Librarians collaborating with instructors for course integration of virtual reality

Background: Health science libraries have invested in virtual reality technology and spaces to support use of this technology for teaching, learning, and research. Virtual reality has many uses within health sciences education such as simulation, exploration and learning, and soft skills development. It can also be used to build empathy in health sciences students through applications that provide an immersive, first-person perspective. Case Presentation: This case describes how a health sciences library and liaison librarians partnered with a course instructor to support a class utilizing the library’s virtual reality resources. Librarians were collaborators in the development of the class and facilitated class sessions in the Virtual Reality Studio. Class sessions utilized the Beatriz Lab by Embodied Labs to increase empathy in medical students who were interested in working with geriatric or Alzheimer’s patients. Conclusion: Liaison librarians support teaching and learning through a variety of tools and resources, including virtual reality. By partnering with instructors, librarians can use their instruction and collection knowledge to design and facilitate classes that are meaningful and interactive. Virtual reality applications provide another resource that librarians can incorporate into their course-integrated instruction sessions.