BARD Express User Guide

Section 1: Welcome

Welcome to the BARD Express user guide. This handbook will guide you through the various features of BARD Express, a Windows-based software that simplifies searching for, downloading, and transferring titles from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress, Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) website using your personal computer. Screenshots in this guide are visual representations of the BARD Express interface and may not exactly match screen reader representations.

1.1: Access to BARD

Use of BARD Express is restricted to eligible NLS patrons who have a BARD account. If you are not currently a patron of NLS, please read about the eligibility requirements and learn about signing up for service.

BARD Express will operate on personal computers running Windows 8.1 and 10 operating systems in 32- and 64-bit environments. An Internet connection is required to use BARD Express.

1.2: Operating BARD Express

BARD Express is completely accessible to visually impaired individuals. The software is fully functional with JAWS, 2018 and later, and NVDA, 2017.2 and later, screen readers. Low-vision users may increase the font up to four times the normal size using the View menu.

Keyboard commands, or hot keys, are available for various features and functions of BARD Express. These key combinations are spoken by the screen reader and are shown on braille displays when focus lands on an item with a keyboard shortcut. For example, “CTRL+R” is spoken or shown when focus is on the Main page/Recently Added Books and Magazines. The table below lists some frequently used hot keys.

Screen	Keystroke	Action
Any	F1	Access BARD Express help documents
Help	Alt+C	Move to Table of Contents
Help	F6	Switch between Table of Contents screen and content screen
Help	Alt+N	Brings up an index of terms from within help
Help	Alt+S	Search help documents from within help
Help	Alt+F4	Exithelp documents
Any	Alt+F	Access account information
Any	Escape	Back one screen
Any	Ctrl+N	Manage Devices
Any	Ctrl+T	Open the Download Status screen
Any	Ctrl+E	Open the change preferred format dialog box
Any	Ctrl+S	Return to the search field
Book lists of results	Ctrl+F	Find
Any	Alt+E	Reset find utility to the default
Book lists of results	Alt+I	Openthe filter
Any	Alt+V+P+P+Enter	Open Previous Downloads screen
Book lists of results	Alt+T	Sort
Inside a book series or magazine	Alt+S	Subscribe to a book series or magazine
Inside a book series or magazine	Alt+U	Unsubscribe from a book series or magazine
Book lists of results	Alt+V+C	Access Column Configuration
Any	Alt+V+F+F+Enter	Increase font size
Any	Alt+V+F+F+Enter	Decrease font size
Book lists of results	Alt+V+I	Items per page
Any	Alt+H+G	Access the Getting Started guide
Any	Alt+H+C	Check for software updates
Any	Alt+H+A	Access About BARD Express
Any	Ctrl+D	Access Most Popular Books list
Any	Ctrl+G	Browse by Series
Any	Ctrl+I	Browse the magazine collection
Any	Ctrl+J	Browse by Subject
Any	Ctrl+W	Access your Wish List
Any	Ctrl+R	Access Recently Added Books and Magazines list
Any	Ctrl+S	Search BARD
Book lists	Ctrl+L	Toggle between standard and advanced mode
Any	Ctrl+M	Access the Main Menu
Any	Ctrl+P	Access Preferences
Any	Ctrl+Q	Screen reader speaks title of current screen
Book lists	Alt+D	Download selected title(s)
Book lists	Alt+N	Load next page of results
Book lists	Alt+P	Load previous page of results
Bookshelf	Alt+D	Delete a title from your bookshelf
Wish list	Alt+R	Remove a title from your wish list

1.3: BARD Login

At the initial launch of the software, BARD Express will prompt you to read and agree to the end-user license agreement. You cannot use BARD Express unless you select the radio button associated with accepting the terms.

After you have agreed to the terms of service, an Install Options screen will display. If you are installing BARD Express on a shared computer, activate the checkbox labeled Install on Shared Computer. Activating this installation option will cause BARD Express to automatically log you out after five minutes of inactivity, any time BARD Express is closed, or any time the computer is shut down. The program will not save your username and password. If, however, you choose the Private installation option, BARD Express will remember your username and password moving forward.

Once you have selected your installation options and the Next button, the BARD login screen will display.

After you log in for the first time, BARD Express will ask you to indicate your preferred format. By default the radio button associated with Audio is selected. Choose Audio, Braille, or Audio and Braille and then select the OK button. BARD Express will only include titles in your preferred format in title lists. Note: you may change your format preferences at any time by selecting the Preferences button from the Main Menu and selecting the desired format from the drop-down box labeled Format. See Section 7.1 Format for information on changing your preferred format setting.

Section 2: Getting Started

To get the most out of BARD Express, there are several features and functions you should know about. This section provides a quick overview of the basic elements to get you started.

2.1: Heading and Menu Bar

Each screen of BARD Express has a heading. It is displayed on the navigation bar located at the top of the screen. The heading tells you which screen or content you are managing. The menu bar is directly below the heading and contains three items: Account, View, and Help.

