As the technological landscape changes and grows, libraries aim to adapt and keep up with these changes. One of the ways they are doing so is by incorporating virtual reality in their libraries. Through grants, academic libraries have been experimenting with this type of technology in seeing how it may benefit their patrons. These technologies are used "to drive accelerated learning" by being integrated in training for future careers (Douglass-Westergard 2021).
While there may be some challenges in incorporating such technologies that meet certain criteria such as affordability, digital literacy training, and reliability, librarians are learning how to become a "linchpin" in making these programs work (Douglass-Westergard 2021). As we become more familiar with technology, the more integrated it may be in daily life. By having librarians be a key figure in knowing how to navigate these tools and be a source of information for digital literacy, this ensures the integral function of libraries in today's society.
Below is a video of how one library is using virtual reality to help seniors become more tech literate.
"WebXtra: Nacogdoches library gets VR headsets to assist seniors with tech" by KLTV 7
References
Douglass-Westergard, T. (2021). Feel the Learn: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Interactive 3D Courses. Online Searcher, 45(3), 21–25.
Digital Storytelling is another great tool that can be used by librarians to have a greater way to reach patrons in the community. It is defined as "...the process of using multimedia tools to tell a story” (Yazdian & Diamant-Cohen 2023). Digital storytelling can also serve as an activity to be used by students and patrons which can help hone their skills with technology and also teach them in how to craft and depict a narrative with the help of online tools.
Digital storytelling comes in many different forms. When a librarian makes use of digital storytelling, this often results in Storytime or circle time videos. With their already honed skills from in person storytime programs, librarians can incorporate this into virtual storytimes & circle times. A 3 things to note when creating a story/circle time video is to:
1. Be Interactive!
Much like children's television shows, you can use the same tactics of asking questions and pausing for a response (Fast 2020). You can also encourage them to follow along with different hand or body movements and ask them repeat new words.
2. Incorporate Props or Photos & Animations!
This will likely encourage greater engagement and allow the video to become more attractive to the young audience. By having props while telling the story, it makes it easier to bring out certain important objects or to even emphasize new vocabulary and different colors (Fast 2020).
3. Feel free to add background music or sound effects!
By adding background noises or music, you can create a more engaging atmosphere. With noise effects, you can create a more tangible environment, or your background music can match the tone of the story you're reading. This helps get across more emotion when storytelling.
Digital Storytelling for Students
Not only can librarians make their own digital storytimes, but there are also many resources such as apps and websites where kids can make their own digital stories. While this can also work at a public library, at a school library, librarians can have these programs downloaded or accessible through school provided resources such as tablets or computers. Some of the programs that can be used are:
Fast, K. (2020). Make a Fabulous Storytime/Circle Time Video. School Library Journal, 66(5), 24–25.
Yazdian, L. M. S., & Diamant-Cohen, B. (2023). Upping Your Digital Storytelling Game. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 21(1), 35–36. https://doi-org.palomar.idm.oclc.org/10.5860/cal.21.1.35
Presentation Tools in Libraries - Julianna Carranza
As we grow in the digital age, libraries have progressively been incorporating new ways to share information. This is done through programs and classes conducted and through libraries using technological presentation tools to create a more engaging and interactive way to educate the public. We will discuss a few of these tools below!
PowerPoint
PowerPoint is a program developed by Microsoft that makes it easy to create and design engaging and informative presentation slides. It comes with already made formats and allows users to cutomize each slide for whatever is needed. You can easily add images and videos as well!
See the video below for further information:
"How to Use PowerPoint (Basics)" by HubSpot Marketing
Google Slides
Much like Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides is another easy way to create customizable slides for presentations. All you need to access this program is a Gmail account which you can get for free. It has many of the same tools offered with PowerPoint along with premade templates you can choose from.
See the video below for further information:
"A Beginners Guide to Creating Presentations with Google Slides" by Dear DISes
Canva
Canva is a great place to go not just to make presentation slides, but also things like videos, flyers, infographics, and much more! It offers a variety of free graphics that you can use to easily decorate your presentations for a more eye-catching effect, and you can easily change the color scheme and fonts of your presentation with premade themes. There is a much greater variety of premade templates, and you can easily find one to fit your needs!
