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Theology in 3D
Virtual Tours for Outreach and Instruction at 
Pitts Theology Library
Anne Marie McLean, Emory University
Spencer Roberts, Emory University

ABSTR AC T Since their introduction in the mid-1990s, virtual web 
tours have existed alongside traditional instruction and outreach 
methods as digital tools to increase access and knowledge in a 
variety of institutions (Mosley and Xiao 1996). By 2002, tours avail-
able on the web constituted the third most popular tour option in 
a survey of 111 academic libraries (Oling and Mach 2002). In the 
spring of 2019, Pitts Theology Library (Emory University) launched 
its own virtual tour project using Matterport technology to supple-
ment instruction and outreach for students, faculty, staff, and 
community members. Systems & Digital Scholarship Librarian 
Spencer Roberts captured and processed the 3D images to make 
available for the public, while Reference Librarian & Outreach Coor-
dinator Anne Marie McLean capitalized on the technology in volun-
teer projects, orientation sessions, and exhibition promotion. This 
session details the envisioning and execution of virtual tours of Pitts 
Theology Library, as well as practical applications for its use in both 
outreach and instruction in a theological library setting.

CREATING A VIRTUAL TOUR

In June 2019, Pitts Theology Library staff began exploring the options 
for creating 360-degree scans and virtual tours of the library’s exhi-
bition gallery and other spaces. Spencer Roberts, systems and digital 
scholarship librarian, had experience with different scanning tech-
nologies in previous positions and identified the Matterport platform 
as the best solution. Designed for real estate applications, Matterport 
comprises two components: a scanning camera with controlling iPad 
and an account for processing and hosting the final tours. The plat-
form allows users to explore a virtual space using the mouse or 
keyboard controls to move and look around. They can also interact 
with tags that can include text, images, or video. Matterport also 



Listen and Learn Sessions  255

creates a 3D model of the space called the “Dollhouse” view and floor 
plans for the scanned spaces. Matterport is proprietary technology 
but offers a straightforward solution for virtual tours without incur-
ring excessive costs or complicated technological skill often involved 
in open source approaches to 360 or 3D scanning.

Operating the Matterport is simple 
due to the fully contained scanning unit 
and intuitive control app on an iPad. 
The scanning unit uses a combination 
of high-definition and infrared cameras 
to capture point data and HD images. 
The unit is set on a tripod, placed in the 
space, and activated with the iPad app. 
The camera captures six panoramic 
images with 134-megapixel resolution 
and over 14 million points per image, 
rotating under its own power between 
each capture. During the capture, the 
operator can either move to stay behind 
the camera or else step around a corner 
to stay out of the images. Software then maps the scan data to stitch 
the images together into a seamless 360-degree view. Once the view 
is compiled, the operator moves the unit to a second position, usually 
between six and eight feet from the first position. The process is then 
repeated to create a second view. Ideally, spaces should be free of 
people and relatively static during the entire process. Objects that 
move or doors that change from open to closed can affect the scan-
ning process and later navigation through the virtual tour.

The most remarkable part of the Matterport platform is how it 
processes and compares the point and image data from each view 
in order to determine their relation to one another within space. By 
comparing the data, the software identifies shared points and trian-
gulates the positions of the views. Each subsequent scan added to 
the project is compared with previous views, allowing the whole 
space to be captured and mapped. The processing algorithm requires 
incremental progress through a space, so each scan must be close to 
a previous scan. This means that the user must plan out the path 
through and coverage of the space. However, once planned out, the 
scanning process is quick. The unit captures a scan in 15–20 seconds 
and processes in 10–15 seconds, so each view takes about 30–40 

FIGURE 1: The Matterport 
capture unit in Pitts’ exhibition 
gallery (photograph by Anne 
Marie McLean, February 3, 
2020).



256  AT L A 2020 PROCEEDINGS

seconds total. One of our staff members was able to scan our exhibi-
tion gallery, which is 1,200 square feet, in 30 minutes. The scanning 
process improves over time as the user becomes familiar with 
distances and positioning of the scans. Once uploaded to the Matter-
port servers, the scans are processed into their final form. The system 
automatically produces a virtual tour, a floorplan, and a “dollhouse” 
view. The tour, highlight reel, and MatterTags for creating interac-
tive points of information can all be customized through the admin-
istrative web interface. For a small fee, an architectural floor plan 
and 3D model in OBJ format can be downloaded from the Matterport 
site.

