Each day you visit our library, you will see displays highlighting books, DVDs, and audio collections on different timely topics or relating to certain events. We have displays for the new books, staff recommendations, themes for the month, or entertaining subjects favored by our members. In this post, we highlight an entire collection - LARGE PRINT (LP)!
We relocated this collection to the first stack of books on the 2nd fl, facing the water dispenser. The first section you come across shows the latest additions to our collection and then further along, you will find the fiction and non-fiction LP books.
You might be under the impression that Large Print books are only the classics or have limited releases, the front covers would be the generic green banded cover, and the story within would be an abridged version of the “regular” book, or if not, then it would be biblically significant in size. By perusing our collection you would be proved wrong. We have many new releases in Large Print, with bright colorful covers, and oftentimes they are even smaller books than a regular print copy.
How is this possible and what’s the difference between a regular and a Large Print book? For starters there is the font size. A regular print book has a 10-12 pt. while LP generally has 16-18 pt. type. By using thinner but higher quality paper and laying out the text to maximize the use of white space, publishers have been able to keep the size of the books the same if not smaller than a regular print-size book. There’s really no difference between the two versions.
And why would one choose to read an LP version? Large print benefits not only those who have historically favored these books, like seniors and those with visual impairment, but it has also proven to limit eye strain and help readers experiencing digital eye fatigue. In addition, some studies have shown that large print improves letter and word recognition, aiding reading comprehension and increasing feelings of confidence and satisfaction when reading. That makes it a perfect literacy resource for beginning or reluctant readers and ESL/ELL students.
So give your eyes a break from your digital devices and check out a Large Print book on your next visit. You might just become a new fan!
