Way cool. Thanks.
-----Original Message-----
From: Humberto Rodriguez
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2016 8:31 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [JAWS-Users] Using the new BARD express program
It is a new program that a programmer who has a blind wife and daughter
wrote for their use and donated to NLS for the use of all, so it became
available this month. It simplifies gretly the searching and downloading,
is totally accessible and has certain improvements, for instance, to be able
to download an entire series at once.
You download and install it from the NLS BARD website.
Humberto
-----Original Message-----
From: JAWS-Users-List [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2016 8:23 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [JAWS-Users] Using the new BARD express program
I am familiar with the BARD site. Is the BARD Express a new facet of the
original one? Forgive the lack of knowledge on this. Jerry
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2016 1:31 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [JAWS-Users] Using the new BARD express program
Hi Jaws users list. I want to thank the people who let me know about the
BARD express program. I think this program will make it much easier for
members to download and move books to a flash drive. The program works great
with Jaws. Below are the get started and the users guide for the BARD
express program. Please enjoy.
Welcome to BARD Express
This document will help to get you started using BARD Express, a software
program that makes it easier to download, save, and read books from BARD,
the
NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download website.
Logging in for the first time
To start using BARD Express, sign in to the software using your existing
BARD credentials, which are your email address and password. If you do not
yet
have a BARD account, visit the following website to apply for one:
https://nlsbard.loc.gov/cgi-bin/public/nlsbardprod/accountrequest.cgi?libcod
e=NLS
Navigating BARD Express
There are two distinct ways to work with BARD Express.
Standard View
1. Navigate the Main menu by pressing the Tab key to move between the
submenus, which include Bookshelf, Wish List, Most Recently Added Books and
Magazines,
Most Popular Books, and more. If you use screen-reading software and a
keyboard, you can navigate the menu by pressing the Tab key to move between
submenus
and by pressing the Enter key to open one of the submenus.
2. After you have opened a submenu, use the arrow keys to navigate through
title lists and press the Enter key to explore a book's details. Once a
book's
detail screen has been opened, use the Tab key to hear the author, narrator,
annotation, and more.
3. Use the buttons at the bottom of the book's detail screen to download the
title or add/remove it from your Wish List. Select the button, then press
the Enter key or the spacebar. To return to the top of the book's detail
screen, hit Tab. Another button at the top of the page will allow you to
return
to the list of titles screen.
Advanced View
A second way to work with BARD Express is to use the Advanced View. This
view presents more information on a title without having to press Enter to
get
the book details.
1. Navigate the Main menu and open a submenu such as Most Recently Added
Books and Magazines the same way as in the Standard View.
2. Switch to the Advanced View by using the keyboard command Control+L
(press the ConttrolControl and L keys at the same time). As you down-arrow
through
a list of titles, you will hear the book's title, its author and narrator,
and its description.
3. Press the spacebar to select one or more books.
4. Download or add your selections to the Wish List by choosing the
appropriate button or use the assigned shortcut key.
Exploring the Menu Bar
The BARD Express Menu Bar contains three selections: Files, View, and Help.
The Files Menu
This menu lets you log in and out of your BARD account. If you want to log
out of your account, open the Files menu and choose Log Out. BARD Express
will
ask if you're sure you want to log out. Choose Log Out if that is your
intention or choose Remain Logged In if you wish to remain logged in to your
account.
The View Menu
This menu contains shortcuts to the Main menu and submenus such as
Bookshelf, Wish List, and Preferences.
From within the View menu, you can select Items Per Page, which lets you
choose the number of titles you want BARD Express to display at one time.
The
View menu also lets you increase or decrease the font size used in lists of
titles and book detail pages.
At the bottom of the View menu is an item called Column Configuration.
Choosing this item allows you to control how much of a book's information
displays
directly on the list screen or is read by your screen-reading software as
you navigate from title to title using Advanced View.
The Help Menu
This menu contains three items: Help, About, and Getting Started.
Choose Help to access the help information for your current window. Close
the window and return to BARD Express by pressing Alt+F4 or selecting the X
in
the top right corner of the window.
Choose About to learn the software version and find the address for support.
Choose Getting Started to refer back to this document.
Getting Help
Another way to access the Help item in the Help menu is to press the F1 key.