Although Matterport includes an initial investment in hardware and 
ongoing costs for hosting, Pitts staff were able to test the platform 
before investing. Emory Center for Digital Scholarship was already 
equipped with Matterport for their own projects, so Pitts was able 
to borrow their equipment to test ease of use and viability for the 
theology library. After a successful test, Pitts purchased its own 
equipment and subscription from Matterport. The software now 
works with a number of camera units ranging in price from $400 to 
$18,000. A recently launched beta also works with iPhone cameras, 
rendering 2D images into a 3D space. Pitts purchased a Matterport 
Pro 2 unit, which costs between $3,000 and $4,000, depending on 
discounts. The hosting plans range from $10 to $70 per month. Most 
smaller libraries would probably be comfortable with the Starter 
level, which allows 5 active spaces.

Pitts currently has a Professional account (up to 25 spaces) 
because we are scanning each of our exhibitions and also under-
taking a project to capture historic rural churches in Georgia. In this 
project, Pitts is maintaining the scans and absorbing the cost as part 
of our mission. In a different partnership with the Schwartz Center 

FIGURE 2: The 
“Dollhouse” view in the 
Matterport user interface 
(screenshot by Spencer 
Roberts, July 15, 2020).



Listen and Learn Sessions  257

for Performing Arts to provide views from different seats within the 
venue, we provided the initial scanning, hosting of the project, and 
continuing support for an annual fee. This model is more effective 
for the arts organization than attempting to implement a solution 
on their own and allows Pitts to offset its costs. Because Matterport 
collects usage statistics but not user data, Pitts can also provide the 
Schwartz with statistics for them to evaluate impact without compro-
mising patron privacy.

Another benefit of the Matterport platform is the ability to trans-
fer each project between accounts. An institution such as Pitts can 
use its camera to produce a scan of a smaller library or a church and 
then transfer that project to an account held by a different organiza-
tion that does not own its own hardware. This allows partners with 
smaller budgets to subscribe to a lower account level and not incur 
the costs for equipment. Larger institutions such as Pitts can serve as 
facilitators to allow smaller organizations to produce similar tours 
for their own outreach and instruction.

There are two technological drawbacks to the Matterport system 
that Pitts identified. The first issue is that the core file formats for 
the Matterport tours are proprietary and cannot be ported to other 
systems or preserved. We consider this a reasonable limitation when 
compared to the ease and quality of the system. The second issue is 
the lack of compatibility with screen readers and other accessibility 
tools. Although some of the text content in the virtual tour can be 
read with a screen reader, navigation through the space is entirely 
visual. This limitation is common in many virtual space applications 
or interfaces, but we plan to explore ways of providing similar expe-
riences that are accessible for sense-impaired users.

VIRTUAL TOURS IN OUTREACH AND INSTRUCTION

Pitts Theology Library has a rich history of strategic outreach through 
exhibitions, events, and instruction, bringing together Emory faculty, 
students, staff, community members, and outside organizations 
(Bedard 2016). However, these methods of outreach were reliant on 
participatory frameworks that required users to enter the building 
and engage with the space. Given the rising trend of virtual alterna-
tives, in addition to the drastic shift to remote learning and research 
as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pitts’ engagement with more 



258  AT L A 2020 PROCEEDINGS

accessible alternatives through virtual tours was long overdue (Oling 
and Mach 2002).

Virtual tours are first and foremost crucial from an acces-
sibility perspective. The Emory Library Accessibility Committee 
documents and continues to address the challenges of visitor and 
handicap access to the campus buildings situated in the congested 
city of Atlanta, including parking, elevator options, and turnstiles. 
Pitts Theology Library’s virtual tour option bypasses these chal-
lenges by bringing the space to the user, as opposed to requiring the 
user to plan what often results in a day-long excursion to the space. 
This alternative lends itself to those confined to learning from any 
distance, figuratively or literally. In addition, the virtual tour alter-
native can be cost effective for visitors who would otherwise be 
required to pay for visitor parking, meals, and transportation. Candi-
dates for these pecuniary benefits might include school groups with 
limited funding for field trips, researchers on a meager stipend, or 
even life-long learners with a narrow income.

While the accessibility generated by the virtual tours was primar-
ily conceived with pedagogical ends in mind, it also lends itself to 
unanticipated user groups. Because Pitts Theology Library was 
recently redesigned as a partition of the larger Candler School of 
Theology in 2014, it has been a point of interest for other libraries 
and exhibition galleries in the process of redesign. Since the build-
ing’s opening, architecture and interior design firms continue to 
make on-site visit requests. The “dollhouse,” “floorplan,” and 

“measurement mode” options in the Matterport interface are partic-
ularly attractive for this audience. In addition, after new state tax 
incentives were offered in 2008 to stimulate the film industry in 
Georgia, the industry’s presence on Emory’s campus increased 
dramatically (see Emory University n.d.). Pitts Theology Library is 
no exception and was considered as a location for the Marvel film 

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” in the summer of 2018 (Weiner 2018). With 
the new virtual tour option in place, Pitts hopes to engender more 
interest from professional firms, location scouts, and more as a 
convenient alternative to scheduling in-person visits.