2.1.1: Account Menu

The Account Menu provides options for logging in and out of BARD. It also provides contact information for your cooperating network library and a vehicle for accessing system messages from BARD.

2.1.2: View Menu

The top portion of the View Menu provides access to the Main Menu, Bookshelf, Wish List, Preferences, Subscriptions, Previous Downloads, and all of the browse and search options available on the Main Menu. It also lists the hot keys for each, when available, and gives you access to the Find dialog box for searching terms in active lists of titles. Additionally, if you are using a screen reader and you lose your place in BARD Express, you may select Announce Current View in Screen Reader (or Control+Q) to hear what screen you are currently accessing. The bottom portion offers options for adjusting the number of items per page (100, 500, 1000), the font size (larger or smaller), and the column configuration. See section 2.1.2 Column Configuration for details.

2.1.2.1: Subscriptions

Selecting Subscriptions from the View Menu will open a dialog box listing all of the magazines and series to which you have subscribed. Series or magazine titles that you subscribe to by selecting the Subscribe button from the various lists will display. When you subscribe to a series or magazine, future titles in that series or issues of that magazine will automatically be added to your wish list as they become available on BARD.

Select the series or magazine title you wish to manage from the list to access all of the issues of the magazine or books in the series. Then use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to add an issue or book to your wish list, download it, examine its details, unsubscribe to the series or magazine, or resort the list. See section 3.6 Sort Order for details on sorting lists.

Once you access the list of books in the series or issues of magazines, use the Find button to quickly access a particular title or issue. You can search the list for title, author, content flags, and/or whole words, including any word or all words.

Content flags are sometimes called audience notes or exclusions. They flag books as containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex. To filter out books that contain one or more of the exclusions, activate the Find button, enter the term or terms in the Search text field, check the box labeled Content Flags, check the box labeled Invert Results, check the box labeled Whole Words, and select the radio button associated with Match Any Word or Match All Words. BARD Express will list the titles that are not flagged for the exclusion(s). Note: Typically, only NLS-produced audio and braille titles are flagged for violence, language, or sex. Titles that NLS has acquired from commercial audio publishers are typically not flagged and are listed as “Unrated”—meaning NLS hasn’t reviewed them for violence, language, or sex.

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

2.1.2.2 Previous Downloads

Titles and magazine issues you have previously downloaded will display in the Previous Downloads list. Use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to add an item to your wish list, download it, examine its details, or resort the list. Previous Downloads can be organized by Type, Subject, or Author, as in the Bookshelf. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your Column Configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

Search the list for terms and phrases by selecting the Find button and entering the term or phrase you wish to find. You can narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags, depending on what you are trying to find. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words or Match Any Words.

Filter out books containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex as described above in section 2.1.2.1, keeping in mind that NLS typically does not review the content of commercially acquired audio titles and marks those “Unrated.”

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

Note that if you attempt to download a title that you already downloaded, BARD Express will notify you and give you the option to continue or cancel the download.

2.1.2.3 Column Configuration

Selecting Column Configuration from the View Menu will open a dialog box listing all of the options for displaying items in the columns of lists. Here you can enable and disable the information you want displayed for each title in your lists. The options are: Type (book or magazine), Format, Title, Author, Subject, Annotation, Narrator, Series, Reading Time, Date Added, File Size, and BARD ID (book number). Check the box associated with each item you want displayed in the list. Note that items can be resorted based on any of the attributes you select to display. See section 3.6 Sort Order for details.

2.1.3: Help Menu

The Help Menu provides access to a Getting Started Guide, the help system inside BARD Express (including a list of keyboard commands), and information about BARD Express. It also provides an option to check for and install software updates.

2.2: Main Menu

The Main Menu gives you access to your bookshelf and wish list. It provides options for searching and browsing the BARD collection and provides information on the status of materials you are currently downloading. It also allows you to manage external devices (cartridges or USB flash drives) connected to your computer and to set and change your BARD Express preferences.

The Bookshelf contains books and magazines you have downloaded from BARD. The Wish List is your BARD wish list and consists of books and magazines you have expressed interest in but have not yet downloaded.

From the main menu, you can browse the Recently Added Books and Magazines list and the Most Popular Books list. You can also browse the BARD collection by subject and series, and browse the magazine collection. Additionally, you can search for titles using a keyword search.

You may also access external devices, cartridges or USB flash drives connected to your computer by using the Manage Devices button. The Preferences button presents options for selecting and changing preference settings. Additionally, you can check the status of materials you are downloading by activating the Download Status button.

2.2.1: Bookshelf

All the titles you have downloaded to your computer using BARD Express are listed in the Bookshelf. The default organization is by type, in alphabetical order, followed by the number of titles in each category: All Books and Magazines, Audio Books, Audio Magazines, Braille Books, Braille Magazines, Read Items, and Unread Items. Materials in the Bookshelf may also be sorted by subject or author.

