[nfbwatlk] Fwd: [Dtb-talk] Changes to BARD

[Mike Freeman]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> Date: November 23, 2012, 8:25:52 PST
> To: dtb-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Dtb-talk] Changes to BARD
> Reply-To: Discussion of Digital Talking Books <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> 
> Among other things, NLS is putting the B in BARD.  The following information went out today -- the site will change next Tuesday, the 27th of November.
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> Hello, List Members,
> 
> We are excited to tell you that a major update to BARD will be released next Tuesday, November 27. Here is what will happen before the update and what to expect once the update is complete.
> 
> As you may have noticed, there's a BARD alert up to remind everyone that The Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) will be down for at least twenty-four hours beginning at midnight on Sunday, November 25, while we migrate to the new system. On Tuesday, November 27, the new BARD­featuring Web-Braille materials, the wish list, and other additions­will be available at https//nlsbard.loc.gov.
> 
> BARD users will receive a message summarizing the new materials and features the first five times they log in to BARD after Tuesday, November 27.
> 
> Once BARD has been updated, you will be able to log in with the same email address and password you use now. You'll notice the following differences:
> 
> Web-Braille is now part of BARD. On every page containing books or magazines, you'll find links to both audio and braille titles. These links are always at heading 1, so you can easily find the book format you want. Audiobooks are always listed first. Also, if you only want to see one type of book, you can set this up by choosing the Account Settings link on the BARD main page and then making your choice in the Display Results combo box. This page also gives you the option to display the site in color or black and white, which may help some of you to see it better.
> 
> Braille books are in zip files. Each zip file contains all the volumes of that book. So to read a braille book, unzip the book to a folder, copy that unzipped folder’s contents to a braille-aware notetaker or computer with a braille display, open the volume you want, and start reading.
> 
> Braille music scores and audio music instruction courses are now on BARD. So are books, both braille and audio, that are produced by NLS network libraries.
> 
> BARD book listings are formatted as they always were, except that each book title is now a link. If you choose that link, you go to a page with several new features. These include:
> 
> •    The author’s name is a link that takes you to a page displaying all the books on BARD by that author.
> •    If the book is part of a series, there is a Series link that will take you to a page listing all the books on BARD in the series. Note that this section is still under development, so not all books in the series may be listed.
> •    If the book is listed under more than one subject, all the subjects are listed, and each is a link to all the books on BARD with that subject. This also means that if you browse by subject on BARD, Bestseller will now include all books with the subject Bestseller.
> •    The narrator's name is a link that will take you to a page listing other books read by that narrator.
> •    There is a link that will add the book to a wish list. This is handy if you don't want to download the book now but would like to be able to locate it later.
> •    There are additional details, such as the book's ISBN.
> 
> You can now see a list of all the books and magazines you have downloaded. To do this, follow the My Previous Downloads link on the main page. The My Wish List link is there, too. Both are level 3 headings, making it easy to find them.
> 
> For a more detailed description of the changes, visit
> 
> https://nlsbard.loc.gov/NLS/NewBARDOverview.html
> 
> Since these are major changes, you may experience some problems with the site at first. If so, please be patient and know that NLS is working to fix problems as quickly as possible. If a problem doesn't go away after a day or two, however, feel free to contact your library.
> 
> We hope you enjoy this new version of BARD.
> 
> Sincerely,
> The BARD Technical Support Team
> NLS BARD Technical Support
> e-mail: NLSDownload at loc.gov
> Read the BARD FAQ at: https://nlsbard.loc.gov/NLS/FAQ.html
> 
> 
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