BARD- Braille and Audio Reading Download
Down Load BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) Books
BARD Frequently Asked Questions
Talking Books - How to Download from BARD (Kenton County Public Library)
BARD Talk News and Information
Digital books from the National Library Service (NLS) are now available for download through the BARD link. There are more than 20,000 digital books and over 40 magazines available for download from this site, and new titles are regularly being added.
What you need to download books:
* a computer with high-speed internet access
* an active email address
* a digital player issued to you from an NLS regional library (or you can buy a third-party player)
* the ability to unzip the downloaded files and move them to either an empty cartridge (available for purchase) or to your USB flash drive (thumb drive) that has at least one gigabyte (1 GB) of storage.
To play multiple books on your digital player in Bookshelf mode:
* Hold down the Play/Stop button until a beep sounds to put your digital player into bookshelf mode.
* Then use the FF (Fast Forward) and RW (Rewind) buttons, to the right and left of the Play/Stop button, to move from one book to another. The player will announce the title of each book.
Additional instructions for playing multiple books (Bookshelf Mode).
How does it work?
The digital player has been pre-programmed to play the downloaded audio books. Due to digital rights management restrictions, BARD digital books will not play on your computer or mp3 player.
Third-party players compatible with NLS downloadable books include:
* APH Braille Plus Mobile Manager
* HIMS BookSense
* Victor Reader Stream by Humanware
* LevelStar Icon
* PLEXTALK Pocket PTP1
There are also digital player firmware updates that are periodically available from NLS. Digital players shipped to patrons will have current firmware upgrades installed. This site lists software version enhancements and changes such as the ability to use a "bookshelf" mode that allows users to navigate among multiple books saved on one USB flash drive.
Playing MP3 and WAV Files
The digital player will also play mp3 and WAV audio files. Create a folder on your USB flash drive named audio+podcasts. (Be sure to use the + sign between the words audio and podcasts). Put your mp3 or WAV files in this folder. The audio files will then play in sequence based on their file names.