BARD is an audio book download service available through the Colorado Talking Book Library. The advantage of BARD over traditional delivery of library material is that BARD is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No more waiting for your books to be delivered through the Post Office. You will have access to over 24,000 titles and audio magazines. Many patrons that do not have access to a computer or the internet have family members downloading books for them.

To use BARD, you will need the following:

• A high-speed internet connection


• An email address


• An NLS approved playback device which includes the NLS digital playback machine—see the list at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/ctbl/Digital/bard.htm


• Knowledge of navigating the Web, filing out online forms, downloading large items and unzipping files

The new digital players will also play books downloaded from BARD on either a flash drive or a blank cartridge. The blank cartridges can be purchased from either the Perkins School for the Blind: http://bit.ly/9E4JO1 or the American Printing House for the Blind: http://bit.ly/piYo1M

You or your family member will need to fill out an application at: https://nlsbard.loc.gov/CO1A. Click on the link BARD application instructions. The link for the application will be at the bottom of that page. Make sure you fill out the form using your information exactly as it appears in your Colorado Talking Book Library (CTBL) account. If you are unsure of this information, contact the library at 303-727-9277, 1-800-685-2136 (toll-free, in-state only, or ctbl.info@cde.state.co.us

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