Academic Librarians' Attitudes towards Augmented Reality

Background. Augmented reality (AR) is a digital layer in the physical environment which adds virtual elements to the real world. Academic libraries must meet certain criteria to qualify as fourth-generation libraries, one of which is the use of new technologies. This study aimed to investigate academic librarians' views on the application of components of AR technology in the libraries of medical universities.
Methods. The study was a cross-sectional survey. The statistical population included all librarians working at medical science universities in Iran. The sample size comprised 183 librarians who participated in the present research. The study utilized a quantitative research approach and a researcher-made questionnaire. Internal validity of the questionnaire was assessed through CVI and reliability was assessed using ICC (validity within and between assessors). The face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed using the opinions of 10 experts in the fields of information science and AR technology and its reliability was obtained with Cronbach's alpha correlation coefficient of 0.96 and the test-retest method. Using the online questionnaire, the data of the librarians' perspectives on the components of familiarity, facilities, application, advantages, opportunities, and limitations were collected in the form of 5 Likert questions. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), independent t-test, ANOVA, and Tukey to evaluate the status of AR technology components were utilized for data analysis.
Results. The general attitude of librarians towards the components of application, facilities, advantages, opportunities, and limitations of AR technology on a five-point Likert scale with an average total score of 3.75. ± 0.05. Overall, 73.65% of librarians agreed with AR technology and 86.99% agreed with its application component in the libraries of medical universities. The results of the Tukey test showed that more graduate students than PhD students agreed with the component of facilities available in university libraries to launch AR. The AR component of library management and assistance to librarians was considered more effective by librarians over 50 than those under 30 (P <0.05).
Conclusion. According to the results of the present study, the most important components for the use of AR technology in the libraries of medical universities to strengthen user education included the existence of appropriate content, usefulness, providing diverse services, user guidance, location, and the opportunity to implement AR on a larger scale. The librarians' attitudes toward launching AR technology were favorable and they agreed with its applicability.