Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD)

About BARD

BARD is an acronym for “Braille and Audio Reading Download.”  On February 2, 2010, the Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Books Library assumed administration of the BARD program for the State of Florida from the National Library Service, Library of Congress. Books and magazines on BARD can be downloaded to your computer and then transferred to a flash drive or digital cartridge and played on the NLS digital player. There are currently over 15,000 titles from which to choose. You must have a high speed internet connection to download materials from BARD.

Only patrons who are in good standing with the Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Books Library are eligible for BARD services. If you are not currently receiving services from the library, you must first apply for library services. Please contact them at (800) 226-6075 or e-mail OPAC_Librarian@dbs.fldoe.org.

Apply for a BARD Account

Access to the BARD website is restricted to eligible readers. You will need a login ID and password. Review the criteria for participation by reading the BARD Application Instructions and, if you qualify, request an account. 

Fill out the BARD application form completely. Library staff will check your information against their records. If you are approved to participate, you will receive an e-mail message with login information. If there is a problem, you will receive a message explaining the problem. If you are planning to use a purchased digital talking-book player, you must register it once you have access to the BARD site.

Please note that the information you provide will be shared with the National Library Service, Library of Congress and with the manufacturer of your purchased digital talking-book player (if necessary).

1. Access the online application form: https://nlsbard.loc.gov/cgi-bin/public/nlsbardprod/accountrequest.cgi?libcode=FL1A. 
2. Choose the library that serves your area.
3. Complete the application, including the type of player. 
4. Push the submit button when all fields have been completed.
5. You will receive a message screen saying, “Your request has been entered into our database. Thank you for your interest.”
6. You should receive an acceptance or rejection e-mail for the BARD program within one business day.
7. Once accepted, a password will be e-mailed to you.
8. Use this link to enter the BARD catalog: https://nlsbard.loc.gov.  Enter your ID (which is your e-mail address) and the password that was sent with the confirmation e-mail you received.  You will be asked to create a new password and to answer a security question that can be used later to recover a lost or forgotten password. You might want to bookmark this site or enter it into your favorites.