Welcome to BARD! Now that you’ve signed up and been approved for services, it’s time to download your books and magazines. There are two ways to access BARD materials: via mobile app or digital player.
If you have a phone or tablet, you can download the free BARD mobile app to find and listen to your materials.
If you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or other Apple device, download the free BARD Mobile app for iOS from the App Store. The Library of Congress website has more detailed instructions on how to use BARD Mobile for iOS.
Download BARD for Apple devicesIf you have an Android phone or device, download the free BARD Mobile app from the Google Play store. The Library of Congress website has more detailed instructions on how to use BARD Mobile for Android.
Download BARD for Android devicesIf you use a second-generation Kindle Fire device or newer, use the Amazon Appstore to download the free BARD Mobile app. The Library of Congress website has more detailed instructions on how to use BARD Mobile for Kindle Fire.
Download BARD for Kindle devicesIf you do not have a phone or tablet, you can use a digital talking book machine (DTBM) and a digital cartridge or USB flash drive (also known as a “thumb drive”).
If you don’t already have a digital player, contact us at TBBL. We can loan one to you! You’ll also need an empty cartridge or a USB flash drive with at least one gigabyte (1 GB) of storage. Read more about using digital players and reading multiple books and magazines on our website.
If you do not have a phone or tablet, but have access to a Windows computer, you can use the free BARD Express program to easily transfer your materials to a drive or cartridge for your digital talking book machine (DTBM).
Updated versions of BARD Express also include the BARD Express Player, which allows you to listen to an audiobook or magazine directly on your computer. Much like the BARD Mobile app, the BARD Express Player allows users to adjust the narration speed; jump to navigation points such as part, chapter, and article; create bookmarks; and much more.
The Library of Congress website has more detailed instructions on how to use BARD Express on a Windows computer. We recommend reading Section 7 of the BARD Express user guide, which is dedicated to the BARD Express Player, to familiarize yourself with the new player.