How Augmented Visual Feedback Aids Patrons’ Reading and Interaction with Rare Books – Evidence from Eye Movement

Library rare books are crucial resources in libraries that add specializations to library collections. These rare books are valuable in their content, which documents significant research achievements, historical events in various fields, and their forms. To improve the accessibility of the useful library collection, this study developed different types of visual representations using augmented reality technology. As a study of our serial research endeavors, this study further investigates how participants used different augmented visual elements during their reading, and if their use of these visual materials affected their understanding. A total of 63 college students’ eye movements when reading the assigned rare book were recorded and analyzed. The participants were assigned into 4 groups to read the rare book on medical plants with augmented visual feedback in terms of different media elements. Their attention to the layout elements and plant parts, as well as their referencing behaviors between semantic sections, were recorded and analyzed to understand how the augmented visual feedback affected and aided them in reading rare books.