See the video below for further information:
"CANVA TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS 2024 (How to start using Canva step by step)" by Kate Hayes
By becoming familiar with these presentation platforms and the tools offered, libraries will be able to use them as a modern and fun way to further share information and assist others using these tools as well!
References
Dear DISes. (2023, June 13). A Beginners Guide to Creating Presentations with Google Slides. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49hVJYKK6Js
Hayes, K. (2023, September 5). CANVA TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS 2024 (How to start using Canva step by step). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCEtWz5imUs&t=44s
HubSpot Marketing. (2019, October 28). How to Use PowerPoint (Basics). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eer0_GHEumM
As modern technologies have come to increasingly influence our daily lives and institutions, libraries have also come to adapt to meet the needs of today's digital age. This evolution can be seen in how libraries incorporate online programs and digital tools for the daily operations of the library and in how they provide information and resources to patrons.
Adopting and implementing new technologies "enables librarians to use new technologies to promote sustainability of their roles..." (Mabunda & Du Plessis, 2022). In creating easier access to ebooks, online databases, the library's catalog, and remote librarian services, this increases the accessiblity to a greater population within the library's community. Libraries have also become vital giving the public access to technology such as desktops, printers, scanners, 3-D printers, and other digital resources that many may not have at home. In the article "Librarians in the Digital Age," it states, "Consider Multnomah County Library’s Lyndsey Runyan… overseeing a new facility… for underserved teenagers to build science, technology, engineering, arts, and math skills by making electronic music, building robots, utilizing 3-D printers, and more" (Feldman & Todaro, 2016). By providing access to such resources to underserved communities, libraries are in effect ensuring that their patrons are not limited by their circumstances.
In many libraries, there are also programs that aim to help people grow in their digital literacy. With this ever evolving landscape, it can be harder for some to adjust and adapt, especially with this unprecedented access to information from the world wide web. By creating free programs that can aide patrons in developing online skills, it can allow them to have greater opportunities in the future and help them learn how they can find trustworthy and reliable sources.
Librarians sre now able to spread information in a new way, not just through books, but with technology. As Feldman and Todaro note, “librarians… take pride in playing an integral role in the educational, cultural, and information experiences of their patrons” (2016).
The video below gives further information about libraries in the digital age.
Mabunda, T. T., & Du Plessis, T. (2022). Employees’ perception of knowledge management in academic libraries in the digital age. South African Journal of Libraries & Information Science, 88(1), 1–11. https://doi-org.palomar.idm.oclc.org/10.7553/88-1-2057
Libraries in the Metaverse: Embracing Virtual and Augmented Reality
By Amber Scroggy
Since the beginning of the Digital Age, approximately 1990, librarians have taken the opportunity to embrace innovative technologies. They adopted computers and the internet as a means to revolutionize resources through digitization and to better serve their communities. Now, Librarians are exploring how virtual reality like three dimensional graphics (3D), simulated spaces, and even gaming can change learning and collaboration.
By embracing virtual reality libraries can expand access and services. In his article Editorial Board Thoughts: The Promise of Immersive Libraries, Jerome Yavarkovsky, Emeritus University Librarian at Boston College, explores the potential uses of virtual reality by libraries in an article publish in 2013. Here is a summary of potential uses he discusses:
Collaborative workspaces: Augmented reality space where students, teachers, and researchers can work together on projects, assignments, and presentations eliminating limitations to physical space, (Yavarkovsky, 2013).
Access to resources: In a virtual library there would be the ability to access digital resources such as search engines, online catalogs, media and interactive media like 3D models and simulations, (Yavarkovsky, 2013).
Enhanced Learning Opportunities: where libraries will offer immersive interactive experiences like virtual study representations of 3D dimensionally digitized resources such as Mayan Pottery with related resources including historical archives, (Yavarkovsky, 2013).
Information Literacy: Libraries and other educators can use virtual spaces to host immersive programs for information literacy, research consultations, and document delivery services to their communities, enhancing their ability to find, evaluate and effectively use information, (Yavarkovsky, 2013).
