360-degree virtual tour simulates walk through Widener Library
Widener, like all of Harvard’s libraries, is currently closed to the public as part of a University-wide effort to reduce the number of people on campus amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, there’s a new way to visit — and you don’t even need a Harvard ID. Harvard Library has partnered with a digital production company to create a 360-degree virtual tour of Widener, using a model constructed from thousands of photographs taken inside the building. Viewers can gaze up at the skylights of the Loker Reading Room, wander through the lower-level stacks, and examine the bookshelves holding Harry Widener’s personal collection. Along the tour, markers indicate an option to read historical details. View the full interactive tour. The virtual tour was conceptualized and commissioned by Harvard Library’s digital scholarship program manager Matt Cook and head of research services Reed Lowrie. Cook said their vision was to “provide an experience of...