Choose a topic in the tree view you want to learn more about. Any part of
the tree view that has sub-topics related to the main topic can be expanded
by pressing the right arrow. Scroll through the subtopics by using the down
arrow. To read the information on that topic, press enter on the topic of
interest. After pressing the F6 key to display the information, use your
standard
reading keys to read about the topic.
To close Help, use the keyboard command Alt+F4 or select X.
Closing BARD Express
When you're finished using BARD Express, there is no need to log out (if you
wish to log out, follow the directions under the Files menu in the menu
bar).
Simply close the software using the keyboard command Alt+F4 or select the X
in the top right corner of the BARD Express window. BARD Express remembers
your account credentials, so the next time you want to use BARD, just open
BARD Express and it will log into your account; you won't need to enter your
email address and password.
BARD Express User Guide
BARD Express User Guide
The National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
BARD Express User Guide
Table of Contents
Section 1: Welcome
block quote
1.1: Access to BARD
1.2: Operating BARD Express
1.3: BARD Login
block quote end
Section 2: Getting Started
block quote
2.1: Heading and Menu Bar
block quote
2.1.1: Account Menu
2.1.2: View Menu
block quote
2.1.2.1: Column Configuration
block quote end
2.1.3: Help Menu
block quote end
2.2: Main Menu
block quote end
block quote
block quote
2.2.1: Bookshelf
2.2.2: Wish List
2.2.3: Recently Added Books and Magazines
2.2.4: Most Popular Books
2.2.5: Browse by Subject
2.2.6: Browse by Series
2.2.7: Browse Magazines
2.2.8: Search BARD
2.2.9: Preferences
block quote end
block quote end
Section 3: Bookshelf
block quote
3.1: Accessing Titles on Your Computer
3.2: Copying Materials to a Cartridge (or other storage device)
3.3: Deleting Titles from Your Bookshelf
3.4: Learning More about Titles on Your Bookshelf
3.5: Marking Titles as Read
3.6: Sort Order
block quote end
Section 4: Wish List
Section 5: Browsing the BARD Collection
block quote
5.1: Recently Added Books and Magazines
5.2: Most Popular Books
5.3: Browse by Subject
5.4: Browse by Series
5.5: Browse Magazines
block quote end
Section 6: Searching the BARD Collection
Section 7: Preferences
block quote
7.1: Cartridge Copy Mode
7.2: Display Mode
7.3: Result Message Display Time
7.4: Bookshelf Location
block quote end
Section: 8 Managing Devices
block quote
8.1: Identifying Devices
8.2: Device Contents
block quote end
Section 1: Welcome
Welcome to the BARD Express user guide. This handbook will guide you
through the various features of BARD Express, a windows-based software that
simplifies
searching for, downloading, and transferring audio titles from the National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of
Congress, Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) website using your
personal computer. Screen shots in this guide are visual representation of
the BARD
Express interface and may not match exactly screen reader representations.
1.1: Access to BARD
Use of BARD Express is restricted to eligible NLS patrons who have a BARD
account. If you are not currently a patron of NLS, please read about the
NLS
eligibility requirements
and learn about
signing up for service.
BARD Express will operate on personal computers running Windows XP, Vista,
7,8,8.1, and 10 operating systems. Connection to the Internet is required to
use BARD Express.
1.2: Operating BARD Express
BARD Express is completely accessible to visually impaired individuals. The
software is fully functional with JAWS, WindowEyes, and NVDA screen readers.
Low-vision users may increase the font up to four rimes the normal size
using the Preference settings.
Keyboard commands, or hot keys, are available for various features and
functions of BARD Express. The table below lists some frequently used hot
keys.
