Virtual reality ‘experiences’ available in Pleasant Hills

By Eric Seiverling

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

Pleasant Hills residents can now walk through the house of Anne Frank in Amsterdam, go toe-to-toe with Darth Vader in a light-saber battle and view Earth from the cockpit of the space shuttle without leaving the comfort of the library.

Thanks to a $1,000 mini-grant earlier this summer from the Jefferson Regional Foundation, the library recently purchased the Oculus Quest wireless virtual reality system, which provides three dimensional, life-like “experiences” that transport the user to different countries, eras and even different worlds.

The library will unveil the system to the public for the first time during its “Welcome to the World of Virtual Reality” program from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the library’s downstairs Program Room.

Residents can thank the library’s adult program coordinator, Amanda Neeley, for bringing the cutting-edge technology to the library.

“I applied for the grant with the hopes of getting the VR system,” Neeley said. “A library is still considered a hub of the community. People come here for a lot of different reasons — technology being one of them.”

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