The Many Faces of BARD: Free Audio and Braille Content

Date & Time

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - 11:20 AM PDT  

Location

Platinum 2  

Description

This presentation provides an overview of the Braille and Audio Reading Download, (BARD), service, provided by National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, (NLS), part of the Library of Congress. Target audiences include individuals and institutions who are potential NLS patrons, (U.S. residents or American citizens living abroad), along with current BARD members and NLS patrons. NLS serves patrons of all ages and offers resources for those who are blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind, physically disabled, reading disabled, and disabled veterans, as well as those who are family members, friends, educators, and other professionals.

BARD provides free human narrated audio and Braille content such as books, magazines, and music from a collection of nearly 150,000 titles. The presentation will start by providing information on signing up for NLS and BARD, qualifications, and benefits. Next, is an explanation of how to search, browse, download, transfer, and read various Braille and audio content. This is followed by a summary of the many ways to access the service using the latest technology including the BARD website, software, (apps for windows, iOS, Android, and Fire tablets), and hardware, (Braille eReaders, and audio players). The presentation concludes by providing useful resources such as phone numbers, webpages, email addresses, and links to monthly presentations that support the service.

This Presentation Link is provided by the Presenter(s) and not hosted by the Center on Disabilities at CSUN. The Center on Disabilities has confirmed, as of April 18, 2024, content linked is relevant to the presentation, but has not been reviewed for accessibility nor will the Center on Disabilities attempt to remediate any accessibility issues in the linked content. Please contact the Presenter(s) with any accessibility concerns.

 

Audience

• Higher Education
• Disability Specific
• K-12 Education
• Healthcare & Rehabilitation
• Entertainment & Recreation

Audience Level

Beginning  

Session Summary (Abstract)

Introducing the BARD service of NLS! Offers free audio and Braille content. Future patrons, learn about the benefits of signing up. Existing patrons receive an overview of available content, the latest technologies to access the service, and ways to get help.  

Primary Topic

Blind/Low Vision  

Secondary Topics

• Captions & Transcription
• Education
• Emerging Technologies
• Leisure & Travel

 

Session Type

General Track  

Presenters

• Zhi Huang
  National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress
• Donald Olson
  National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Add to Outlook/iCal (How it works)

Back to Session List