[IL-Talk] Beta Testing Opportunity!

[dandrews920 at comcast.net]

I think they announced the other day that the beta is closed, they have
enough people.

Dave


-----Original Message-----
From: IL-Talk <il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Mark Peters via
IL-Talk
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2026 7:40 AM
To: NFB of Illinois Mailing List <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Mark Peters <mpetersats at outlook.com>
Subject: [IL-Talk] Beta Testing Opportunity!

Hi everyone:

NLS is looking for beta testers for a new reader.  Please see the details
below and consider being a tester!

The National Library service for the blind and Print Disabled , (NLS) is
looking for patrons who would be interested in beta testing a web player
that can be used to play audio books from BARD. This player will be
available to NLS patrons and can be used while logged into the BARD web
site.

Features of the web player include:

  *   Increase and decrease playback speed
  *   The ability to jump through the book by time increments
  *   Sleep timer
  *   The ability to monitor the reading location
  *   Volume adjustment
  *   The ability to jump directly to any section of the book such as parts
and chapters
  *   Reding synchronization with other BARD platforms that support reading
synchronization such as the My Talking Books smart speaker skill. Additional
BARD platforms will support synchronization in the coming months.

We are looking for up to 250 patrons who would be interested in beta testing
this new player. By signing up for this beta:

  *   You will be expected  to read at least five hours per week using the
web player.
  *   You will be required to provide feedback on the player through email,
focus groups, or other mediums to be announced.
  *   You will be on a listserv with other Web Player Beta participants to
share your experiences and receive feedback from NLS.
  *   You must agree not to publicly demonstrate or provide recordings of
the web player until it is released into production. Violation of this
agreement will result in removal from the beta as a participant.

To sign up for the web player beta, send us an email at
NLSPES at loc.gov<mailto:NLSPES at loc.gov>. The email should include your name,
and a statement saying you would like to participate in beta testing the NLS
web player. The email you provide will be used to place you on the Web
Player listserv. When the Beta version of the player is released, we will
send you an email with instructions on how to use the player.

Best,

Mark R. Peters
Assistive Technology Instructor
Phone: 309-338-8102
Email: mpetersats at outlook.com<mailto:mpetersats at outlook.com>
Book a meeting with me! Assistive Technology Support-Meet with
Mark<https://calendly.com/mpetersats/meet-with-mark>

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