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| Requirements for Using BARD |
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Downloading books from the BARD website requires the following:
- NLS digital player or an authorized purchased player
- Computer with high-speed internet service
- Active email address
- Purchased blank cartridge or USB flash drive (recommended 1-2 GB)
Also, there are a few computer skills that users need to have in order to use BARD, including:
- Navigating a web page using a web browser (IE, Firefox, Safari, etc)
- Sending and receiving email
- Filling out online forms
- Downloading files
- Locating a downloaded file on your computer
- Connecting a cartridge or USB flash drive to your computer
- Creating new folders
- Extracting files from a zipped format
- Copying and pasting files
- Removing a cartridge or USB flash drive safely from your computer
- Erasing files from a cartridge or USB flash drive
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| How to Download a BARD Book |
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For PC users
- Log in to BARD.
- Find the book you are interested in downloading.
- Click the blue download link.
- A small window will open asking if you would like to Open or Save the book you are downloading. Click Save.
- Another small window will pop up asking you where you would like to save the file. Choose where you would like to save the file, then click Save.
- We recommend saving books to your desktop.
- You do not have to change the file name in order to continue; just leave the default settings as they appear.
- DO NOT change the file type.
- The book will download. This process may take a few minutes, depending on the size of the book. Most books are about 100-120 Megabytes (MB).
- The speed of the download may vary as it ticks along, and the time remaining may go up or down rapidly. These occurrences are normal whenever you download something from the internet.
- Download time varies depending on the speed of your internet connection.
- While you are waiting for your book to download, plug your USB flash drive into your computer.
- Open your USB flash drive and create a new folder for the book you are downloading. This folder will eventually be used to hold the individual files that make up the book you are downloading.
- We recommend naming the folder the title or number of the book you are downloading so you can easily remember which books you have on your USB flash drive later.
- Separating books into folders helps keep them well organized, especially if you put multiple books on a USB flash drive.
- When the book finishes downloading, it will appear as a zipped file. The icon will most likely look like a folder with a zipper on it.
- You CANNOT simply copy and paste the zipped file onto your USB flash drive. Your digital player will not recognize the book.
- Right click on the zipped file and select the Extract All option.
- A small window will appear called the Extraction Wizard. Down at the bottom of the initial page, click Next
- You will be asked where you would like to extract the files to. Click the Browse button.
- Another small window will appear. Double click the My Computer option.
- Under My Computer will be a listing of all the drives your computer is currently connected to. One will be your USB flash drive, either listed as a Removable Storage Device, or by its brand/model name. Double click on whichever option is listed.
- Select the folder that you created on your USB flash drive for the book, then click OK.
- The files will begin extraction into the folder on your USB flash drive. When they are finished, you can choose to view them if you want by checking the box. This step is not necessary or recommended. Which ever way you choose, click Finish.
- Safely remove your USB flash drive from your computer.
- Plug your USB flash drive into your digital player WHILE THE PLAYER IS OFF.
- Turn your digital player on. The player will recognize the book(s) that is/are on your USB flash drive.
- You CANNOT have both a USB flash drive and a book cartridge in the machine at the same time.
- You CAN put multiple books on your USB flash drive, depending on the amount of available space. Just repeat the process for each book
- We recommend putting no more than 10 books on a USB flash drive.
- You CAN delete the zipped file once you are done with the extraction process. Doing so will not jeopardize the extracted files elsewhere.
For Mac users
- Log in to BARD.
- Find the book you are interested in downloading.
- Click the blue download link.
- A small box will open asking if you would like to Open or Save the book you are downloading. Click Save.
- Most Macs default to saving files to the Downloads folder on your hard drive. If you have not changed this default setting, then the book you download will most likely be saved to the Downloads folder. The download process will therefore begin automatically when you click Save.
- If you don’t know where the Downloads folder is on your computer, you can still easily locate the book on your hard drive by opening your hard drive and searching for the title or DB number of the book using the search bar at the top right corner.
- The book will download. This process may take a few minutes, depending on the size of the book. Most books are about 100-120 Megabytes (MB).
- The speed of the download may vary as it ticks along, and the time remaining may go up or down rapidly. These occurrences are normal whenever you download something from the internet.
- Download time varies depending on the speed of your internet connection.
