Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs at Universitas Indonesia (UI), Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Abdul Haris, conveyed the importance of a master plan for sustainable digital transformation among librarians. It is hoped that the library can transform into a more attractive place for the community. “Digital transformation is expected to be able to support education and research that has never been imagined before. Therefore, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are not the future, but the present that we need to study,” he said.
Prof. Haris said this in a webinar organized by the UI Library with the theme “Digital Transformation in Libraries: Implementation of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality”. The event was held to increase librarians’ awareness of utilizing VR and AR technology which has become increasingly popular since the Covid-19 pandemic.
As part of the “Crystal of Knowledge Festival” series, the event presented two speakers, namely the Rector of Pradita University, Prof. Richardus Eko Indrajit, and Head of the Bina Nusantara University Library, Dr. Meiliana, S.Kom., M.Sc. On that occasion, Prof. Richardus provided an understanding that the use of VR and AR is not as complicated as it may appear. He analogized the use of VR and AR to the use of e-learning to support the learning process in class.
“Technology is not present to replace humans or libraries, but to provide better services to users. Some humanist elements cannot be virtualized, such as the pleasure of praying in a house of worship or reading a physical book in a library. Therefore, it is clear that the existence of technology needs to be utilized wisely to ease work of librarians easier,” said Prof. Richardus, at the event which took place last Wednesday (11/10).
He also said that digital transformation is not just digitalization, but focuses on meeting unmet needs. In this case, the use of VR and AR is a real step to realize needs that were not met before, such as giving foreigners the opportunity to visit libraries in different countries virtually.
Additionally, VR and AR are alternatives, not comparatives. “It is impossible for us to disassemble and assemble the Alphard car directly, thus the existence of VR helps us to experience something that may not be possible on real objects,” said Prof. Richardus added.
In the webinar, Dr. Meiliana also had the opportunity to share her experience of using VR and AR at the Bina Nusantara Library of Knowledge Center (LKC). She presented a VR example in the form of a virtual soto cooking experience and an AR example in the form of a game with the classroom as the medium. VR, in this case, functions to replace all real objects with digital objects, while AR is able to add real objects with digital objects. Apart from VR and AR, in extended reality, there is also mixed reality (MR)—which is a combination of the VR and AR concepts—and 360 video.
“For library development, VR and AR can be implemented in the form of interactive exhibits and displays, directories, multimedia content, virtual tours, interactive maps, and virtual assistants. Of all that, virtual tours are the most applicable type for librarians to implement. Even though they are not creators and only users, librarians must continue to learn and have a ‘willingness to learn’ attitude that continues throughout their lives,” said Dr. Meiliana.
Head of the UI Library UPT, Mariyah, S.Sos., M.Hum., said that this webinar on the use of VR and AR was held to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the UI Library. She hoped that librarians can understand the urgency of VR and AR, and they can use it to provide more effective services for readers. She said, “VR and AR are no longer an option, but rather an obligation for librarians to remain relevant in the era of digital transformation.”
