Seeing Is Believing: Is your library ready for augmented reality?

Somewhere along the path between our reality and the digital world, a third space is emerging. This is the realm of augmented reality, where the physical world is enhanced or augmented with digital content. It's like looking through the viewfinder of a camera, but instead of just seeing framing lines and photographic metadata, you also get a map overlay of the street you're on, with directions to the nearest coffee shop. Or perhaps you can see the shelf where you'll find the book you just requested from the catalog.

The ability to overlay digital information on a physical field of vision isn't new; first-down lines and game stats have been embedded into televised sports for years. But it's the widespread adoption of smartphones with cameras and larger displays that's given a real boost to augmented reality (AR), making it a “next big thing” for consumers. AR applications exist for both the iPhone and Android platforms. A popular cross-platform app is Layar, a so-called reality browser with a large catalog of data layers that users can add to their camera view to display local restaurants and reviews, job openings, and more.

Photograph by sndrv

AR applications like Layar use detailed geolocation data from a smartphone's GPS to align the physical view and the digital overlay. The maker of another AR browser, junaio, has developed LLA (longitude, latitude, and altitude) markers to allow a phone to identify its exact location when GPS isn't available. Other applications are programmed to respond when a special marker code is scanned by a camera. AR markers are often presented as square black-and-white barcodes that use thick shapes rather than lines to store data. These blocky markers are easy for lower-resolution cameras to identify and decode. But with high-resolution cameras, the markers can be based on (or disguised within) images or even tied to the layout of a text block on a page.

This provides many interesting possibilities for libraries. With AR markers in books,
library could provide augmented reality experiences related to reading. For instance, if you use a smartphone camera to view a marker on a book cover, suddenly a librarian could walk across the book jacket and deliver a quick review of the title. Markers embedded within a book could also allow 2-D printed diagrams to come alive as 3-D interactive simulations. Other AR applications go well beyond traditional library services. For example, a library could develop a literary tour of a region using an AR program, which describes locations that appear in novels. Partnerships with local museums and other institutions could feature location- or marker-based AR layers suggesting library books that provide additional information about current exhibits, for example.

While most of these ideas and, indeed, a majority of current AR offerings require smartphones, it's important to note the overwhelming market penetration of these devices. Despite the antenna issues, millions of new iPhone 4 handsets have joined the millions of iPhones already in use. Google's open source phone operating system, Android, is also being heavily promoted by all of the major phone carriers. As smartphone use continues to grow, the augmented reality view as realized through those devices will become the new way to see the world. How will your library look when someone holds up their mobile device? Will they just see a building, or will their view come alive with wonderful possibilities?

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