Libraries have been the key to preserving culture and historic legacy for centuries. One such treasure cataloged in The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Libraries is a collection of over 33,000 Sanborn™ Fire Insurance Maps. Originally kept safe in metal drawers, the library has embarked on a journey to digitize this abundance of information, combine it with other media such as photographs, and make it accessible through a web interface. Inspired by these efforts, we accessed this information and took it to the next level. Using state of the art 3D modeling and immersive technologies, we created a historic 3D model and immersive experiences of Penn State, exemplarily for the 1922 campus. The resulting experiences can be accessed through the web but also through head mounted displays (HMDs) and mobile phones in combination with VR viewers such as the Google Cardboard. Additionally, they can be used anywhere in the world or on the campus itself as a way to enable remote and in situ experiences and learning. Immersive experiences let us connect to the past, the present and the future, and as such offer value to digital cultural heritage efforts.

中文翻译：

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从存档，访问，到体验-历史文档成为沉浸式体验的基础

几个世纪以来，图书馆一直是保存文化和历史遗产的关键。在宾夕法尼亚州立大学（Penn State）图书馆中编目的此类宝藏中，藏有超过33,000张Sanborn™火灾保险地图。图书馆原本是安全地存放在金属抽屉中的，但现在已经开始了将这一大量信息数字化，与其他媒体（例如照片）结合起来并通过Web界面进行访问的旅程。受这些努力的启发，我们访问了此信息，并将其带入了一个新的水平。使用最先进的3D建模和沉浸式技术，我们创建了历史悠久的3D模型和Penn State的沉浸式体验，示例性地适用于1922年校园。可以通过网络访问产生的体验，也可以通过头戴式显示器（HMD）和移动电话结合VR查看器（例如Google Cardboard）来访问。另外，它们可以在世界任何地方或校园本身中使用，以实现远程和现场体验和学习。身临其境的体验使我们能够连接到过去，现在和未来，因此为数字文化遗产的努力提供了价值。