Realia are also used to connect learners with the key focal point of a lesson by allowing tactile and multidimensional connection between learned material and the object of the lesson.
Children's libraries sometimes have a toy collection, whose individual items are lent out after being cataloged as realia, or under a more specific material designation such as toy, or game.
They indicate that since realia carry a very local overtone, they often pose a challenge for translation.
Realia, on the other hand, are born in popular culture, and are increasingly found in very diverse kinds of texts.
These can include textual documents and other media such as films, video and sound recordings, illustrations, maps as well as realia such as museum objects.
Unlike books, which are mostly cellulose (paper, boards, natural fibers) and occasionally leather, realia are often the sum of many parts.
Often, realia are seen as a nuisance, difficult not only to catalog, but to care for.
Some libraries prize their realia, actively preserving and exhibiting it while others simply keep it out of light and hope for the best.
