Virtual library in the concept of digital twin

With the technological advancements and the widespread adoption of the internet, the physical library has lost its role as the main resource of information. As the Metaverse is becoming more and more apparent, a revolutionary change is expected in how we understand social relationships and consequently, education. It is therefore necessary for libraries to upgrade the services they provide to keep in line with the technological trends and be a part of this virtual revolution. We believe that the design and development of a Virtual Reality (VR) library can be the community and knowledge hub the society needs. In this paper we go through the process of creating a digital twin of the Limassol Municipal University Library, a landmark for the city of Limassol, by using photogrammetry and 3D modelling. By integrating the concept of digital twin, we developed a 3D platform where users have the perception that they are exhibiting the actual library. To do so, we conducted a perceptual study to understand the current usage of physical libraries, examine the users' experience in VR, and identify the requirements and expectations in the development of a virtual library counterpart. Following the suggestions and observations of our user study, we implemented five common case scenarios that demonstrate a potential use of a virtual library.