Application Scenario Construction of the University Metaverse Libraries

Abstract

[Purpose/Significance] The emergence of the metaverse has brought new opportunities to the development of libraries, which can not only solve many challenges and problems faced by libraries since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, but also promote the construction of smart libraries to a higher stage of development. [Method/Process] Based on literature research and online survey, this paper focuses on the connotation and characteristics of the metaverse library, constructs the application scenarios of the university metaverse library, and finally discuses the opportunities and challenges faced by the construction of the metaverse library. [Results/Conclusions] In September 2022, the China National Committee for Terminology in Science and Technology (CNTERM) invited more than 20 experts to discuss the metaverse and the concept of core terms and reached a consensus. Metaverse is a virtual world that can interact with the real world by mapping or surpassing the real world, which is constructed by human using digital technology. The metaverse library uses cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain, VR/AR and other technologies as the means to build the virtual space of library services, and is combined with the real space services to provide readers with immersive experience and encourage readers to participate in the virtual community of library resource production. It has eight characteristics: immersive experience, integration of virtual and reality, human-computer interaction, multi-source information resources, space-time expansion, social network, reader economy, and thought twinning and storage. University metaverse library is an important component of Metaverse Library and a service system of university libraries in virtual space. It has the characteristics of Metaverse Library and its own characteristics. The university metaverse library will break the service mode of the real space library, and the learning experience of readers in the library will be more game-like, immersive, simple to operate, strong gain in reality and so on, which fully reflects the concept of "reader-centered". To be specific, the university metaverse library mainly has five application scenarios: virtual digital human exchange, immersive panoramic reading and space experience, librarian avatar interaction, community interaction, and reader creation to reader economy interaction. But the new technology is not yet perfect. The construction of metaverse virtual space resources is difficult; there is a lack of constraints and norms in virtual space reader behavior; the traditional library business will be impacted and other problems are the possible challenges in the process of constructing the university metaverse library. To get out of the dilemma, we need to establish a research team to enrich the practice of new technology in the library, give full play to library technical expertise to solve the problem of resource construction, use laws and regulations to restrict readers' behavior, and promote active use of services to drive the traditional library business.

Keywords

• university libraries|metaverse|application scene|virtual space|smart library