Virtual reality can be found at Monroe Free Library

By Bob Quinn
MONROE — Like life itself, virtual reality can be humbling.
And just as thrilling.
On a recent Friday, this writer, wearing a headset and holding a remote in each hand, stepped into the batter’s box within a virtual reality program at the Monroe Free Library.
There’s a choice: Fast ball, not so fast ball and a lazy, slow pitch.
Picked slow. After all, it’s been a while since I swung a bat.
Swing. Miss.
Swing. Miss again.
Swing. Not even close.
So there I was, humbled, as Marilyn McIntosh, the library’s executive director, and Alex Carver, head of information technology, looked on.
Close encounters with ... Virtual reality is an artificial environment created with software and presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment.
As humbling as the strikeout was, what Carver offered next was exciting.
First, to a program called TheBlu, which takes you under the sea to explore shipwrecks with schools of fish and a really close encounter with a blue whale.
And just as quickly, you can move into the VR Museum of Art:
See how tall Michaelangelo’s The David really is (16 feet, 11.15 inches).
Stand face to face with the terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Walk behind them. Notice how each face is different.
Then try to fathom the Mona Lisa’s smile just inches from your view.
There’s also a program that explores the dreams Salvatore Dali and one that simulates a space walk from the International Space Station.
You also can sling boulders to destroy walls of boxes. And you can defend your castle from invaders using only a bow and arrow. (It can become addictive. It certainly can be competitive.)
There also are roller coasters to nowhere, defying logic as well as gravity, and yet delivering you safely home. (If you fear heights, take note.)
And the trip to Tahiti - without the two days of travel to the south Pacific - will show you why you should put this adventure on your Bucket List.
CuriousThe Monroe Free Library spent about $2,000 for the VR equipment and the initial run of programs. Many of the programs are free, created by game programmers looking to build their portfolios. Other programs cost 99 cents.
McIntosh and Carver said the virtual reality programs are about learning, about experiencing, in a sense, what may not seem possible.
It’s also the next level of what a library can provide: A book, a CD, an experience of sorts.
As McIntosh said, the experience is not whether you are young or old - just whether you are curious.
EssentialsVR is offered every Friday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment.
Due to the stereoscopic nature of the headset, VR is appropriate for patrons 10 years old and older.
For more information, call 845 783-4411 or visit online at www.monroefreelibrary.org.