Ky.gov
Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

​BARD: Braille and Audio Reading Download

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​ ​an ipad and iphone showing the BARD mobile app on their screens and a braille eReader.Read the Talking Books and magazines you want when you want them—24 hours a day/7 days a week—even from your mobile devices! New books are available on BARD first, and there is no due date for downloaded books. You must first be a registered patron of the Kentucky Talking Book Library and have an NLS digital player or BARD-compatible device.

In order to download books you will either need to use the BARD mobile app on a compatible iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire device or you will need to use a computer with high-speed internet access. BARD Express is available on Windows PCs and includes a built-in player. However any computer can be used to download books onto a removable USB flash drive for use with the NLS digital player.

Note: those interested in BARD should have moderate computer knowledge.

Important BARD links​

Registered BARD users--click here to download digital talking books and magazines:

https://nlsbard.loc.gov/nlsbardprod/login/​NLS

For BARD download instructions click here: BARD instructions (PDF) or Bard instructions (Word). BARD downloadable books and magazines contain special digital rights management software and will only work with authorized players. To transfer books from your computer to the NLS digital player you will need a flash drive or blank cartridge.

Flash drives can be purchased at most discount, drug, and department stores. They plug into a port on the right side of the NLS player. Blank cartridges are just like those we use to mail talking books to our patrons. They may be purchased from the Perkins School for the Blind at https://www.perkins.org/library/products/perkins-library-products-accessible-versions ; Phone: (617) 972-7240 or (800) 852-3133; Email: Library@Perkins.org . They may also be purchased from Amazon by searching for "blank cartridges for Talking Book players".

BARD Express software simplifies the searching and downloading process and is available for use with Windows computers.

The BARD Mobile app allows registered users to download and play Talking Books on compatible mobile devices. It is available for iOS devices from the Apple App Store and for Android devices and some Kindle Fire tablets from the Google Play Store.