2.2.2: Wish List

The Wish List in BARD Express is your BARD wish list. The default organization is by type, followed by the number of titles in each category: All Books and Magazines, Audio Books, Audio Magazines, Braille Books, and Braille Magazines. Materials on the Wish List may also be sorted by subject or author.

2.2.3: Recently Added Books and Magazines

The Recently Added Books and Magazines screen lists the latest titles added to BARD.

You have a choice of time periods to access: the past one day, ten days, thirty days, or forty-five days. The default time period is set to ten days. Select the desired time period from the drop-down list displaying 10 Days.

By default, BARD Express will load 100 items at a time. Increase or decrease this number by opening the View Menu in the menu bar with Alt+V and using your arrow keys to find Items Per Page. Open the submenu, arrow to the number of items you wish BARD Express to show per page, and press the Enter key.

The Recently Added Books and Magazines list is displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the Previous and Next buttons.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

The Filter button presents a dialog box that lists all of the available subjects, with a checkbox for each subject. Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking subjects will cause books under that subject to disappear from the results list. There are buttons to check or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check "Mystery and Detective Stories" to access only books in that subject category. Additionally, you can filter by type by selecting Books and Magazines or Music from the drop-down list and filter by fiction and nonfiction by selecting the appropriate radio button under the heading Subject categories.

2.2.4: Most Popular Books

The Most Popular Books screen consists of books that people download most frequently from BARD. By default, BARD Express will load 100 books at a time. Increase or decrease this number by opening the View Menu in the menu bar with Alt+V and using your arrow keys to find Items Per Page. Open the submenu, choose the number of books you wish BARD Express to show per page, and press Enter.

The Most Popular Books list is displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the Previous and Next buttons.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

To access more information about a book while using Standard Mode, select a single item, then press Enter or select the Book Details button to open the Book Detail screen. The Book Detail screen allows you to access the annotation, narrator, and more. If, after exploring the book’s details, you wish to read it, choose the Download or Add to Wish List buttons.

The Most Popular Books screen lets you filter the results by subject. The Filter button presents a dialog box that lists all of the available subjects, with a checkbox for each. Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking subjects will cause them to disappear. There are buttons to check or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check "Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that subject category. Additionally, you can filter by type by selecting Books and Magazines or Music from the drop-down list and filter by fiction and nonfiction by selecting the appropriate radio button under the heading Subject categories.

2.2.5: Browse by Subject

The Browse by Subject screen presents a list of all the subject categories in which books appear. It allows you to access all the books in a particular subject category.

Scroll down the list of subjects and either double click or press Enter on the subject you are interested in. BARD Express will then search for books on that subject and present them in a list.

To find a particular subject, go to the subject list and use first letter navigation to quickly move to a specific subject. As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter box to narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular subject. For example, type the word “fiction” without quotes, and you will get a list of nineteen subjects, such as Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, and more.

2.2.6: Browse by Series

The Browse by Series screen presents a list of all the book series on BARD. It also indicates whether you are subscribed to each series.

Scroll down the list of series and either double click or press Enter on the series that you are interested in. BARD Express will then present the list of available books in that series.

To find a particular series, go to the series list and use first letter navigation to quickly move to a specific series. As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter box to narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular series.

2.2.7: Browse Magazines

The Browse Magazines screen presents a list of all the magazines on BARD and all the issues available for a particular magazine. The screen also indicates whether you subscribe to each magazine.

Scroll down the list of magazines and either double click or press Enter on the magazine you are interested in. BARD Express will then present a list of available issues of that magazine.

To find a particular magazine, go to the magazine list and use first letter navigation to quickly move to a specific publication. As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter box to narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular magazine.

2.2.8: Search BARD

The Search BARD screen lets you search for books on BARD by keyword, author, book number, or title.

If By Keyword is selected, enter the search words in the text box, separated by spaces. Multiple words can be grouped into a phrase by double quotes.

If By Book Number is selected, type the prefix followed by the five-digit book number, without a space between the prefix and the number. Note: All audio prefixes including DB, DBC, DBE, DBF, DBM, and DBN, and braille prefixes including BR, BRC, BRE, BRM, and BRA, are recognized.

If By Author Beginning With is selected, enter the first letter or letters of an author's last name. For example, entering the letter B and selecting the Search button returns all books whose author's last name begins with B. Typing CR returns all books whose author's last name begins with CR.

If By Title Beginning With is selected, enter the first word or words of a book’s title. For example, to search for the title Charlotte’s Web, you would type “Charlotte’s” in the box. The prepositions “A,” “An,” and “The” that may occur at the beginning of a title are not included in search terms. So search for The Right Stuff by typing “Right” in the box.

