The good news: if you have a UMF log-in, our awesome new microfilm/fiche reader and scanner is ready for action! The Scanpro is ridiculously easy to use: turn on the computer and the scanner, find the Scanpro software in the computer's list of programs, and open it. Then, select the type of film you'll be viewing (by clicking on one of the nice, big pictures of film or fiche), pull the film carriage forward, and voila! An animated graphic pops up on the screen, showing you how to load the film. From there, you're off and running. Controls to rotate, edit, clarify, zoom and magnify are right there on the sidebar. Want to scan an image? It's only a click away, and you can save your image to a portable drive or email it to yourself. Feedback from users has been terrific: it's fast, easy, and fun. If you're used to old-school readers and feel a little intimidated by the Scanpro, not to worry. A library staff person can get you up to speed in just a few minutes. There is one ironclad, no-foolin', You Must Obey Or Else rule with this machine:
MAKE SURE THE GLASS PLATE IS CENTERED BEFORE PULLING THE CARRIAGE FORWARD.
Seriously. Otherwise, the glass plate could crack, and the guy who trained staff on the Scanpro said that that little repair would set us back about one jillion dollars. Okay, it wasn't that much. But it was a lot. A whole lot. Enough to make me yell at you in all caps, and I'm not a yeller, generally.
Now for the bad news: we haven't figured out a way to make the Scanpro accessible with community patron log-ins yet. We're working on it, and we'll let you know if we crack that nut.
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