Distance Education: Libraries and can support distance learning through the use of virtual reality by enabling access to resources and collaborative spaces from anywhere in the world, (Yavarkovsky, 2013).
Additionally, Elizabeth Zak, adjunct instructor at Dominican University, discussed augmented reality in her article Do You Believe in Magic? Exploring the Conceptualization of Augmented Reality and its Implications for The User in the Field of Library and Information Science defining Augmented Reality (AR) as a blending of physical environment with digital elements. She explores how AR can transform the library by expanding access and services, (Zak, 2014). In the library she say’s “AR can improve library instruction, provide information retrieval about shelved books through recognition applications, reconstruct and restore artifacts, and deliver services at point of need through QR codes,” (Zak, 2014).
Having embraced the transformative potential of the Digital Age, librarians stand on the cusp of another exciting evolution: virtual and augmented reality.
This video looks at how one library has embraced virtual reality:
If you made it all the way here....
Thank you for reading!😁
Yavarkovsky, J. (2013). Editorial Board Thoughts: The promise of immersive libraries. Information Technology and Libraries, 32(4), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v32i4.5267
Zak, E. (2014). Do you believe in magic? exploring the conceptualization of augmented reality and its implications for the user in the field of Library and Information Science. Information Technology and Libraries, 33(4), 23–50. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v33i4.5638
The What, Who’s, Why’s,
and How's of Digital Storytelling
By Amber Scroggy
Technology
has advanced rapidly in the past twenty or so years. Today’s digital world offers
countless creative digital presentation tools at our fingertips, allowing
stories to go beyond pen and paper. Storytelling has evolved into a dynamic
blend of creativity and technology providing endless opportunities and
inventive ways to communicate and share ideas, (Dreon et al., 2011). Through
learning what digital storytelling is, why it’s beneficial, who uses it and how
they use it, we can better understand the process and impact of digital
storytelling.
What is Digital
Storytelling?
Digital storytelling is a dynamic presentation tool used to
combine a narrative with digital media, (Robin, 2008) bridging the gap between
traditional instruction and the digital culture of learners today. According to,
Digital storytelling: Capturing lives, creating community, by Joe Lambert,
as sited by (Dreon et al., 2011, pg. 5) there are seven elements for creating a
digital story. These elements are point of view, a dramatic question, emotional
content, the gift of your voice, the power of soundtrack, economy, and pacing. Through
the incorporation of these elements and digital presentation tools, a digital story
can go beyond traditional instruction creating a more meaningful learning experience
that encourages connection for contemporary learners.
Take a look at this video to learn more
about digital storytelling:
Who Uses
Digital Storytelling?
This is really a quick
answer. Anyone who wants to create a digital story!
How is Digital
Storytelling Used?
To answer this question, I will briefly discuss how librarians, teachers, schools and students have use digital storytelling.
Librarians - use digital
storytelling to share library resources, highlight events, engage readers,
promote literacy, teach information literacy skills, and to enhance the
learning experience. They accomplish this through the creation of digital booktalks
and book trailers, (Dreon et al., 2011). Librarians create these digital stories
using various presentation tools (see my previous blog A
Look at Presentation Tools Used by Librarians), incorporating images,
sounds, videos and more to make content more accessible and appealing, (Dreon
et al., 2011). Similarly, teachers and schools use digital storytelling as a
tool for collaboration and integrating technology into curriculum including general
education: math, literature, history, and science, or to introduce projects and
assess student outcomes. Finally, Students use digital storytelling for projects assigned
in any course including interdisciplinary projects (Dreon et al., 2011), to demonstrate
their understanding of concepts through demonstration of their written, organizational,
and creative skills, (Dreon et al., 2011).
Take a look at this video to see how elementary students used digital storytelling:
Why Use Digital
Storytelling?
Digital Storytelling is
exercise for the brain. Creating Digital stories helps to develop a range of
skills including research, writing, storyboarding, video editing, and critical
thinking skills, (Dreon et al., 2011). Additionally, digital storytelling alleviates
accessibility issues for diverse learning needs in a number of ways including
video, audio, pictures, writing, and other interactive elements reducing barriers
to learning.