By default, BARD Express will load 100 results at a time. If your search results is less than 100 matches, BARD Express will return that number of results. To increase the number of results that display on each page, open the View Menu in the menu bar with Alt+V and use the arrow keys to find the Items Per Page submenu. Open the submenu, arrow to the number of books you wish to show per page, and press Enter.

The Search BARD results are displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the Previous and Next buttons.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

The Search BARD screen lets you filter the results by subject. The Filter button presents a dialog box that lists all of the available subjects, with a checkbox for each. Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking subjects will cause them to disappear. There are buttons to check or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check "Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that subject category. Additionally, you can filter by type by selecting Books and Magazines or Music from the drop-down list and filter by fiction and nonfiction by selecting the appropriate radio button under the heading Subject categories.

The search can be cancelled by selecting the Cancel button or by pressing Escape on your keyboard.

2.2.9: Preferences

The Preferences screen is where you will select your display, format, copy, status sounds, and save location preferences for BARD Express. Preference settings are available in the following areas:

Format

Select Audio and Braille, Audio, or Braille from the drop-down list labeled Format to designate the format of the materials that display in the search and browse screens. Note that you may also designate the preferred format when you first log in to BARD Express.

Cartridge Copy Mode

Limit One Book on a Cartridge or USB Device: With this option selected, all existing books on an external storage device are deleted when you copy a new book onto the device. BARD Express will not copy another book onto the device if you do not agree to delete the title already on the device.

Allow Multiple Books on Cartridges and Devices: With this option selected, when you copy a book onto an external storage device, the program gives you the option to leave existing books on the device or delete them.

Display Mode

Standard Mode: Allows you to work with only one title at a time. If you double click or press Enter on a title, the book details are displayed, along with buttons to carry out various functions such as Copy to Cartridge, Mark as Read, Delete from Bookshelf, Download, and add and remove from your wish list, depending on the focus and context of the menu you have selected.

Advanced Mode: Allows you to work with multiple items at once to download books or add titles to your wish list. From within the Wish List screen, use the Advanced Mode to download multiple titles at once or remove them from your wish list.

Status Sounds

Play Status Sound On: A status tone will sound when large lists take more than 10 seconds to load.

Play Status Sound Off: No status tones are heard.

Result Message Display Time

When BARD Express is searching for books, a small "wait" window is displayed. When the search completes, another window is displayed indicating the search is complete. This setting determines the length of time that window is displayed. When set to the minimum value, it will not be displayed at all; the list of results is simply displayed. When set to the maximum value, it does not go away by itself; you must select the Close button. When set somewhere in between, the window indicating the search is complete is displayed for a varying amount of time, from one to ten seconds.

Bookshelf Location

By default, the directory where your BARD books and magazines are kept—your bookshelf—is a subfolder within your main Documents folder called BARD. The Preferences screen will display the exact directory location. Most people will not need to change this directory location, but there are a few cases in which you might want to make a change. You might want to change the directory if you have multiple hard drives and have more available space on a certain drive. If you have previously downloaded BARD books and have them stored on your computer, you can move your bookshelf directory to that location and BARD Express will then be able to access them. The bookshelf directory is an edit field that you can type into, or you can select the Choose a Different Directory button to use a Windows Explorer window to browse to a new directory. (Windows Explorer is the program for browsing through the files on your computer and connected devices.) The button View Directory Location in Windows Explorer launches a Windows Explorer window showing the bookshelf location, but it does not change the setting.

You can import previously downloaded books into BARD Express in a couple of different ways. One way is to use Windows Explorer to drag the zipped files into the BARD Express window. BARD Express will copy the files to the bookshelf location. It will not remove or delete the files from their original location. Another way is to drag files to the bookshelf location using Windows Explorer. In this case, you will need to restart BARD Express in order for it to recognize the new books.

2.2.10: Manage Devices

The Manage Devices screen displays a list of removable storage devices, such as an NLS cartridge or USB flash drive, connected to your computer and shows the number of books on each device.

BARD Express watches for removable drive changes, so you can plug and unplug devices while the program is running.

Choosing a device presents a list that lets you see how much space is being used on that device and how much space is still available. If there are any books on the device, they are presented in a list. Select one or more of the associated checkboxes to let BARD Express check the book contents to make sure each book has all the files it needs to play. If a file is missing or corrupt, the audio will not play. Though this operation can be used as a troubleshooting tool, it is not necessary to perform it before playing a book or magazine.

2.2.11 Download Status

The Download Status screen displays detailed information about downloads currently in process.

Section 3: Bookshelf

The Bookshelf, the first button on the Main Menu, is used to manage all of the titles on your computer that you have downloaded from BARD using BARD Express.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

Buttons at the bottom of this screen are available to perform various actions on selected titles including, Copy to Cartridge, Delete, Book Details, Mark as Read, Mark as Unread, and Sort Order. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your column configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

Search the list for terms and phrases by selecting the Find button and entering the term or phrase you wish to find. You can narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags, depending what you are trying to find. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words or Match Any Words.

