# Virtual Reality in Museums: Exploring the Experiences of Museum Professionals
## 1 Introduction  
Over the last few years, the use of virtual reality (VR) has grown significantly, entering many different aspects of our lives. Consequently, such technologies also entered the museum sector, affecting the way people experience and perceive heritage. In the last few years there has been a considerable increase in the use of VR in museum environments in an attempt by museums to embrace technological innovations and adapt to the challenges of the digital era. Such interventions are seen by many as \"vital in the race to 'prove' [nuseums'] public worth, impact, accountability and relevance\" [1] (p. 2). However, for museums, this adaptation to the digital era, created \"one of the most important challenges of their modern history\" [2] (p. 119) since it created new dynamics in storytelling and content creation. Undisputedly, technologies, such as VR, have created tremendous opportunities for museums on many levels, offering alternative ways for museums to interact with their visitors [3; 4; 5]. VR has been used for reconstructing historical environments [6], for interpretation and experience enhancement both on-side and off-side [7; 8], for increased visitor engagement and education [9], and for creating interactive, engaging, and immersive experiences in museum environments [10]. All these applications created new avenues for experimentation with many museums around the world incorporating such technologies in an attempt to democratize and open up their collection to allow multiple interpretations [3]. Indeed, \"accessibility, inclusion, and democratization\" areemphasized as some of the most important advantages from the use of VR and other emerging technologies in museums [11] (p. 3). However, as [PERSON] wonders, \"how are we to assess this growing trend? Is it a potential moment of radical change in the museum, or is it another fleeting fascination?\" [12] (p. 1). This question is critical, since VR and other technologies are starting to profoundly change the way we experience heritage. As [PERSON] notes, \"digital technology is not simply an innocent tool in our effort to record and understand the past, for it inevitably affects and shapes drastically how we experience cultural heritage\" [3] (p. 225). Thus, it is imperative to critically assess the impact of these technologies on different levels: From the visitor experience to new museological approaches to other organizational issues. A considerable corpus of literature explores the advantages of VR in museums in terms of alternative content delivery, the customization of museum experiences and visitor participation (see for example [8; 13; 14; 15]). Although the analysis of VR advantages is undoubtedly useful for exploring new opportunities, many studies tend to overemphasize these advantages, overlooking the challenges or limitations created by the adoption of VR in the museum environment (for an examination of challenges see [16; 17]). Furthermore, most studies tend to focus either on the technical aspect of VR development, issues of imaging, digitization, and data management [18] (p. 646) or on the evaluation of the visitors' experience and perceptions on particular projects (see for example [19; 20] and [9] for an overview of such studies). While many aspects of applications and uses are explored in current literature, certain important aspects remain understudied, such as the impact of VR on the social experience of museums [21] and the critical analysis of the overall impact of emerging technologies on museological approaches. Moreover, what is usually left out of the equation is the perceptions, needs, and aspirations of museum professionals who are responsible for the objects and narratives of a museum. Museum professionals are also placed in the unique position of being able to observe the interactions of their visitors with VR technologies and how these technologies might change the flow of an exhibition or the social interactions of visitors.