Vision is Focus of New Richmond Heights Library Equipment

Richmond Heights library patrons with impaired vision have a new resource at their fingertips.

Winning a Library Services and Technology Act mini-grant has allowed the  to purchase a new low-vision reader. The Optelec ClearView+ reader will allow library patrons with vision impairments—who use the equipment most often—to magnify text and printed pictures. Reading materials placed under the machine's lens are projected onto a 22-inch flat-screen monitor.

Adult services librarian Scott Bonner applied for the grant that enabled the library to purchase the reader, which cost $2,955.

"The Missouri State Library has a yearly cycle of grants. We were looking to see what grants were available," he said. Bonner found a grant listed that would provide for a purchase of new technological equipment. "We try to identify special groups that aren't getting the help they need, and we try to target services that meet their needs."

Bonner said the arrival of Optelec ClearView+ was overdue.

"We used the old one, and we used it to death," Bonner said. "When it broke a few years ago, we didn't replace it immediately. We made use of magnifying glasses."

Bonner researched possible replacements during a business trip to the nation's capitol.

"When I was in Washington, D.C., I tried a number of different machines and found them wanting in ways that the Optelec was not," he said.

The ClearView+ offers a variety of special features to address a diverse range of users' vision problems.

"Whether a customer is seeking for simplicity or extensive features, our attractive and user-friendly ClearView+ line of video magnifiers is ready to meet requirements of each individual user," Optelec international product manager B.V. Ivar Illing said in a statement.

A large button on the device allows patrons to cycle through settings such as high-contrast, black and white, color and other options. Pressing another button, designated with a pencil icon, turns off auto-focus so that readers can write on a document without the machine focusing on the moving writing utensil.

"The high-contrast setting is good for easy reading over a long term," Bonner said.

Under normal circumstances, focusing on words on an electronic screen can be tiring to the eyes. The Optelec system's settings aim to help bridge the gap in difficulty between reading on a screen and reading on paper.

"All of the buttons are ergonomically placed," said Optelec marketing assistant Ryan Morse. "You don't have to look around for the buttons; they're right there in front of you."

The flat-screen monitor can also be pulled out and tilted. When a user tilts the screen, the picture automatically readjusts.

Library patrons mostly use the machine to read fine print on documents, Bonner said. In theory, though, one could use it for any reading purpose. Unlike with computer use, the library has not set a daily time limit on the machine. As long as no one else is waiting in line, patrons are welcome to use it as long as they like.

"If someone wants to read a novel with it, that's fine with me," Bonner said.

In addition to the state-of-the-art Optelec reader, located near the library's front desk, services for patrons with sight impairments include large-print books, audiobooks and e-Readers. Library staff members also take library resources to Richmond Terrace Retirement Center. By calling the Richmond Heights Parks and Recreation Department at 314-655-3667, patrons with disabilities may arrange for a ride to the library facility.