- While you are waiting for your book to download, plug your USB flash drive into your computer.
- An icon for your USB flash drive will usually appear on your desktop when it is connected, and the icon is usually named the brand or model name of the USB flash drive.
- If you have the finder open, you may also see your USB flash drive listed under Devices.
- When the book finishes downloading, it will appear as a zipped file. The icon will most likely look like a piece of paper with a zipper on it.
- You CANNOT simply copy and paste the zipped file onto your USB flash drive. Your digital player will not recognize the book.
- Locate and double click on the zipped file. The files inside will automatically be unarchived into a new folder with the same name as the original zipped file, which will also be saved in the same place as the original zipped file.
- You may want to change the name of this new folder when the unarchiving process is finished, since the default name can be quite long (default name = author name, title, DB number).
- Drag and drop the new folder onto your USB flash drive.
- Eject your USB flash drive from your computer.
- Plug your USB flash drive into your digital player WHILE THE PLAYER IS OFF.
- Turn your digital player on. The player will recognize the book that is on your USB flash drive.
- You CANNOT have both a USB flash drive and a book cartridge in the machine at the same time.
- You CAN put multiple books on your USB flash drive, depending on the amount of available space. We recommend putting no more than 10 books on a USB flash drive.
- You CAN delete the zipped file once you complete the unarchiving process. Doing so will not jeopardize the files in the new folder.
For Patrons Using a Screen Reader
- We have created an audio tutorial describing the process of downloading a book from BARD for our patrons who use a screen reader. Since there are several screen readers available on the market, and several different versions of each still used by our patrons, this tutorial is designed more as a general guide to the process. It does include key stoke and navigation information, but may require some adaptation to your specific screen reader. To download our BARD Audio Tutorial, click here.
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| Purchasing Assessories |
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Blank Cartridges
Blank digital cartridges (like those you receive from Talking Books) are available for purchase from a couple of third party vendors. NOTE: in order to connect a blank cartridge to your computer, you may also need to purchase a special USB extension cable (can be bundled with the cartridge).
- American Printing House for the Blind (www.aph.org)
- Cartridge available in 2 GB; recommended to bundle with the USB extension cable.
- Perkins School (www.perkins.org)
- There are options to purchase the 1 GB cartridge or the 2 GB cartridge, with or without the USB extension cable.
USB Flash Drives
USB flash drives can be purchased at any electronics retail store (i.e. Best Buy, Radio Shack, Fred Meyer, Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, etc).
- We recommend a USB flash drive that is 1-2 GB and that does not come with any additional software (i.e. security software, file organization software, etc)
- The larger the USB flash drive, the more books you can put on it. Usually, 1 GB holds about 4-6 books, depending on their size.
Carrying Case
A specially designed carrying case is also available for the digitial players. The case protects the machine while still leaving access to the cartridge slot, buttons, and USB port. It also comes with a shoulder strap. This case is can be purchased from the following vendors:
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| BARD FAQ |
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- Q: Can I put more than one book onto a blank cartridge or USB flash drive?
- A: YES, you can put as many books onto a blank cartridge or USB flash drive as will fit. We recommend putting each book into a separate folder on your cartridge or flash drive in order to keep them organized and avoid potential errors.
- Q: How do I access multiple BARD books on my blank cartridge or USB flash drive?
- A: Press and hold the green Play button on your NLS digital player until you hear the player say “bookshelf.” Then, using the forward or rewind buttons, find the book you want to play and press the play button again.
- Q: Can I download books on to an SD card?
- A: Yes, as long as you have a USB SD card reader that you can use to connect your SD card to your computer and/or digital player. Just follow the same instructions listed above for downloading BARD books onto a USB flash drive your blank cartridge, but be sure not to extract the book files into a pre-formatted folder (i.e. $VSDTB, the one for the Victor Stream).
- Q: What do I do if I’ve lost or forgotten my password?
- A: Go to the BARD log in page and click the "Recover your BARD password here" link. Enter the answer to your security question, then click submit. You will receive an email with a temporary password. Use the temporary password to log in to BARD, then choose your permanent password. You will receive another email confirming your permanent password. Save this email so you have your password on file for later. If you have any further issues, contact Talking Books at 503-378-5389 or 1-800-452-0292 and ask to have your BARD password reset.