Filter out books containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex as described above in 2.1.2.1, keeping in mind that NLS typically does not review the content of commercially acquired audio titles and marks those “Unrated.”

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

3.1: Accessing Titles on Your Computer

Downloaded titles are automatically placed on the Bookshelf in one of the following categories: All Books and Magazines, Audio Books, Audio Magazines, Braille Books, Braille Magazines, Read items, or Unread Items. By default, your titles will be organized by type. However, if you prefer, titles can also be listed alphabetically by author’s last name, or alphabetically by subject. To change the organization, select Subject or Author from the drop- down box labeled Organize By.

To learn more information about each book or magazine on your bookshelf, put the focus on (or highlight) the title and select the Book Details button from the bottom of the screen. When you select this button, a screen with the header Book Detail will open and, if applicable to the book, will list the title, author, subject, annotation, audience notes, narrator, reading time, book number, series information, download date, format, and reading status (read or not read). From this screen you can perform other actions on this title such as copying it to a cartridge, marking it as read, or deleting it from your Bookshelf. See sections 3.2 Copying Materials to a Cartridge, 3.3 Deleting Titles from Your Bookshelf, and 3.5 Marking Titles as Read for more information on these actions.

3.2: Copying Materials to a Cartridge (or Other Storage Device)

The Copy to Cartridge button is available in the Bookshelf screen when one or more items are checked in Advanced Mode, or one item is selected in Standard Mode.

When the Copy to Cartridge button is selected, the computer is scanned for attached removable drives. Each drive is also scanned to see if it contains BARD items. A dialog box is presented, listing the attached drives. For each removable drive detected on your computer, information is displayed on how much space is available, and how many books already exist on the drive.

If Cartridge Copy Mode is set to Limit One Book on a Cartridge or USB Device in Preferences, the checkbox labeled Delete Existing Books from Drive Before Copy will be checked and disabled. But if you allow multiple books on a drive (as determined by your preference settings), it will be enabled. If checked, before the copy starts, you will be presented with a list of books that already exist on the drive. You can uncheck any books that you wish to remain on the drive, and all others will be deleted.

Selecting a drive and choosing OK begins the copy process. A dialog box will display the progress of the transfer and give an approximate time to completion. When the copy is complete, a message box will display how many items were copied, and give the option of ejecting the device. You must either allow the program to eject the drive, or use Windows to eject the drive, before physically removing it; otherwise the files could be damaged and unusable.

3.3: Deleting Titles from Your Bookshelf

Select the title from the list on your bookshelf. Select the Delete button from the bottom of the screen. A dialog box will appear asking if you are sure you want to delete this title. Select Yes. If you are using Advanced Mode, check the box associated with the title or titles you wish to delete and then the Delete button. A dialog box will appear asking if you are sure you want to delete the title(s). Select Yes.

3.4: Learning More about Titles on Your Bookshelf

Select a title from the list on your bookshelf and then select the Book Details button at the bottom of the screen. The Book Detail screen displays a description of the book, along with author, subject, narrator, series information (if applicable), reading time (if applicable), reading status, and download date and time. The author’s name is a link that allows you to search BARD for more books by that author. If the book is part of a series, that too will be a link that allows you to search BARD for other books in that series.

From the Book Detail screen, you can choose to copy the book to a cartridge (or other external device), mark it on your bookshelf as read (using the Mark as Read button), subscribe or unsubscribe to a book series (if applicable), or delete it from your bookshelf.

3.5: Marking Titles as Read

From the list of titles on your bookshelf, select the title you wish to mark as read. Select the Mark as Read button at the bottom of the screen. When the confirmation dialog box opens, select Yes and Enter. The title will be placed in the Read Items category on your bookshelf. You may also mark titles as read from the Book Detail screen.

3.6: Sort Order

You may resort the list of titles on your bookshelf by selecting the Sort Order button at the bottom of the screen. The Sort Order button allows you to sort your titles by various attributes depending on how you have your column configuration set. See Section 2.1.2.3 Column Configuration for details on accessing and setting your column configuration. Each sort order option is available in the reverse order.

3.7: Find

Use the Find button to search the list of titles for terms or phrases. Narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words, if you are searching for a phrase, or Match Any Words, if you are searching for a term.

Filter out books containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex as described in Section 2.1.2.1, keeping in mind that NLS typically does not review the content of commercially acquired audio titles and marks those “Unrated.”