In addition to rendering the physical space of the library acces-
sible, the virtual tours also allow for a detailed glimpse into services 
that the library provides, as well as an in-depth look at objects in Pitts. 
Points of interest are assigned spatial tags that allow the user to learn 
more about the services provided at that location, whether it be the 



Listen and Learn Sessions  259

accessible alternatives through virtual tours was long overdue (Oling 
and Mach 2002).

Virtual tours are first and foremost crucial from an acces-
sibility perspective. The Emory Library Accessibility Committee 
documents and continues to address the challenges of visitor and 
handicap access to the campus buildings situated in the congested 
city of Atlanta, including parking, elevator options, and turnstiles. 
Pitts Theology Library’s virtual tour option bypasses these chal-
lenges by bringing the space to the user, as opposed to requiring the 
user to plan what often results in a day-long excursion to the space. 
This alternative lends itself to those confined to learning from any 
distance, figuratively or literally. In addition, the virtual tour alter-
native can be cost effective for visitors who would otherwise be 
required to pay for visitor parking, meals, and transportation. Candi-
dates for these pecuniary benefits might include school groups with 
limited funding for field trips, researchers on a meager stipend, or 
even life-long learners with a narrow income.

While the accessibility generated by the virtual tours was primar-
ily conceived with pedagogical ends in mind, it also lends itself to 
unanticipated user groups. Because Pitts Theology Library was 
recently redesigned as a partition of the larger Candler School of 
Theology in 2014, it has been a point of interest for other libraries 
and exhibition galleries in the process of redesign. Since the build-
ing’s opening, architecture and interior design firms continue to 
make on-site visit requests. The “dollhouse,” “floorplan,” and 

“measurement mode” options in the Matterport interface are partic-
ularly attractive for this audience. In addition, after new state tax 
incentives were offered in 2008 to stimulate the film industry in 
Georgia, the industry’s presence on Emory’s campus increased 
dramatically (see Emory University n.d.). Pitts Theology Library is 
no exception and was considered as a location for the Marvel film 

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” in the summer of 2018 (Weiner 2018). With 
the new virtual tour option in place, Pitts hopes to engender more 
interest from professional firms, location scouts, and more as a 
convenient alternative to scheduling in-person visits.

In addition to rendering the physical space of the library acces-
sible, the virtual tours also allow for a detailed glimpse into services 
that the library provides, as well as an in-depth look at objects in Pitts. 
Points of interest are assigned spatial tags that allow the user to learn 
more about the services provided at that location, whether it be the 

reference desk or group study rooms. This feature can supplement or 
even replace traditional “scavenger hunts” and tours given for new 
student orientation, allowing users to glean the same information 
without traversing the building (Scott and Gregor 2013). Even objects 
throughout the library become interactive through the virtual tour. 
Friend of the library Ginny Connelly noted that, when she started 
volunteering at Pitts,

The beautiful building was new and the library and collections were 
new to me as well.  Much of the art and other displays were unlabeled. 
I wanted to compile information about the graphics, photos, prints, 
paintings, scrolls—all the visual enhancements throughout the 
building—and somehow make this available to library volunteers 
and visitors to enrich their experience of the library. (Ginny Connelly, 
pers. comm., June 3, 2020)

The Matterport technology and spatial 
tagging gave Ginny and other volun-
teers an outlet for communicating this 
information, and they continue to gather 
metadata on artwork around the build-
ing. Along those same lines, spatial 
tagging has become a key component in 
the development of digital exhibitions at 
Pitts Theology Library. While cases and 
objects currently repeat the descriptions 
printed on the physical gatorboard labels, 
options to zoom in on objects, play videos, 
and link out to external resources, such 
as flipbook views or interactive maps, are 
promising features for future exhibitions.

While not by design, the introduction of virtual tours at Pitts 
Theology Library coincided with a critical point in secondary educa-
tion as institutions shifted to remote learning and research. Armed 
with new tools and an even broader notion of what it means to make 
the library truly accessible, Pitts looks forward to harnessing Matter-
port technology and virtual tours as part of its mission to preserve, 
interpret, and provide access to information resources for not only 
the Candler School of Theology but learners across the globe.

FIGURE 3: Emory graduate 
students take a virtual tour of 
the new exhibition via an Oculus 
Go VR headset (photograph by 
Anne Marie McLean, September 
26, 2019).



260  AT L A 2020 PROCEEDINGS

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