There’s now a cooler way to explore and discover the Central Library. The 3D library tour using Google Earth technology was launched on 8 August 2008 with the aim of helping users to find their way around the Central Library, the largest of the NUS Libraries. All you need is to download the free Google Earth plugin, currently available for Windows users only.
The 3D Interactive map not only showcases the Central Library’s facilities and collections in a visually pleasing way, it also helps users and visitors familiarise themselves with the layout and organisation of Central Library, all at their own pace and time. And for those who aren’t, two customised tours have been created. There’s an orientation tour, designed for new undergraduates to discover the vast amount of resources and the services at their disposal, and a “quickie” tour for those in a hurry! In both tours, additional information is given about a landmark only when you click on the icon on top of the site, or when you do a search for a place in the library using the search box in the right column.
Still under development is the 3D Book Search feature. When completed, you’ll be able to do a call number search, and the tool will proceed to locate your book right to the exact shelf.
Since its launch, more than 3,200 visits have been recorded. Overseas visits came from 24 countries, namely the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China and Thailand just to name a few. Frank Taylor, author of Google Earth Blog reviewed our new site in early October had this to say “A real 3D tour of the inside of a building is pretty slick!” So check out this cool addition at our portal http://www.lib.nus.edu.sg/nus/3d/virtual.html and have fun!
Thavamani Prem Kumar