BARD Mobile

Library Of Congress

About this app

CARRY A LIBRARY IN YOUR POCKET
Access tens of thousands of books—from current best sellers to much-loved classics, popular magazines, and music instruction and scores—in audio and electronic braille, with new selections added daily.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
BARD Mobile is a service of NLS. NLS provides free audio and braille reading materials to residents of the US and American citizens living abroad who cannot read regular print. If you are blind or have temporary or permanent low vision or a physical or reading disability that prevents you from holding or reading the printed page, you may be eligible for this program. For more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/eligibility-for-nls-services.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?
This app allows access for eligible users who have enrolled in the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) at the Library of Congress. To enroll, call 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323) and follow the prompts to find your state. Or to learn more at https://www.loc.gov/thatallmayread.

If you are already an NLS patron, contact your cooperating NLS library to request a BARD account. You can find your library by visiting https://www.loc.gov/nls/find-a-local-library/.

SUPPORT
For support and help with BARD account issues, or to report bugs, email [e-mail]. For FAQ, visit https://www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/bard-access/nls-bard-frequently-asked-questions/. For the User Guides: https://www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/bard-access/bard-mobile-android/

Ratings and reviews

While I love using the app to listen to books, trying yo find books has become very fustrating. Trying to scroll, if you are just a little off from scroll straight up and down, it flips from get books to book shelf or setting amd then you have to start the search over again. It is wayyyy to sensitive. Also, it would be helpful to search by genre and to see publication years. Many times I have to look books up on line to find the order. I just think it can be a little more user friendly.

It now has headset controls which are an important part of accessibility, but it tends to forget about the pause/mute button after a few minutes. So that negates its ease of use since the app has to be reloaded to get it to pause, which was the problem with the earlier version. 11/1/2019 It is now functioning properly. It remembers where you left off, even if you close the app. It doesn't forget about headset controls when the phone is asleep. And the added sleep timer works fine.

I love BARD. I have been using it for years, and it makes getting books from the Library for the Blind super easy. That said, however, I am very annoyed with the new updates. You can no longer search by series, something I frequently do. Now, in order to get an entire series, I have to look it up online and search each title individually. I get that they're trying to streamline the app, but they need to find a way to add this function back in.

What's new

This version supports Android OS versions 10-14.
Other updates include:
1. Fully supported in-app search functionality, including music search and search in languages other than English.
2. The app is now fully localized for Spanish, including the TalkBack function.
3. Several bugs have been addressed in this release, enhancing the overall stability and performance of the app.
Note: The User Guide is being updated and will be released at a later date.