New Plymouth District Council's Puke Ariki has become the first library in New Zealand to have a dedicated Virtual Reality room for use by schools, disability and community groups.
The hi-tech VR facility has been set up for Tech week 2019 where visitors will get the chance to walk through a surrealist Salvador Dali panting, explore the ocean or paint the world with particles from the big bang.
The VR room is already a hit with all 112 experiences for Tech week now booked out. The resource will be permanent with plans to use it with content created for future exhibitions and as an educational tool for school groups and community organisations.
The new installation confirms Puke Ariki's position as a world-leader in library technology, Acting Puke Ariki Manager Colleen Mullin says.
"From the QuickCheck system which makes taking out book easy to free wifi and computers for library users, Puke Ariki uses technology to make the library experience even better. Libraries have always played an instrumental role in bringing new technology to communities, from bound pages and VHS tapes, to MP3s and eBooks streaming directly from the cloud," she says.
