023 (130 views)

Files

Librarians in Virtual Reality Record.mp4

Citation

Hu, Xinhui, “Librarians in Virtual Reality: An Immersive Empathy Project,” CALASYS - CALA Academic Resources & Repository System, accessed April 26, 2026, http://ir.cala-web.org/items/show/1468.