Beyond Storytime: Virtual Augmented Reality, AI, and Arts Programs for Middle Grades

Abstract

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the West Vancouver (BC) Memorial Library was well-positioned to make the transition to a fully virtual program model—fortunate to have the support of a library foundation and to have two dedicated digital access librarians.

But in this time of great transition, we were still left wondering how we were going to offer complex programs on topics like augmented reality (AR) in a virtual environment. We found great success with the Flipped Classroom model, where kids and families do some downloading, experimenting, and playing in advance.