Chad Hutchens
Head of Digital Collections
University of Wyoming
Tyler Kerr
Coe Student Innovation Center Makerspace Coordinator
University of Wyoming
Two years ago, the University of Wyoming (UW) Libraries and Geological Museum began 3D scanning fossil specimens using structured light scanners. To date, approximately 600 fossil specimens spanning 2.6 billion years, from the Precambrian to the Pleistocene Era, have been scanned and made available via UW’s Digital Collections repository. Ultimately, our goal was to share accessible 3D content with a wide audience, which proved challenging due to a lack of existing standards for interactive 3D digital collections. Typical library/archival digital asset management systems lack support for interactive 3D content delivery. Further, prohibitive costs and technical and spatial requisites prevent virtual reality (VR) from being widely adopted by the general public. To address these challenges, we partnered with UW’s Coe Student Innovation Center makerspace to develop a 3D content delivery system that utilizes both traditional print media as well as a smart device augmented reality (AR) application. This new, easily accessible content delivery method for collections has exciting potential for public outreach, fundraising, mobile and interactive collection uses, as well as promising pedagogical use as open educational resources. Attendees will be encouraged to try the system on their own iOS or Android phones/tablets.
http://www.uwyo.edu/ceas/engineering-initiative/csic/
http://hdl.handle.net/10176/wyu:167614