table with 3 columns and 30 rows
Screen
Keystroke
Action
Any
F1
Access BARD Express help documents
Help
F6
Switch between table of contents view and content view
Alt+C
Move to table of contents
Help
Alt+N
Brings up an index of terms from within help
Help
Alt+S
Search help documents from within help
Any
Alt+F
Access account information
Book lists
Alt+V+C
Access column configuration in advanced mode
Any
Alt+V+F+F+Enter
Increase font size
Any
Alt+V+F+F+Enter
Decrease font size
Book lists of results
Alt+V+I
Items per page
Any
Alt+H+G
Access the getting started guide
Any
Alt+H+C
Check for software updates
Any
Alt+H+A
Access About BARD Express
Any
Ctrl+D
Access Most Popular Books list
Any
Ctrl+G
Browse by Series
Any
Ctrl+I
Browse the magazine collection
Any
Ctrl+J
Browse by subject
Any
Ctrl+W
Access your wish list
Any
Ctrl+R
Access Recently Added Books and Magazines list
Any
Ctrl+S
Search BARD
Book Lists
Ctrl+L
Toggle between standard and advanced mode
Any
Ctrl+M
Access the main menu
Any
Ctrl+P
Access preferences
Any
Ctrl+Q
Screen reader speaks title of current screen
Book lists
Alt+D
Download selected title(s)
Book lists
Alt+N
Load next page of results
Book lists
Alt+P
Load previous page of results
Bookshelf
Alt+D
Delete a title from the Bookshelf
Wish List
Alt+R
Remove a title from the Wish List
table end
1.3: BARD Login
At the initial launch of the software, BARD Express will prompt you to read
and agree to the BARD service agreement. You cannot use BARD Express unless
you consent to the terms of service.
After you have agreed to the terms of service, a BARD login screen will
appear. Enter your BARD user name and password. Unless you change your
credentials
using the BARD web interface, you should only have to provide this
information once.
Figure 1: Login Screen
Figure 1: Login Screen
Section 2: Getting Started
To get the most out of BARD Express, there are several features and
functions you should know about. This section provides a quick overview of
the basic
elements to get you started.
2.1: Heading and Menu Bar
Each screen of BARD Express has a heading. It is displayed on the navigation
bar located at the top of the screen. The heading tells you which screen or
content you are managing. The menu bar is directly below the heading and
contains three items: Account, View, and Help.
2.1.1: Account Menu
The account menu provides options for logging in and out of BARD It also
provides contact information for your regional library and a vehicle for
accessing
system messages from BARD.
Figure 2: Account Menu
Figure 2: Account Menu
2.1.2: View Menu
The top portion of the view menu provides access to the main menu, your wish
list and bookshelf, and all of the search and browse options. It also lists
the hot keys for each. The bottom portion offers options for adjusting the
number of items per page (50, 100, 500, 1000), the font size (larger or
smaller),
and the column configuration. (See section 2.1.2.1 for details)
Figure 3: View Menu
Figure 3: View Menu
2.1.2.1: Column Configuration
Selecting Column Configuration from the View Menu will open a dialog box
listing all of the options for display items in the columns of books lists.
Here
you can enable and disable the information you want displayed for each title
in your book lists. The options are: Type (book or magazine), Title, Author,
Subject, Annotation, Narrator, Series, Reading time, File Size, and BARD ID
(book Number). Check the box associated with each item you want displayed in
the list view.
Figure 4: Column Configuration
Figure 4: Column Configuration
2.1.3: Help Menu
The help menu provides access to a getting started guide, the help system
inside BARD Express, and information about BARD Express. It also provides an
option to check for and install software updates.
Figure 5: Help Menu
Figure 5: Help Menu
2.2: Main Menu
The main menu gives you access to the bookshelf and wish list and it
provides options for searching and browsing the BARD collection. It allows
you to
manage external devices (cartridges or USB flash drives) connected to your
computer and to set and change your preferences.
The bookshelf contains books and magazines you have downloaded from BARD.The
wish list is your BARD wish list and consists of books and magazines you
have
expressed interest in, but have not downloaded.
From the main menu you can browse the Recently Added Books and Magazines
list and the Most Popular Books list. You can also browse the BARD audiobook
collection
by subject and series, and browse the audio magazines collection.
Additionally, you can search for titles using a keyword search.
You may also access your external devices, cartridges or USB Flash drives,
connected to your computer using the Manage Devices button. The Preferences
button presents options for selecting and changing preference settings.
Figure 6: Main Manu
Figure 6: Main Menu
2.2.1: Bookshelf
All the audio titles you have downloaded to your computer using BARD Express
are listed in the Bookshelf. The default organization is by type, in
alphabetical
order, followed by the number of titles in each category: All Books and
Magazines, Audio Books, Audio Magazines, Read Items, and Unread Items.
Materials
on the Bookshelf may also be sorted by subject or author.
Figure 7: Bookshelf
Figure 7: Bookshelf
2.2.2: Wish List
The wish list in BARD Express is your BARD wish list. The default
organization is by type, followed by the number of titles in each category:
All Books
and Magazines, Audio Books, and Audio Magazines. Materials on the wish list
may also be sorted by subject or author.
