Immersive Libraries and Museums

LAM.TWG Charter Summary:

The LAM.TWG stands for Libraries and Museums Technology Working Group. It was created out of the LIB.TWG, which was expanded in 2013 and stands for Immersive Education Initiative's Library Technology Working Group. The chairs of the group are Jerome Yavarkovsky and Melissa Carillo, and they wrote the charter along with H. Nicholas Nagel. LAM.TWG is open to anyone who meets one or more of three requirements. These requirements include experience with real world or digital libraries and/or museums, and experience with different aspects of immersive education and virtual reality. These aspects can include developing or using virtual worlds, simulators, video games or full, augmented or mixed reality (FAM).

The LAM.TWG wants to provide informational resources, research and other services to people that can not necessarily be transferred in the "real world". As we move into the age of advancing technology, the group wants to work to bring materials to people online, that would not be available otherwise because of the data in them (such as video information). For these librarians, they not only have to find and display the information, but keep up to date on different sources of information. The number of sources is becoming more and more vast, and the librarians have to keep that in mind. 

Though many libraries have implemented some type of technology in their systems for the past few decades, there are some traditional aspects that cannot be changed. For example, the fact that libraries are constrained to buildings. With virtual libraries, they can be in as creative and interesting a place as possible because there are no limitations online. Traditional libraries also have to deal with the usual modes of communication, through face-to-face meetings, email and telephone. With virtual libraries, librarians will be able to communicate in many more ways, such as through video conferencing or virtual reality meetings.

There are ten basic objectives that the LAM.TWG are aiming toward. The group wishes to design library and museum-specific specifications and implementations, as well as a framework for the support of development. They also wish to define and publish practices for assessment, interpretation of data, design of environments, and re-defining curatorial practices. Other objectives include applying collaborative opportunities and promote basic understanding of knowledge on applications and services. Also, they with to maintain an up-to-date bibliography of all of the research papers and studies in the virtual environments, as well as promoting networking and community building.

Source: "Immersive Education Libraries and Museums Technology Working Group (LAM.TWG)"