Research Article: “Virtual Reality: Survey of Use at an Academic Library”

We conducted a survey to inform the expansion of a Virtual Reality (VR) service in our library. The survey assessed user experience, demographics, academic interests in VR, and methods of discovery. Currently our institution offers one HTC Vive VR system that can be reserved and used by patrons within the library, but we would like to expand the service to meet the interests and needs of our patrons. We found use among all measured demographics and sufficient patron interest for us to justify expansion of our current services. The data resulting from this survey and the subsequent focus groups can be used to inform other academic libraries exploring or developing similar VR services.