Using Augmented and Virtual Reality in Information Literacy Instruction to Reduce Library Anxiety in Nontraditional and International Students

Abstract

Throughout its early years, the Oral Roberts University (ORU) Library held a place of pre-eminence on campus. ORU’s founder envisioned the Library as central to all academic function and scholarship. Under the direction of the founding dean of learning resources, the Library was an early pioneer in innovative technologies and methods. However, over time, as the case with many academic libraries, the Library’s reputation as an institution crucial to the academic work on campus had diminished.
 A team of librarians is now engaged in programs aimed at repositioning the Library as the university’s hub of learning. Toward that goal, the Library has long taught information literacy (IL) to students and faculty through several traditional methods, including one-shot workshops and sessions tied to specific courses of study. Now, in conjunction with disseminating augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AVMR) learning technologies, the Library is redesigning instruction to align with various realities of higher education today, including uses of AVMR in instruction and research and following best practices from research into serving
 
 online learners;
 international learners not accustomed to Western higher-education practices; and
 learners returning to university study after being away from higher education for some time or having changed disciplines of study.
 
 The Library is innovating online tutorials targeted for nontraditional and international graduate students with various combinations of AVMR, with the goal to diminish library anxiety. Numerous library and information science studies have shown a correlation between library anxiety and reduced library use, and library use has been linked to student learning, academic success, and retention.[1]
 This paper focuses on IL instruction methods under development by the Library. Current indicators are encouraging as the Library embarks on the redesign of IL instruction and early development of inclusion of AVMR in IL instruction for nontraditional and international students.

Augmented reality technology in the libraries of universities of medical sciences: identifying the application, advantages and challenges and presenting a model

“…AR supports users, attracts the audience to the library environment; promotes entrepreneurship by launching new technologies; facilitates technical affairs; helps organizing, cataloging, and reference services; provides new services; ensures educational justice and sociocultural promotion by educated users; and contributes to science and knowledge. Sample (2020) and Brinkman (2012) highlighted user support through technology. Fan et al (2020) also stated that AR is employed to support the learner and enhance learning.…”

“…AR is applied to library work, including bookshelf and borrowing (Hahn, 2012), library instruction (Chen and Tsai, 2012), library tours (Baumgartner-Kiradi et al , 2018) and library navigation (Huang et al , 2016). AR services are easy to learn, make the library more interactive, can overlay additional information to physical objects and is fun to use (Santos and Esposo-Betan, 2018; Sample, 2020; Brinkman, 2012; Fan et al , 2020).…”

Reflecting on Pandemics and Technology in Libraries

“…Due to the pandemic, the library building is temporarily unavailable, but perhaps the next step is to create a digital surrogate of the library building in extended or augmented reality? A study at Oral Roberts University (ORU) (Sample, 2020) was conducted to investigate whether using this sort of technology might be able to reduce anxiety in nontraditional and international students. While their study suffered from low participation, they report that "The response from students and faculty to these new services has been enthusiastic and encouraging that the ORU Library is positively influencing and supporting the academic work of ORU faculty and students" (Sample, 2020, p. 24).…”

Librarians’ views of the readiness of university libraries in Indonesia to adopt virtual and augmented reality

“…According to Ellern and Cruz (2021), libraries must devise strategies to actively participate in shaping individuals' collective future, whether it be “real, virtual, or both”. Noteworthy VR/AR integration in academic library services includes the use of library tours and the Association of Research Libraries’ incorporation of Oculus Rift (Sample, 2020), High Tech Computer (HTC) Vive for digital scholarship (Greene and Groenendyk, 2020), myLibrARy to locate books and information within the library, Special Collection using Augmented Reality to Enhance Learning and Teaching (SCARLET) and Virtual Learning Center (VLC) (Roy et al , 2022).…”