Written by: Lia Colon
McKee Library recently purchased virtual reality (VR) headsets to provide “an immersive virtual reality education gaming experience,” according to a flyer posted by the library.
Mica Myers, periodical librarian, said students must reserve study room 131 to rent out one of the two available VR headsets, and first-time users will need to take a short quiz online and receive a certificate. Once completed, students must bring their own headphones, wired or wireless, to connect to the headset.
“As soon as they show us that they completed the quiz and that they have earbuds, we check it out to them in the system, and they can use it in this room [131] for three hours,” said Myers.
According to Myers, four programs are currently installed on the headsets. One is the International Space Station, which allows students to explore the space station as if they were there. Another is a science lab experiment associated with the TV series “MythBusters,” in which people conduct wild experiments and supervise episode development. Lastly, the library installed Beat Saber, a popular rhythm game.
Myers said she is looking into adding a program that allows students to go into and explore the human body virtually.
According to the app description on the Google Play Store, this app can give students mental imagery and immersive learning that can increase their memory power and knowledge retention.
Myers said the library would purchase additional headsets if student demand were high, but its VR headsets are currently not used very often. She said students feel they are in a “fishbowl” when they use VR in that room. Students cannot take the headsets to a different location.
“Libraries, in general throughout history, try to stay updated with the advancement of how information is conveyed.” Myers said. “The VR headset was just another step in that direction of another thing that’s popular.”
