BARD: Download Talking Books

BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download)

Digital books from the National Library Service (NLS) are available for download from the NLS BARD main page. There are more than 26,000 digital books and over 40 magazines available for download from this site, and new titles are constantly being added.

In order to participate, you must first have an Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library account. Then you can fill out an online application for BARD service:

• Application for individuals
• Application for institutional borrowers (i.e. schools, nursing homes, libraries, agencies)

Once we have verified you as an eligible and active Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library user, which usually takes about two business days, we will send you an e-mail with your username and a temporary password.

When you log in the first time, you'll be asked to change your password to something you've selected yourself. You'll also be asked to agree to terms of use for the service.

You can then search for and download the audio books from the NLS BARD website.

What you need to download books:

• A computer with high-speed internet access
• An active email address
• A digital talking book machine issued to you by the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library or another NLS Network 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 a USB flash drive (thumb drive) that has at least one gigabyte (1GB) of empty storage

BARD download instructions using a PC | BARD download instructions using a Mac

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 in Bookshelf mode.
• Then use the Fast Forward (FF) and Rewind (RW) 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.

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.

There are digital player firmware updates that are periodically available from NLS.

Third-party players compatible with NLS downloadable books include:

• APH Braille Plus Mobile Manager
• APH Book Port Plus
• APH Braille Plus Mobile Manager
• Apex BrailleNote/VoiceNote
• HIMS BookSense
• HIMS BookSense DS
• HIMS BookSense XT
• HIMS Sense Notetaker
• Victor Reader Stream by Humanware
• Victor Reader Stratus by Humanware
• LevelStar Icon
• Milestone 212
• Milestone 312
• PLEXTALK PTN2
• PLEXTALK Pocket PTP1

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.

Helpful Information

• BARD instructions from NLS
• BARD Frequently Asked Questions
• Sources for purchasing blank digital cartridges and cables