BARD Mobile App

The BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) mobile app provides access to braille and talking books directly from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) at the Library of Congress. BARD contains nearly 50,000 books, magazines, and music scores in audio and braille formats, with new selections added daily.

With BARD Mobile, you can play the audio materials on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. If your device is connected to a refreshable braille display through Bluetooth, you can also read the braille materials available on BARD.

Before you can use this BARD Mobile app, you must be registered with a braille and talking-book library in the NLS network of cooperating libraries. If you aren’t registered but think you qualify for this service because you cannot read regular print as a result of a visual or physical disability, locate your local library for the blind and physically handicapped at http://www.loc.gov/nls/find.html or call 1-800-NLS-READ to apply for service.