Figure 8: Wish List
Figure 8: Wish List
2.2.3: Recently Added Books and Magazines
Recently Added Books and Magazines lists the latest titles added to BARD.
You have a choice of time periods to view: the past one day, ten days,
thirty days, and forty-five days.
By default, BARD Express will load fifty items at a time. Increase or
decrease this number by opening the View menu in the menu bar with alt+V
and using
your arrow keys to find Items Per Page. Open the submenu, arrow to the
number of items you wish BARD Express to show per page, and press Enter.
The Recently Added menu is "paged," meaning that if you have a lot of
items, they are displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the
Next
and Previous buttons.
Just like the Most Popular Books page, the BARD items in this view can be
displayed in one of two ways. Standard Mode displays only the title and
author
of the item. Advanced Mode displays more attributes, and each title has a
checkbox next to it. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items at
once
to download, delete, and so on. If using Standard Mode, you must move the
focus to a title, then double-click or press Enter to show the book's
details.
The details page shows the title, author, category, annotation, narrator,
reading time, BARD ID, and buttons to download the title to your Bookshelf
or add it to your Wish List.
You can switch between Standard and Advanced Modes in Preferences, or you
can press Control+L to toggle between them while in the list of titles.
The Subject Filter button shows a dialog that lists all of the available
subjects, with a checkbox for each subject. Initially, all subjects are
checked.
Unchecking subjects will cause books under that subject to disappear from
the results list. There are buttons to check or uncheck all items. For
example,
uncheck all items and then check "Mystery and Detective Stories" to see
only books in that category.
Figure 9: Recently Added Books and Magazines
Figure 9: Recently Added Books and Magazines
2.2.4: Most Popular Books
The Most Popular Books page consists of books that people download most
frequently from BARD. By default, BARD Express will load fifty books at a
time.
Increase or decrease this number by opening the View menu in the menu bar
with Alt+V and using your arrow keys to find Items Per Page. Open the
submenu,
choose the number of books you wish BARD Express to show per page, and
press Enter.
The Most Popular Books menu is "paged," meaning that if you have a lot of
items, they are displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the
Next
and Previous buttons.
The items in Most Popular Books can be displayed in one of two ways.
Standard Mode displays only the title and author of the book. Advanced Mode
displays
additional attributes such as the book's annotation, narrator, and more. In
the Advanced Mode view each title has a checkbox next to it that allows you
to select multiple items at once to download or add to your Wish List.
To learn more details about a book while using Standard Mode, select a
single item, then double-click or press Enter to open a details page that
allows
you to view the annotation, narrator, and more. After viewing the book
details, choose the Download or Add to Wish List buttons.
Choose between Standard and Advanced Modes in Preferences, or press
Control+L to toggle between the two modes while in the list of titles.
The Most Popular Books page lets you filter the results by subject. The
Subject Filter button shows a dialog that lists all of the available
subjects,
with a checkbox for each. Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking
subjects will cause them to disappear from the view. There are buttons to
check
or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check
"Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that subject category.
Figure 10: Most Popular Books
Figure 10: Most Popular Books
2.2.5: Browse by Subject
The Browse by Subject page presents a list of all the subject categories in
which books appear. It allows you to view all the books in a particular
subject
category.
To use this page, scroll down the list of subjects and either double click
or press Enter on the subject you are interested in. BARD Express will then
search for books on that subject and present them in a list.
To find a particular subject, go to the subject list and use first letter
navigation to quickly move to a specific subject. For example, typing the
letter
T will take you directly to the first subject that begins with the letter
T. Typing two letters in succession, such as the letters T H, will bring
you
to a subject that begins with the letters T H.
Experiment with typing even more than two letters to see how quickly you
can jump to your favorite subject.
As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter text box to
narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular subject. For
example, type the word "fiction," without quotes, and you will get a list
of nineteen subjects, such as Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, and
more.
Figure 11: Browse by Subject
Figure 11: Browse by Subject
2.2.6: Browse by Series
The Browse by Series page presents a list of all the book series on BARD.
To use this page, scroll down the list of series and either double click or
press Enter on the series that you are interested in. BARD Express will
then
present the list of books in that series.
