Broward County Library’s Online “Virtual African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC)” Gallery Now Open, Features 3D Models of African Masks, Carvings, Figurines, and More

From the Broward Library:

Broward County Library’s Virtual AARLCC,a virtual exhibition of 20 important acquisitions from the Special Collections of the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC), located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is now open for visitors!

Virtual AARLCC  is a specially curated exhibit, which “lives” online and features 3D models of African masks, carvings, figurines and other unique and significant artifacts.

Visitors to Virtual AARLCC can take an online video tour, view and virtually interact with the items individually, and hear and watch curated information related to the objects, including country/region of origin, the ethnic group they belong to and a detailed physical description of the work. Viewing in Google Chrome browser is recommended.

Additionally, the collection is also available via Sketchfab.com/AARLCC, where visitors can download the 3D images free, and viewers with virtual reality devices can interact with the artifacts in virtual reality as well. The 20 artifacts are also now available in Merge Object Viewer app in the Apple or Google Play stores. The Collection is titled “Broward Library African Artifacts.”

Broward County Library is the first library in Florida to offer virtual exhibition visits via three-dimensional (3D) modeling and augmented reality technology. This grant-funded initiative is led by Broward County Library Community Engagement Manager and includes collaborative efforts from the University of Arizona Center’s for Digital Humanities and the library’s digitization team.  Virtual AARLCC is designed to expand access to the Special Collections using technology (3D modeling) that is the next best thing to live exhibits.

See Also: “In Fort Lauderdale, an Historic Effort to Archive Black Digital Lives Begins” (August 8, 2020)

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Digital Preservation, Funding, Libraries, News