Month: March 2024

Image by Laura Wecksler. Napili Sunset, Maui, HI.

As I reflect on themes that the rise of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality bring up, I can’t help but recall two books written by two of my favorite authors: Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr and Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Both of these stories suppose a technology that has become so ingrained with everyday human existence that it blurs the line, or re-writes, what “real” is.

One storyline in Doerr’s Cuckoo Land (a sort-of spoiler alert), is set in a dystopian, post apocalyptic world, where one of the main character’s only experience with Earth is through a VR headset/treadmill system located in her space capsule’s library. She is able to walk through and explore every square inch of Earth through this immersive visual representation, but in a still, pre-coded photographed and mapped form.

Ishiguro’s Klara (another sort-of spoiler) is told through the eyes of a virtual assistant that takes “human” form, a kind of My Buddy doll that can walk, talk and learn human behaviors from observation. They are called “Artificial Friends,” are marketed toward adolescents to boost self esteem and there are stores that sell them, where they wait anxiously to be taken home. The story follows the arc of humans’ need for these “AFs” and makes you surprised to feel empathy and sadness for what is, essentially, a robot.

 

Both of these novels represent the human experience with emergent technology–their reliance and ultimate disappointment with its capabilities (or restrictions, as it were). Michael Stephens, in “Flash Briefing” (Wholehearted Librarianship, 2019), explores the push and pull between “how much is too much?” voice assistance when he asks, “Are Alexa and Siri a voice-activated path to the world brain?” More than once, I’ve had conversations where I desperately wrack my brain to try to come up with the answer to whatever trivia question before Siri does. Which one is better? Is Virtual an apt substitute for Real?

I think we’d all agree that’s a resounding no, but an ally? Sure. Just don’t listen to me all the time. ; ) Cue Forbes’ article, “Is Virtual Reality the Future of Field Trips?” Mike McShane (2018) explores the role VR plays in helping provide access for kids whose schools might not be able to take them to cultural institutions such as art museums. McShane argues that while Virtual Reality platforms “can take students to places that they could never go in person” (like space), it also can’t replace the good ol’ fashioned human experience In Real Life. McShane cites research that describes some of the benefits children gain from first-hand experience in an art museum, such as “gains in critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance and interest in visiting museums again,” especially in those who come from “disadvantaged backgrounds.” What he suggests is that VR should be used as an augment to an already enriching setting.

As the host wildly gesticulates in the “Holo Lens 2 AR Headset” video, “instinctual interaction” with VR can provide exponential possibility for design, organization and connection:

“By bringing people together from all over the world to collaborate in the same virtual room, we’re overcoming a natural barrier to our collective success. That’s people’s desire for direct face-to-face interaction when building commitment and trust.” 

I still think it’s like that episode from the Simpsons when the robots from Itchy & Scratchy Land accidentally get switched to the “kill” option. Either way, I shouldn’t poo poo these advances so. Professor Stephens is right. “The online and the physical should cyclically complement each other. A balance between the two makes for a well-informed, capable library professional.” (2019). 

References

Doerr, A. (2022). Cloud cuckoo land. Scribner.

Ishiguro, K. (2021). Klara and the sun. Vintage International.

McShane, M. (2018, June 13). Is virtual reality the future of field trips? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemcshane/2018/06/13/is-virtual-reality-the-future-of-field-trips/?sh=23fa548c1809

oug [sic]. (2018, January 27). Killer robots. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWapBYWqDo0&list=PLXpl2RGfemi7y99_byHNNjuNtD-CqJuK4

Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship. ALA Editions.

UploadVR. (2019, February 24). HoloLens 2 AR Headset: On Stage Live Demonstration. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIHPPtPBgHk&t=659s

@lauraw

Please listen to this, if you can, while reading.

            When I was a kid, I traveled fairly extensively in the summers, because my parents were both teachers and had the travel bug. We went to England, Wales, Italy, France, Croatia (Yugoslavia at that time), and Germany. I hated it, because we would be gone for sometimes 6 weeks and, being an only child (although with adult half-siblings), I was lonely, missed my friends and all I wanted to do was to have a “normal” summer at home watching TV and eating popsicles. I didn’t care about stately homes or old castles (although the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace are SUPER cool). I have vivid memories of listening to Tiffany and Paula Abdul on my Walkman in the back of the VW Camper van Dad picked up from the factory in Munich (with the romantic idea of camping throughout Germany–we camped one night in rainy weather and that was enough for everyone). I refused to go out for dinner when we arrived in Paris, so I ate “MacDo” and watched Euro MTV in the hotel room (I must’ve been pretty persuasive…or spoiled…or neglected, because I was only 9). However, of course as an adult I’m thankful for these experiences. They provided a widened lens through which I could see the world and its history.

            As I’ve begun my journey through librarianship, I’ve admired those I’ve encountered whose paths have been varied and many. It’s tempting and understandable to want to stay put after having found a library system that provides stability, is close to home and serves my community. But I have to admit, one of the major attractions I had toward this field is the fact that you can practice library and information science anywhere and in many different applications. I want to use this spirit to inform the kind of librarian I want to become. I wish to be able to “choose my own adventure” (wink and nod, Module 6!), whatever that looks like and whichever form it takes. I am open to a varied path. The library world is my oyster.

            Taking Professor Stephens’ example from Global Communities/Librarianship with Parker’s (1974) definition of “International Librarianship” as “activities carried out…to promote, establish, develop, maintain and evaluate…librarianship and the library profession generally, in any part of the world,” this library oyster thing seems really real. How cool would it be to take a class field trip to Dokk1 in Denmark? It is one of the most prolific examples (especially in this class!) of libraries turning the definition of libraries on its head. What a leader in innovative, community driven hyperlinked environments. Or how fun would it be to go to Milan and take part in Next Library’s Occupy Library Conference, with its theme of “Libraries as spaces for digital transformation and community wellbeing”? They’ll be focusing on topics such as using AI for good and how libraries support their communities in times of crises. Examining what libraries are doing globally, and (even better) experiencing them first-hand, contributes to our “Personal Learning Network” and adds to one’s “full-stack” (Stephens, 2019) professional goal of creating and striving for “global librarianship.”

            I would love nothing more than to be able to travel the world, gather layer upon layer of wisdom and ideas from others to be able to form a pearl of library goodness. And maybe also really go out to dinner in Paris this time.

The Author, putting the “fun” in funicular, on the Rhine River, Germany, 1988

References

Legacy Recordings. (February 9, 2017). People make the world go round: Freddie Hubbard. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5li0DxQ6PPM

Mærkedahl, L. (2024, January 11). Occupy library / Stelline conference 2024 in Milan – new date! Next Library. https://www.nextlibrary.net/occupy-library-stelline-conference-2024-in-milan-call-for-proposals/

Parker, J. S. (1974). International librarianship. Global Communities and Global Librarianship. https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/course-modules/module-6-hyperlinked-environments/global-communities-global-librarianship/

Stephens, M. (2019). “Dream. Explore. Experiment.” Wholehearted Librarianship, p. 60.