If you made it all the way here....
Thank you for reading!😁
References:
Robin, B. R. (2008). Digital storytelling:
A powerful technology tool for the 21st century classroom. Theory Into
Practice, 47(3), 220–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802153916
Dreon, O., Kerper, R. M., &
Landis, J. (2011). Digital Storytelling: A Tool for Teaching and Learning in
the YouTube Generation. Middle School Journal, 42(5), 4–10. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23047749
As education evolves in the digital age, libraries are expanding their use of technology tools to educate the communities they serve. Incorporating technology in libraries fosters digital literacy and empowers library staff to create content that captures the attention of it’s audience. Among these tools are presentation software. There are many options to create dynamic and engaging presentations. We’ll discuss three of those options in this blog post.
Google Slides: Among the most popular is Google Slides. It is a free, web-based presentation tool. You’re able to collaborate with others and edit the slides in real time. It is very user friendly and easy to navigate. If you know how to use PowerPoint, you’ll know how to use Google Slides. With hundreds of templates, you’re sure to find something that suites your needs. A tutorial can be found here: Google Slides Tutorial
Canva: Canva is a free, template based graphic design platform. This tool has hundreds of templates allowing you to create something simple like a resume to something more complex like a YouTube video. The free version of Canva is more than enough to create amazing content, but you also have a choice to upgrade your account to premium which unlocks more graphics, templates, specialty tools, and more. Learn more about Canva here: Canva Tutorial for Beginners
Haiku Deck: Haiku Deck is a unique tool for librarians. Haiku Deck has a partnership with the Getty Museum where you have access to over a million licensed images. These images can be inserted into your presentation and then you have the option to present your presentation online through haikudeck.com or download it into a PowerPoint or PDF. Watch a tutorial here: Haiku Desk - Basic Tutorial
As time goes on, librarians are continuously growing their skills to keep up with the digital age. It is comforting to know there are tools available to empower their reach to the people they serve.
works cited:
Great Presentation Tools for Librarians. YouTube. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtHAQR4EHoc
Librarians use a multitude of presentation tools to develop engaging presentations. Various programs enable the creation of engaging and memorable lessons, helping students better understand and connect with the content and concepts presented. Choosing the right tool for a presentation depends on the creator’s needs and desired visual attributes. Additionally, there are presentation tools that are integrative, allowing students to actively participate in the presentation, (Whicker et al., 2012).
There are numerous presentation tools available to meet those needs, and luckily some of them are free, or low cost. Here is list curated in an article by Jennifer Resor Whicker, Kathy Shields and Amy Chadwella that briefly looks at some of the presentation tools used by librarians to enhance library instruction:
Prezi - Online tool used to create multimedia presentations and favored for its infinite canvas. https://prezi.com
Mindomo - A customizable online mind-mapping tool that allows real-time collaboration. https://www.mindomo.com
Bubbl.us - An online brainstorming tool for creating basic mind maps. https://bubbl.us
Lino - Online canvas tool for posting sticky notes, including multimedia stickers. https://en.linoit.com
Poll Everywhere - An Audience response tool for real-time polling via the web, twitter or text. https://www.polleverywhere.com
Google forms - Online form creation tool for collecting response in Google Spreadsheets. https://docs.google.com/forms
Evernote - A note-taking program that syncs across internet accessible devices. https://www.evernote.com
TechSmith Capture - (Previously Jing) A free screencasting tool for capturing images and videos from a computer screen. https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
Join.Me - A screen-sharing and teleconferencing tool
Another screencasting tool that has a free option and multiple pay options depending on your budget and needs is:
It is obvious to see that there are numerous options to pick and choose from. Perhaps using one of the brainstorming programs listed above can help choose the right presentation tools to design and enrich your next presentation!