To find a particular series, go to the series list and use first letter
navigation to quickly move to a specific series. For example, typing the
letter
T in the series list will take you directly to a series that begins with
the letter T. Typing two letters in succession, such as the letters T H,
will
take you to any series that begins with those letters. As an alternative,
you can type some characters into the Filter text box to narrow down the
list
and make it easier to find a particular series.
Figure 12: Browse by Series
Figure 12: Browse by Series
2.2.7: Browse Magazines
Browse Magazines presents a list of all the magazines on BARD and all the
issues available for a particular magazine.
To use this page, scroll down the list of magazines and either double click
or press Enter on the magazine you are interested in. BARD Express will
then
present a list of available issues of that magazine.
To find a particular magazine, go to the magazine list and use first letter
navigation to quickly move to a specific publication. For example, typing
the letter C in the magazine list will take you directly to a magazine that
begins with the letter C. Typing two letters in succession such as the
letters
CH will bring you to any magazine that begins with the letters CH.
As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter text box to
narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular magazine.
Figure 13: Browse Magazines
Figure 13: Browse Magazines.
2.2.8: Search BARD
The Search view lets you search for books on BARD by keyword, author, or
title.
If "By Keyword" is selected, enter the search words in the text box,
separated by spaces. Multiple words can be grouped into a phrase by double
quotes.
If "By DB Number" is selected, type DB followed by the five-digit book
number, without a space between the prefix and the number. Note: All audio
prefixes
including DB, DBC, DBE, DBF, DBM, and DBN are recognized.
If "By Author Beginning With" is selected, enter the first letter or
letters of an author's last name. For example, entering the letter B
returns all
books whose author's last name begins with B. Typing CR returns all books
whose author's last name begins with CR.
If "By Title Beginning With" is selected, enter the first word or words of
a book's title. The prepositions "A," "An," and "The" that may occur at the
beginning of a title are not included in search terms. For example to
search for the title A Christmas Carol, you would type in "Christmas Carol."
By default, BARD Express will load fifty results at a time. If your search
results in less than fifty matches, BARD Express will return that number of
results. To increase the number of results that display on each page, open
the View menu in the menu bar with Alt+V and use the arrow keys to find the
Items Per Page submenu. Open the submenu, arrow to the number of books you
wish to show per page, and press Enter.
Search BARD is "paged," meaning that if you have a lot of items, they are
displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate via the Next and Previous
buttons.
The results can be displayed in one of two ways. Standard Mode displays
only the title and author of the book. Advanced Mode displays additional
attributes
including the annotation, narrator, and reading time. Each title has a
checkbox next to it. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items at
once
to download or add to your Wish List. In Standard Mode, move the focus to a
title and then double-click or press Enter to show the details page. The
details page allows you to download or add the title to your Wish List. You
can switch between Standard and Advanced Modes in Preferences, or you can
press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in the list of titles.
Search BARD lets you filter by subject. The Subject Filter button shows a
dialog that lists all of the available subjects, with a checkbox for each
subject.
Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking subjects will cause books
under that subject to disappear from the results list. There are buttons to
check or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check
"Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that category.
In Standard Mode, a Sort Order button appears at the bottom of this page.
The Sort Order button lets you sort your results by title, author, or by
relevance.
In Advanced Mode, your sorting options are expanded to include type,
subject, annotation, narrator, and reading time.
Figure 14: Search BARD
Figure 14: Search BARD
2.2.9: Preferences
This view is where you will select your display, copy, and save location
preferences for BARD Express.
Cartridge copy mode
list of 2 items
. Limit one book on a cartridge or USB device: With this option selected,
all existing books on an external storage device are deleted when you copy
a new book onto the device. BARD Express will not copy another book onto
the device if you do not agree to delete the title already on the device.
. Allow multiple books on cartridges and devices: With this option
selected, when you copy a book onto an external storage device, the program
gives
you the option to leave existing books on it or delete them.
list end
Display mode
list of 2 items
. Standard Mode: Displays only the title and author for each book. If you
double-click or press Enter on a title, the book details are displayed,
along
with buttons to carry out various functions such as Copy to Cartridge, Mark
as Read, Delete from Bookshelf, Download, and add and remove from Wish
List,
depending on the focus and context of the menu you have selected.