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

Section 4: Wish List

The Wish List consists of books that you have previously found interesting but have not yet downloaded.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

Buttons appear at the bottom of this screen to perform various actions on selected titles including, Download, Book Details, Sort Order, and Remove from Wish List. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your column configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

4.1 Downloading Titles from the Wish List

Titles on your wish list may be downloaded to your computer by selecting the title you wish to download and activating the Download button, if you are using Standard Mode. If you are using Advanced Mode and would like to download more than one title from your wish list, select all the titles you wish to download and then activate the Download button. Once the item or items have been downloaded, they will be placed on your bookshelf in the appropriate category.

4.2 Learning More about Titles on Your Wish List

Select a title from the list and then select the Book Details button at the bottom of the screen. The Book Detail screen displays a description of the book, along with author, subject, narrator, series information (if applicable), and reading time (if applicable). The author’s name is a link that lets you search BARD for more books by that author. If the book is part of a series, that too will be a link that allows you to search BARD for other books in that series.

From the Book Detail screen, you can choose to download or remove titles from the wish list. You can also subscribe if the book is part of a series or the item is a periodical. See Section 2.1.2.1 Subscriptions for details.

4.3 Removing Titles from Your Wish List

Select the title from the list on your bookshelf. Select the Remove from Wish List button from the bottom of the screen. A dialog box will appear asking if you are sure you want to remove this item. Select Yes and Enter. If you are using Advanced Mode, check the box associated with the title or titles you wish to delete and then the Remove from Wish List button. A dialog box will appear asking if you are sure you want to remove the item or items. Select Yes and Enter. You may also remove an item from your wish list from the Book Detail screen.

Section 5: Browsing the BARD Collection

The main menu offers five options for browsing the BARD collection: Recently Added Books and Magazines, Most Popular Books, Browse by Subject, Browse by Series, and Browse Magazines.

5.1: Recently Added Books and Magazines

Recently Added Books and Magazines lists the latest titles added to BARD. Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

Buttons appear at the bottom of this screen to perform various actions on selected titles. including Add to Wish List, Download, Book Details, and Sort Order. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your column configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

You have a choice of time periods to access: the past one day, ten days, thirty days, or forty-five days. The default time period is set to ten days. Select the desired time period from the drop-down list displaying 10 Days.

By default, BARD Express will load 100 items at a time. Increase or decrease this number by opening the View Menu in the menu bar with Alt+V and using your arrow keys to find Items Per Page. Open the submenu, arrow to the number of items you wish BARD Express to show per page, and press the Enter key.

The Recently Added Books and Magazines list is displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the Previous and Next buttons.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

The Filter button presents a dialog box that lists all of the available subjects, with a checkbox for each. Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking subjects will cause them to disappear. There are buttons to check or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check "Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that subject category. Additionally, you can filter by type by selecting Books and Magazines or Music from the drop-down list and filter by fiction and nonfiction by selecting the appropriate radio button under the heading Subject categories.

Search the list for terms and phrases by selecting the Find button and entering the term or phrase you wish to find. You can narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags, depending on what you are trying to find. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words or Match Any Words.

Filter out books containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex as described in Section 2.1.2.1, keeping in mind that NLS typically does not review the content of commercially acquired audio titles and marks those “Unrated.”

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

5.2: Most Popular Books

The Most Popular Books screen consists of books that people download most frequently from BARD. Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

Buttons appear at the bottom of this screen to perform various actions on selected titles, including Add to Wish List, Download, Book Details, Subscribe (available for series and magazines), and Sort Order. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your column configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

By default, BARD Express will load 100 items at a time. Increase or decrease this number by opening the View Menu in the menu bar with Alt+V and using your arrow keys to find Items Per Page. Open the submenu, arrow to the number of items you wish BARD Express to show per page, and press the Enter key.

The Most Popular Books list is displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the Previous and Next buttons.

The Filter button presents a dialog box that lists all of the available subjects, with a checkbox for each. Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking subjects will cause them to disappear. There are buttons to check or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check "Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that subject category. Additionally, you can filter by type by selecting Books and Magazines or Music from the drop-down list and filter by fiction and nonfiction by selecting the appropriate radio button under the heading Subject categories.

Search the list for terms and phrases by selecting the Find button and entering the term or phrase you wish to find. You can narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags, depending on what you are trying to find. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words or Match Any Words.

Filter out books containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex as described in Section 2.1.2.1, keeping in mind that NLS typically does not review the content of commercially acquired audio titles and marks those “Unrated.”

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

5.3: Browse by Subject

The Browse by Subject screen presents a list of all the subject categories in which books appear. It allows you to access all the books on a particular subject.

To use this screen, scroll down the list of subjects and either double click or press Enter on the subject you are interested in. BARD Express will then search for books on that subject and present them in a list.

To find a particular subject, go to the subject list and use first letter navigation to quickly move to a specific subject. As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter box to narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular subject.

Experiment with typing even more than two letters to see how quickly you can jump to your favorite subject.