Here is a list of additional presentation tools that may prove useful in creating visually appealing and engaging presentations:
Rethinking the Library: How Libraries Use Digital Tools and Technology in the Digital Age
By Amber Scroggy
Libraries have evolved, they are institutions that are adapting to the Digital Age through the use of various digital tools designed to curate, catalogue, share, and circulate multiple forms of mass media. What? Oh yeah, I said mass media. In order to get to the digital age, there had to be a need for communication and a tool to present it. The beginnings of mass media started when humans began drawing and writing on walls in caves and on stone. Let’s take a look at a timeline of the tools used since those distant ancestors I previously mentioned:
During the Pre-Industrial Age, the first printing press was invented. During the Industrial Age the telegraph, typewriter, telephone, camera, record player, and radio were all invented, all necessary to the Golden Age of television, radio, and cinema. Between 1930 and 1990 was the Electronic Age when Cable TV, FM Radio, cassette tapes, VCR, the first email, cellular phone, and personal computers emerged along with their operating systems, and various programs for those computers. However, the end of the 20th Century and the start of the 21st Century saw the biggest spike in the evolution of mass media, and the beginning of the Digital Age or the “Evolution of New Media” (NIMCJ, 2024). It began in 1991 with the invention of the World Wide Web (WWW) and in 1995 Microsoft’s Internet Explorer made the WWW accessible to anyone with the means to access it, (NIMCJ, 2024).
Since 1995, the Digital Age has made leaps and bounds. It seems, that most forms of mass media have been digitized. As the world has become increasingly reliant on digital access, libraries have stepped up to make accessing the vast repositories of digital knowledge more accessible for their patrons and the librarians that support them.
Digital Age libraries have adopted the use of technologies such as presentation tools, often cloud based, to streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, visualize data, and improve library collection management and operations (Kipps, K. L., & Jones, A. K., (2020). The article, Things Are Looking Up: Using Cloud-Based Technology Tools in Collection Management Workflows, by Kayla L. Kipps and Allison K. Jones discusses how the College of Charleston Libraries integrated various cloud-based tools for collection management workflow and highlighted the practical applications and pros and cons of cloud-based tools. A few of the tools discussed include Google Drive and Spreadsheets, Tableau Public, Microsoft Project 2000, LibGuides, Alma and Koha, EBSCO Discovery Service, Citation Management Software, Eprints, and more, (Kipps & Jones, 2020) .
Keeping up with the times, libraries have evolved to embrace technology in an effort to enhance services which better serve the increasing community of digital users. The evolution has led to hybrid institutions that combine traditional resources, books, newspapers, magazines, and more with those same resource stored as digitized materials in various forms for use on various devices. Presentation tools have enabled libraries to continue providing vital services to the community and the means to access these new services including access to computers and other computing devices for those in the communities who would be lost to the digital divide.
Check out this TEDx Talk: Are Libraries Still Relevant? with Liz Bartlett
If you made it all the way here....
Thank you for reading!😁
References:
Kipps,
K. L., & Jones, A. K. (2020). Things are looking up: Using cloud-based
technology tools in collection management workflows. Serials Review, 46(3),
215–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/00987913.2020.1806646
The library's digital storytelling approach merges classic narrative techniques with contemporary multimedia capabilities to produce interactive and interactive stories that boost literacy and creativity while encouraging community participation. Through multimedia elements like audio and video together with images and text libraries enable patrons, particularly young people, to create self-expression and share personal narratives while exploring literature through dynamic methods. Digital book trailers and multimedia journals along with oral history projects teach patrons both reading and writing skills while providing digital literacy education through the use of tools such as Canva, iMovie and Book Creator. Through these initiatives libraries promote inclusive storytelling which enables them to engage diverse audiences and conserve local voices while also stimulating creativity and lifelong education. The ACRL publication Keeping Up With… Digital Storytelling demonstrates how libraries integrate classic storytelling methods with multimedia technology to build interactive narratives which enhance literacy, creativity and community participation. Through multimedia elements including audio, video, images and text libraries enable patrons especially young individuals to express their creativity share their stories and engage with literature in innovative ways.
Here is an example of digital storytelling.
