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

I realize that this is a free service provided for us with visual impairments, but this app has a terrible interface. It feels like a website from the 90s. Searching is awful, the app punts you to the website where you have to add the books you want to your wishlist, then go back and download them from there. I also wish it would show how long is left in the current chapter, currently it just shows how far you are into the whole book. I guess I can't complain too much since it's free...

I find myself needing to change my rating of this app. This app seems to consistently lag behind the iOS app and functionality. Also, the experience when using the app to browse the barred site for searches is extremely unstable and even when it does work it just doesn't perform well. Significant lag when scrolling through lists of books.

I have been using bard mobile for several years now and I feel that this app has gone from a five-star down to a two star. I believe the settings tab should not have been moved from underneath the more options. I also feel that the more info button that appears after every book title is just redundant it makes for more difficult experience to search through the titles. Often times I will go to my wish list and it will be completely empty same with any new releases. Please return mr the version t

What's new

-Android 13
-Bug fixes