South Madison Community Invited to Try Virtual Reality during Penguin Party at the Library

Goodman South Madison Library is inviting the South Madison community to try Virtual Reality during a Penguin Party planned for Friday, January 19 from 1-3pm.

Teen Librarian Will Glenn partnered with Field Day Lab at UW-Madison to participate in a fellowship project aimed at helping librarians use Virtual Reality to explore topics related to Antarctica. As part of the project Will and library patrons provided input on the design of a Virtual Reality game called, Waddle: A Penguins Tale. Field Day designs learning games, and Glenn has an interest in bringing new technology to the youth he interacts with at Goodman South Madison Library. One of his regular programs is Let’s Blow Off Some STEAM, where he partners with local science and technology organizations to offer programs on robotics, chemical reactions, circuits and more. This latest collaboration with Field Day Lab helped him bring Virtual Reality into the library in a way that allowed youth to explore new environments in a fun and educational format. 

"Virtual Reality in public libraries opens the doors of imagination and knowledge, transforming  the traditional quest for information into an immersive adventure of discovery," said Glenn.

The Penguin Parties are an opportunity for even more people to experience this Virtual Reality technology in action and immerse themselves in the life of Adelie penguins in Antarctica. Waddle was developed in conjunction with polar researcher and educator, Jean Pennycook, and attendees will get to learn how penguins build nests and defend their eggs against the predatory skua. The game was created as part of a larger project funded by the National Science Foundation that includes a partnership between libraries throughout Wisconsin, Field Day, WID Virtual Environments Group, PolarTREC, and the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. 

"This project provides a great way for librarians to explore how to use Virtual Reality within a library setting, while also learning about research being done at UW-Madison. The ultimate goal is to produce a new set of Virtual Reality games and programming strategies that can be used to engage patrons and expose them to current scientific research,” said Jim Mathews, Research and Education Director for Field Day. “The things we learn from Will during this collaboration will be shared with other libraries." 

The event will also include a viewing of the movie Happy Feet and a craft where kids can make their own paper penguins. Light refreshments will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. No registration required.

Spanish-speakers are invited to attend the same event facilitated in Spanish on Saturday, January 20 from 2-4pm. LEARN MORE

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Madison Public Library’s tradition of promoting education, literacy and community involvement has enriched the City of Madison for more than 140 years.  Visit the library online at www.madisonpubliclibrary.org, madisonpubliclibrary on Facebook, @madisonlibrary on X (formerly Twitter), or @madisonpubliclibrary on Instagram.