This video explains how Powerpoint is used for digital storytelling
Work Cited
"Keeping Up With… Digital Storytelling", American Library Association, February 14, 2018
https://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/storytelling (Accessed May 13, 2025)
Document ID: 742e0eb9-6534-425a-b33e-6de302a1d385
"Digital Storytelling using Animation & Drawing" YouTube, uploaded by Doing in the Classroom, 10 May 2025
"Digital Storytelling with PowerPoint" YouTube, uploaded by Grady Megan, 10 Mat 2025
Presentation tools in the library- By: Marquita Jackson
Libraries have evolved beyond silent study environments and now serve as dynamic hubs for educational activities and creative collaboration.Modern presentation tools serve as one method to promote this vibrant energy. The use of digital tools by libraries to improve their information sharing methods has grown across all types of programs such as public workshops and teen programs as well as staff training. PowerPoint, Google Slides and Canva stand out as popular tools that enable staff members to produce compelling visual presentations suitable for events and storytimes as well as digital display purposes. Certain libraries utilize Prezi and Mentimeter platforms to enhance audience interaction in their events. Zoom along with Microsoft Teams and Google Meet provide functionality that enables virtual programs and remote education delivery.Patrons working on multimedia presentations or school projects at makerspaces and digital media labs within libraries can utilize video editing software such as Adobe Premiere or iMovie. Certain libraries provide patrons with the ability to borrow projectors and document cameras or interactive whiteboards to facilitate educational sessions and community gatherings. These tools enable library staff and patrons to share ideas in creative ways which transforms learning into an accessible and enjoyable modern experience.
This video talks about the top presentation tools used by library professionals.
A library typically brings to mind multiple rows of bookshelves with a tranquil reading area accompanied by the smell of antiquated paper. Your local library now likely offers more than just books because it includes computer labs, digital media stations, online databases, and potentially even a 3D printer or virtual reality headset. This is what a library looks like in the digital era. Modern libraries have integrated technology into their services to remain relevant and address their community members' changing requirements. Libraries have evolved into future-oriented institutions by providing services like free Wi-Fi and eBooks along with coding workshops and tech training rather than simply lending books.The library provides options to stream movies or take online courses and offer help in researching genealogy and job applications in a single location. The primary focus of modern libraries includes their significant efforts to eliminate the digital divide. Libraries function as essential resources for residents who lack internet connectivity or digital capabilities in their homes. They help people develop digital skills while making sure individuals of all backgrounds can succeed in our technology-centered society. If someone tells you libraries are outdated you can tell them they need to investigate further. Modern libraries are vibrant centers where continuous innovation meets inclusive opportunities and limitless potential.
Check out these articles about libraries moving to the Digital Age.
As an information-dense society, libraries provide a dynamic space for collaboration, learning and engagement. One important service libraries provide is programming to communities through workshops and classes. Libraries can use presentation tools to enhance their own programs or can teach patrons to use tools. In libraries, presentation tools can help in sharing information, supporting community needs, and improving the digital literacy of patrons.
Presentation tools can include a wide range of technologies, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi, and Canva. With many of these tools web-based, they are available to use from any location (Dietz and Sinkinson). To learn more about using each of these tools, please watch these videos or visit the links below:
Libraries are continuously evolving beyond traditional spaces, and one of the most exciting developments is the incorporation of virtual reality into library services. Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive technology where a headset worn by an individual can simulate a three dimensional environment, and allow a user to explore and interact with the virtual surrounding. VR is a useful tool to transport patrons beyond the walls of the library, and into places far in both space and time. “One of the most prominent applications of VR and AR in libraries is the creation of immersive learning experiences. Through VR headsets, patrons can embark on virtual tours of historical sites, wander through ancient libraries, or explore distant galaxies. These experiences transport users to different times and places, allowing for deeper understanding and engagement with historical events and cultural artifacts” (Augmented Reality). Libraries can also use VR tools for immersive storytelling, to share important news events or share stories (Virtual Reality).
Public and academic libraries have incorporated VR into programming as an immersive learning tool, that can promote engagement and digital equity for the community. Want to learn more about how libraries are using Visual Reality? Watch these videos to see how VR can be used in a library setting:
Check out how the San Jose Public Library is using virtual reality with its library patrons for both recreational and educational uses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riEK3vaLGFU
This YouTube discusses how an academic library, the University of Oklahoma, is using virtual reality to provide students with a in depth experience on academic topics and research using VR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmL3T28Ud1k