- Q: Can I play books that I’ve downloaded on my computer or an MP3 player?
- Q: Can I play MP3 files on my digital player?
- A: Yes, you can play MP3 books and even music files on your digital player that are on your USB flash drive or blank cartridge. If you only put MP3 files on your flash drive or cartridge, you can organize your MP3s however you like. The digital player will not recognize your MP3 files or the folders they are in by title, but only as a folder and file number (i.e. Folder 1, File 1), and you cannot access your individual MP3 files through the bookshelf feature. However, if you have also put a BARD book on your flash drive or cartridge along with MP3 files, you must put any MP3 file you want to listen to in a folder called "audio+podcasts" (all one word, all lower case, no spaces). Within this special folder you can create other sub-folders and organize your MP3 files however you like. Furthermore, when a BARD book in on your flash drive or cartridge you will be able to access your MP3 files using the bookshelf feature, but only to select the option of listening to whatever is in the "audio+podcasts" folder, not to select individual files. When using a standard digital player, you can jump from file to file by pressing and holding the Fast Forward or Rewind buttons. When using an advanced digtial player, use the Next and Previous buttons to toggle through files or folders, and you can use the Menu button to switch between jumping from file to file or folder to folder.
- Q: Is there a limit to the number of books I can download?
- A: YES and NO. There is no limit to the number of books you can download over a period of time (i.e. week or month), but you can only download one book from the BARD website at a time.
- Q: I'm a Mac user, and my computer is telling me I have no room left on my cartridge even though there are no books on it. What can I do?
- A: When you remove a file from a flash drive or cartridge using a Mac, unless you also remove the file from the trash bin on your computer you will not be allowed to use the space on the flash drive or cartridge the book had been taking up. Once you empty your Mac's trash bin (permanently delete the file), the space on your flash drive or cartridge should once again be available for use. This issue persists for all files transferred on and off a flash drive using a Mac, not just in regard to BARD books.
- Q: Can I change my user ID (email address)?
- A: YES, first log in to BARD using your current user ID, then click on the "Update account settings" link towards the bottom of the page. Select the "change your email address" link (your email address is your user ID ). Once you submit your new email address, a temporary password will be emailed to the new address, so be sure you can access the new email account before you request the change. If you have problems, please contact Talking Books at 503-378-5389 or 1-800-452-0292.
- Q: Is there any subscription fee for using BARD?
- A: NO, access to BARD is free for all certified members of the Talking Books program. The NLS digital player needed to play the books is also made available to you for free. All you have to provide for yourself is either the blank cartridge or USB flash drive, and a high-speed internet connection.
- Q: Can someone else download books for me?
- A: YES, friends and family are welcome to download books for you. All they need is your user ID, password, and a blank cartridge or USB flash drive. Your account information is not IP address specific. You can add or delete books to and from your cartridge or flash drive from any computer, as long as it has the appropriate ports. Just be careful when sharing your log in information. Make sure you only give your user ID and password to someone you trust, and don’t connect your blank cartridge or USB flash drive to a computer that may be infected with a virus.
- Q: How do I navigate through the Bible?
- A: The Bible can be a tricky book to navigate since it has so many levels of content (testaments, books, chapters, verses, etc). The best player to use when trying to navigate through the Bible is the advanced digital player (DA1). When using the advanced digital player, first insert the cartridge or flash drive with the Bible on it before you turn on the player. Then push the Menu button to select which level you want to navigate by (testament, book, etc). Keep pressing the Menu button until you hear the level you want:
- Testament (jump): This level will take you between the Old Testament and the New Testament
- Book (jump): This level will navigate in order through the books of the testament
- Chapter (jump): You will navigate through the chapters of the book you are in
- Phrase (jump): move through the chapter by phrases (verses)
- Bookmark: You can place bookmarks at your favorite verses by pushing the Mark button. This level will jump from one bookmark to another.
- When you've found the desired level, use the Next and Prev buttons to jump ahead or go back. For example, if you select the book layer, the player will jump from Matthew to Mark to Luke to John each time you press the next button from the start of the New Testament. These navigation features also works for other books as well, not just for the Bible. If you do not have an advanced digital player and would like one, contact us at 800-452-0292 or tbabs.info@state.or.us and we'll be happy to send you one.
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