Rudaí23 thing#14: The brave new world of augmented reality

After a couple of posts that veered from the technical side of things, Rudaí 23 are bringing us back into the fold with a post that has caught my eye since I glanced down the list of things. I have been looking forward to it ever since.

 What is augmented reality?

 

An image from L Frank Baum's The Master Key

It sounds like something you'd read in a Philip K. Dick novel (or, interestingly, an L. Frank Baum novel, specifically The Master Key from 1901, which is considered the first use of the idea of augmented reality). Augmented reality is essentially any real-world environment that has been supplemented by computer-generated input, whether that's sound, graphics, video, or whatever you're having yourself. Most of us, if we were pressed on the issue, would suggest something like Google Glass, perhaps without knowing that that particular brand of technology, as is sometimes the case, has already been and gone (or is at least undergoing some serious re-branding).

With technology touted as ‘the future’, it’s sometimes difficult to get to grips with what it actually does in a real world environment. It is often the case (and it definitely seemed to be the way with Google Glass) that it was technology that was in constant 'development' and rarely seen in the real world. This video goes some way to explaining how it would work in the library of the future (or, a library right now in India).

It looks great, and what's even better is that it seems like intuitive technology. Sometimes, when I'm reading about new technological developments, it can seem like I'm reading about things that developers want us to appreciate rather than something we want or need. With the video above, nearly everything featured made me think 'Of course! Why didn't I think of that?'

The problem with 'future' tech

We all remember Q codes (interestingly, some people are suggesting that augmented reality will finally do away with them) and while Second Life is still around, it never caught on in the way we thought it would. That's the problem with predicting the future: it's next to impossible. So, it would be foolish to think that augmented reality is going to be that tech development that will make us wonder in ten years time how we ever managed without it. The difference with augmented reality, however, is that it is a development that can be adjusted to meet our actual needs and wants.

Augmented reality in the library: the future is now

The video above shows that augmented reality already exists in (some) libraries. The issue to determine is whether it will become as ubiquitous as an online catalogue search or a self-service machine. If this is the case, we can expect many articles like this suggesting that the end is nigh for libraries (interestingly, that article is from 2013, and augmented reality still seems to be something of a niche development). Regardless, if augmented reality is the future, and something our patrons are using and expect to see in their libraries, then it's something that we will have to get to grips with. There are also many possible positives with new technology, of course. A whole new way of teaching information literacy will be needed, as well as understanding how augmented reality will impact on people's lives, from education to leisure, as well as in a business dimension. These are areas that librarians will need to master if our users are going to associate libraries with places to go to get information.