VR & AR: a strategic search tool in libraries?

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) use head mounted displays to provide an immersive experience for the viewer. Where VR immerses the viewer within a digitally constructed world, AR registers digital objects within our real-world surroundings. As we are all accustomed to endlessly scrolling list-based responses from search engines, whether we are browsing, exploring, or performing a specific search. Limited by the list format and the physical limits of our displays, might an immersive experience enhance our ability to search more effectively? In this talk, I explore my research in VR and AR for information exploration, how emerging fields of immersive analytics, digital twins, and cinematic visualization are enriching the possibilities, and how the lack of research in this area presents opportunities.

Poppy Riddle

ID PhD Program, Dalhousie University

I am a PhD student researching how searching for information may be improved through applying visualization. I am working at the intersection of Library and Information Science, bibliometrics, and human-computer interaction.