. Advanced Mode: Displays a book's title, author, annotation, narrator, and
reading time. Allows you to work with multiple items at once to download
books or add titles to your Wish List. From within the Wish List, use the
Advanced Mode to download multiple titles at once or remove them from your
Wish List.
list end
Result message display time
When BARD Express is searching for books, a small "wait" window is
displayed. When the search completes, another window is displayed
indicating the
search is complete. This setting determines the length of time that window
is displayed. When set to the minimum value, it will not be displayed at
all;
the list of results is simply displayed. When set to the maximum value, it
doesn't go away by itself; you must click on the Close button. When set
somewhere
in between, the window indicating the search is complete is displayed for a
varying amount of time, from one to ten seconds.
Bookshelf location
By default, the directory where your BARD books and magazines are
kept--your Bookshelf--is a subfolder within your main Documents folder
called BARD.
The Preferences view will show the exact directory location. Most people
won't need to change this directory location, but there are a few cases in
which
you might want to. You might want to change the directory if you have
multiple hard drives and have more available space on a different drive. If
you
have previously downloaded BARD books and have them stored on your
computer, you can move your Bookshelf directory to that location and BARD
Express
will then be able to access them. The Bookshelf directory is an edit field
that you can type into, or you can click the "Choose a different directory"
button to use a Windows Explorer window to browse to a new directory.
(Windows Explorer is the program for browsing through the files on your
computer
and connected devices.) "View Directory Location in Windows Explorer"
launches a Windows Explorer window showing the Bookshelf location, but does
not
change the setting.
You can import previously downloaded books into BARD Express in a couple of
different ways. One way is to use Windows Explorer to drag the zipped files
into the BARD Express window. BARD Express will copy the files to the
Bookshelf location. It will not remove or delete the files from their
original
location. Another way is to drag files to the Bookshelf location using
Windows Explorer. In this case, you will need to restart BARD Express in
order
for it to recognize the new books.
Figure 15: Preferences
Figure 15: Preferences
2.2.10: Manage Devices
Manage Devices displays a list of removable storage devices, such as an NLS
cartridge or USB flash drive, connected to your computer and shows the
number
of books on each device.
BARD Express watches for removable drive changes, so you can plug and
unplug devices while the program is running.
Choosing a device presents a list that lets you see how much space is being
used on that device and how much space is still available. If there are any
books on the device, they are presented in a list. Select one or more of
the associated checkboxes to let BARD Express check the book contents to
make
sure each book has all the files it needs to play. If a file is missing or
corrupt, the audio will not play. Though this operation can be used as a
troubleshooting
tool, it is not necessary to perform it before playing a book or magazine.
Figure 16: Manage Devices
Figure 16: Manage Devices
Section 3: Bookshelf
The bookshelf, the first button on the main menu, is used to manage all the
audio titles on your computer that you have downloaded from BARD.
3.1: Accessing Titles on Your Computer
Downloaded titles are automatically placed on the Bookshelf in one of the
following categorized: All Books and Magazines, Audio Books, Audio
Magazines,
or Unread Items. By default, your titles will be organized by type.
However, if you prefer, titles can also be listed alphabetically by
author's last
name, or alphabetically by subject. To change the organization, select
Subject or Author from the drop down box labeled Organize By.
To learn more information about each book or magazine on your Bookshelf,
highlight the title and select the Book Details button from the bottom of
the
screen. When you select this button, a screen with the header Book Detail
will open and, if applicable to the book, will list the title, author,
annotation,
narrator, total time, series information, and book number. From this screen
you can perform other actions on this title such as copying it to a
cartridge,
marking it as read, or deleting it from your Bookshelf. See sections 3.2,
3.3, and 3.5 for more instructions.
3.2: Copying Materials to a Cartridge (or other storage device)
The Copy to Cartridge button is available in the Bookshelf view when one or
more items are checked, in Advanced Mode, or one item is selected in
Standard
Mode.
When the Copy to Cartridge button is selected, the computer is scanned for
attached removable drives. Each drive is also scanned to see if it contains
BARD items. A dialog box is presented, listing the attached drives. For
each removable drive detected on your computer, information is displayed on
how
much space is available, and how many books already exist on the drive.
If "Cartridge Copy Mode" is set to "Limit one book on a cartridge or USB
device," the "Delete existing books from drive before copy" checkbox will
be
checked and disabled. But if you allow multiple books on a drive, it will
be enabled. If checked, before the copy starts, you will be presented with
a list of books that already exist on the drive. You can uncheck any books
that you wish to remain on the drive, and all others will be deleted.