When you find the desired subject, press Enter or double click on it. A new page will load containing all of the available books.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

Buttons appear at the bottom of this screen to perform various actions on selected titles, including Add to wish list, Download, Book Details, Subscribe (available for series and magazines), and Sort Order. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your column configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

Search the list for terms and phrases by selecting the Find button and entering the term or phrase you wish to find. You can narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags, depending on what you are trying to find. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words or Match Any Words.

Filter out books containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex as described above in 2.1.2.1, keeping in mind that NLS typically does not review the content of commercially acquired audio titles and marks those “Unrated.”

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

5.4: Browse by Series

The Browse by Series screen presents a list of all the book series on BARD. It also indicates if you are subscribed to a series.

To use this screen, scroll down the list of series and either double click or press Enter on the series that you are interested in.

To find a particular series, go to the series list and use first letter navigation to quickly move to a specific series. As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter box to narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular series.

When you find the desired series, press Enter or double click on it. A new page will load containing all of the available books in that series.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

Buttons appear at the bottom of this screen to perform various actions on selected titles, including Add to wish list, Download, Book Details, Subscribe, and Sort Order. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your column configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

Search the list for terms and phrases by selecting the Find button and entering the term or phrase you wish to find. You can narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags, depending on what you are trying to find. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words or Match Any Words.

Filter out books containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex as described in Section 2.1.2.1, keeping in mind that NLS typically does not review the content of commercially acquired audio titles and marks those “Unrated.”

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

5.5: Browse Magazines

Browse Magazines presents a list of all the magazines on BARD and all the issues available for a particular magazine. It also indicates if you are subscribed to a magazine.

To use this screen, scroll down the list of magazines and either double click or press Enter on the magazine you are interested in.

To find a particular magazine, go to the magazine list and use first letter navigation to quickly move to a specific magazine. As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter box to narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular magazine.

As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter text box to narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular magazine.

When you find the desired magazine, press Enter or double click on it. A new page will load containing all of the available issues of that magazine.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

Buttons appear at the bottom of this screen to perform various actions on selected titles, including Add to Wish List, Download, Book Details, Subscribe, and Sort Order. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your column configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

Section 6: Searching the BARD Collection

The Main Menu offers one option for searching the BARD collection: Search BARD.

The Search screen lets you search for books on BARD by keyword, author, book number, or title.

If By Keyword is selected, enter the search words in the text box, separated by spaces. Multiple words can be grouped into a phrase by double quotes.

If By Book Number is selected, type the prefix followed by the five-digit book number, without a space between the prefix and the number. Note: All audio prefixes including DB, DBC, DBE, DBF, DBM, and DBN, and braille prefixes including BR, BRC, BRE, BRM, and BRA, are recognized.

If By Author Beginning With is selected, enter the first letter or letters of an author's last name. For example, entering the letter B and selecting the Search button returns all books whose author's last name begins with B. Typing CR returns all books whose author's last name begins with CR.

If By Title Beginning With is selected, enter the first word or words of a book’s title. For example, to search for the title Charlotte’s Web, you would type “Charlotte’s” in the box. The prepositions “A,” “An,” and “The” that may occur at the beginning of a title are not included in search terms. So search for The Right Stuff by typing “Right” in the box.

Once you enter the desired search parameters, select the Search button. BARD Express will list all of the books that meet your search criteria.

By default, BARD Express will load 100 results at a time. If your search results in less than fifty matches, BARD Express will return that number of results. To increase the number of results that display on each page, open the View Menu in the menu bar with Alt+V and use the arrow keys to find the Items Per Page submenu. Open the submenu, arrow to the number of books you wish to show per page, and press Enter.

The Search BARD results are displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the Previous and Next buttons.

Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.

The Search BARD screen lets you filter the results by subject. The Filter button presents a dialog box that lists all of the available subjects, with a checkbox for each. Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking subjects will cause them to disappear. There are buttons to check or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check "Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that subject category. Additionally, you can filter by type by selecting Books and Magazines or Music from the drop-down list and filter by fiction and nonfiction by selecting the appropriate radio button under the heading Subject categories.

Buttons at the bottom of this screen are available to perform various actions on selected titles, including Add to wish list, Download, Book Details, and Sort Order. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your column configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.

Search the list for terms and phrases by selecting the Find button and entering the term or phrase you wish to find. You can narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags, depending on what you are trying to find. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words or Match Any Words.

Filter out books containing violence, strong language, or descriptions of sex as described above in 2.1.2.1, keeping in mind that NLS typically does not review the content of commercially acquired audio titles and marks those “Unrated.”

By default, the Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags boxes are all checked. Selecting the Reset button will restore the default Find settings.

Section 7: Preferences

The BARD Express Preferences allow you to chose your display, copy, sound, and save location preferences.

7.1 Format

There are three choices for format preferences: Audio and Braille, Audio, or Braille. Select the desired format from the drop-down list labeled Format to designate the format of the materials that display in the search and browse pages. Note: you may also designate the preferred format when you first log in to BARD Express.

