MERLIN Makes Image Magic

2014 UPDATE:  Our MERLIN magnifying reader machine has been moved.  It is now across from the adult information desk.

How many folks out there in library-land have trouble reading small print?  Raise your paws hands, people patrons.  That's what I thought.  Pretty much everybody struggles with tiny print.  It doesn't bother felines much, because we have minions to read aloud to us, which is as it should be.  Tiny human patrons, too, have mommies, daddies, and other family members to read aloud to them.  But for those who know how to read--well, you're stuck sometimes with really small print to decipher from the printed page.  It's not such a big deal with computers, because monitor magnification can be enlarged easily enough.  But paper materials are another thing entirely.

If you're like this guy, you've got yourself covered.

 Small Print, Take Your Best Shot!  This Guy's Got Your Number

Some readers find it awkward to carry around magnifying glasses so they can read smaller print.  When you visit your favorite library, you might discover that there are magnifying machines that enlarge the tiniest print so that it becomes legible.  At my library, we have MERLIN in the Indiana Room, which, as you may recall, I've renamed the Roving Reporter Room, for previously blogged reasons.

Not That Merlin!  Nice Painting, Though

No, the MERLIN I'm talking about is a MERLIN magnifying reader machine for patrons who need to enlarge what they are looking at. The magnifier enlarges anything that is placed on the scanning platform--print materials or other physical objects--and projects the larger image onto the screen.

MPL Town Crier Slideshow Informs Patrons About the Wonders of MERLIN

 

Handy Vendor Graphic Shows MERLIN in Action

MERLIN is available thanks to a generous donation from the Mooresville (Indiana) Lions Club in March, 2005. The magnifier is a wonderful tool for anyone researching difficult-to-read documents, fine print, or obscure details.

If you are interested in using MERLIN, please visit the MPL Indiana (i.e., Roving Reporter) Room (maybe Scowl-Face can help; anything's possible), or check with the MPL Information or Circulation Desks.

Magnify the Print on Some Cans of Tuna-in-Oil, Why Don't Ya,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Vision Aids News Beat

P.S.  Here, from Burt Sugarman's The Midnight Special television series (1973), is Johnny Nash singing "I Can See Clearly Now."