Submitted by the San Juan Island Public Library

During the past summer, the San Juan Island Library has been offering opportunities to explore virtual reality, courtesy of the Washington State Library and Oculus Inc. This has been very popular and has appealed to people of all ages, although restricted to people over 13 years old.

Virtual reality equipment allows the user to explore different environments by wearing specialized headsets and experiencing immersive programs filmed with a 360-degree camera.

Virtual reality technology is becoming increasingly popular for educational uses, training and even art. The University of Washington’s iSchool will study the usage feedback generated from this program and explore other developing fields for VR headset application.

It is important for libraries to keep up with emerging trends and technologies, so don’t miss out on these last opportunities to be a part of this exciting program.

The public can try the VR experience under the supervision of a trained facilitator during its Tech Tuesday program on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. to noon in the library meeting room. So come and let your imagination soar!