7.2: Cartridge Copy Mode

There are two cartridge copy mode settings: Limit One Book on a Cartridge or USB Device or Allow Multiple Books on Cartridges and Devices.

• Limit One Book on a Cartridge or USB Device: With this option selected, all existing books on an external storage device are deleted when you copy a new book onto the device. BARD Express will not copy another book onto the device if you do not agree to delete the title already on the device.
  

• Allow Multiple Books on Cartridges and Devices: With this option selected, when you copy a book onto an external storage device, the program gives you the option to leave existing books on the device or delete them.
  

7.3: Display Mode

There are two display modes: Standard Mode and Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time.

Advanced Mode allows you select multiple items using the associated checkbox, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, add to your wish list, download, or sort.

7.4 Status Sounds

There are two setting for status sounds: Play Status Sound On and Play Status Sound Off. When status sounds are set to On, BARD Express will sound a series of status beeps whenever pages take longer than 10 seconds to load to let you know that it is working. When status sounds are set to Off, BARD Express will make no sound during long loading times.

7.5: Result Message Display Time

When BARD Express is searching for books, a small "wait" window is displayed. When the search completes, another window is displayed indicating the search is complete. This setting determines the length of time that window is displayed. When set to the minimum value, it will not be displayed at all; the list of results is simply displayed. When set to the maximum value, the window will not close by itself; you must select on the Close button. When the value is set between minimum and maximum, the window indicating the search is complete displays for one to ten seconds.

7.6: Bookshelf Location

By default, the directory where your BARD books and magazines are kept—your bookshelf—is a subfolder within your main Documents folder called BARD. The Preferences screen will display the exact directory location. Most people will not need to change this directory location, but there are a few cases in which you might want to make a change. You might want to change the directory if you have multiple hard drives and have more available space on a certain drive. If you have previously downloaded BARD books and have them stored on your computer, you can move your bookshelf directory to that location and BARD Express will then be able to access them. The bookshelf directory is an edit field that you can type into, or you can select the Choose a Different Directory button to use a Windows Explorer window to browse to a new directory. (Windows Explorer is the program for browsing through the files on your computer and connected devices.) The button View Directory Location in Windows Explorer launches a Windows Explorer window showing the bookshelf location, but it does not change the setting.

You can import previously downloaded books into BARD Express in a couple of different ways. One way is to use Windows Explorer to drag the zipped files into the BARD Express window. BARD Express will copy the files to the bookshelf location. It will not remove or delete the files from their original location. Another way is to drag files to the bookshelf location using Windows Explorer. In this case, you will need to restart BARD Express in order for it to recognize the new books.

Section 8: Managing Devices

Manage Devices displays a list of removable storage devices, such as an NLS cartridge or USB flash drive, connected to your computer and shows the number of books on each device.

8.1: Identifying Devices

BARD Express watches for removable drive changes, so you can plug and unplug devices while the program is running.

Choosing a device presents a list that lets you see how much space is being used on that device and how much space is still available. If there are any books on the device, they are presented in a list. Select one or more of the associated check boxes to let BARD Express check the book contents to make sure each book has all the files it needs to play. If a file is missing or corrupt, the audio will not play. Though this operation can be used as a troubleshooting tool, it is not necessary to perform it before playing a book or magazine.

8.2: Device Contents

Device Contents shows books and magazines that exist on a cartridge or USB flash drive. Use this function by opening Manage Devices from the Main Menu, then selecting a drive on the Device List screen.

You may select the Validate Books button to start a process that validates all the data files for each book. A progress dialog will be shown. This dialog may be dismissed, but the validation process will continue in the background.

If the validation process dialog has not been closed then a dialog will appear when the process completes. This dialog summarizes the results of the validation, providing a count of valid books and a list of invalid books, with details about the flaws of the latter. Possible flaws are missing files and corrupt files. Selecting the Validate Books button either re-displays the progress dialog, if the validation process is still running, or displays the summary dialog if validation is complete.

Some books contain information that allows them to be validated on a stand-alone basis, but some do not. In the latter case, the book must exist in your bookshelf in order to be validated. The summary dialog will tell you if that is the case.

You can verify that books on your cartridge have been validated by selecting the Report button. If the book has been validated, a dialog box will open and indicate that the book files are all valid. If the book has not been validated, then selecting the Report button will notify you that the book needs to be validated.

This screen has a Delete button, which allows individual books to be deleted.

This screen also has an Eject Drive button, which disconnects the device from your computer.

Section 9: Download Status

The Downloads screen presents information on the status of your current downloads. This screen is helpful when you are downloading more than one item at a time. While you are downloading titles, the screen will display the number of books waiting to download, the title of the book currently being downloaded, and the completion percentage of the current book being downloaded.

Last updated 06/02/2021
Version 2.5