Selecting a drive and choosing OK begins the copy operation. A dialog box
displays the progress of the copy operation and gives an approximate time
to
completion. When the copy is complete, a message box will display how many
items were copied, and give the option of ejecting the device. You must
either
allow the program to eject the drive, or use Windows to eject the drive,
before physically removing it; otherwise the files could be damaged and
unusable.
Figure 17: Copy to Cartridge
Figure 17: Copy to Cartridge
3.3: Deleting Titles from Your Bookshelf
Select the title from the list on your bookshelf. A new screen will
display. With the title highlighted, select the Delete button from the
bottom of
the screen. A dialog box will appear asking if you are sure you want to
delete this title. Select Yes and enter.
Figure18: Deleting Titles from Bookshelf
Figure 18: Deleting Titles from Bookshelf
3.4: Learning More about Titles on Your Bookshelf
Select a title from the list on your bookshelf and then select the Book
Details button at the bottom of the screen. The book detail view shows a
description
of the book, along with author, subject, narrator, and reading time. The
author's name is a link that lets you search BARD for more books by that
author.
If the book is part of a series, that too, will be a link that lets you
search BARD for other books in that series.
From the Book Details screen, you can choose to copy the book to a
cartridge (or other external device), mark it on your bookshelf as "Read,"
or remove
it from your bookshelf.
Figure 19: Book Details
Figure 19: Book Details
3.5: Marking Titles as Read
From the list of titles on your bookshelf, select the title you wish to
mark as read. Select the Mark as Read button at the bottom of the screen.
Select
Yes and Enter when the confirmation dialog box opens. The title will now
appear in the Read Items category on your bookshelf.
Figure 20: Mark Title as Read
Figure 20: Mark Title as Read
3.6: Sort Order
You may resort the list of titles on your bookshelf, by selecting the Sort
Order button at the bottom of the screen. The Sort Order button allows you
to sort your titles by download date-leading with the oldest title; by
title-alphabetical by title; and by author-alphabetical order by author's
last
name.
Figure 21: Sort Order
Figure 21: Sort Order
Section 4: Wish List
The Wish List consists of books that you have previously found interesting
but have not yet downloaded.
Titles in this view can be displayed in one of two ways. Standard Mode
displays only the title and author of the book. Advanced Mode displays more
attributes
such as the annotation, narrator, and reading time. Using Advanced Mode you
can select multiple items using a title's associated checkbox, or the
standard
Windows command Control+A to select all to download them all at once.
Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. In Standard
Mode, buttons appear at the bottom of this view. The Sort Order button lets
you sort by the title, author, or the date the item was added to the Wish
List. If you try to download any Wish List items that are already on your
Bookshelf,
BARD Express will notify you that this title currently exists on the
Bookshelf. If you want to delete the title from the Wish List, select it
and then
use the Remove from Wish List button.
Access details about a title by selecting it or pressing Enter on the title
to display the Book Details page. After viewing the book details, you can
choose to Download or the Remove from Wish List by selecting the respective
button.
Choose between Standard and Advanced Modes in Preferences, or press
Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.
In Advanced Mode, multiple buttons appear at the bottom of this view. The
Download and Remove from Wish List buttons will be enabled if one or more
checkboxes
are checked. If any of the titles are already on your Bookshelf, a button
will be shown that lets you remove them from the Wish List.
Figure 22: Remove Title from Wish List
Figure 22: Remove Title from Wish List
Section 5: Browsing the BARD Collection
The main menu offers five options for browsing the BARD collection:
Recently Added Books and Magazines, Most Popular Books, Browse by Subject,
Browse
by Series, and Browse Magazines.
5.1: Recently Added Books and Magazines
Recently Added Books and Magazines lists the latest titles added to BARD.
You have a choice of time periods to view: the past one day, ten days,
thirty days, and forty-five days.
By default, BARD Express will load fifty items at a time. Increase or
decrease this number by opening the View menu in the menu bar with alt+V
and using
your arrow keys to find Items Per Page. Open the submenu, arrow to the
number of items you wish BARD Express to show per page, and press Enter.
The Recently Added menu is "paged," meaning that if you have a lot of
items, they are displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the
Next
and Previous buttons.
Just like the Most Popular Books page, the BARD items in this view can be
displayed in one of two ways. Standard Mode displays only the title and
author
of the item. Advanced Mode displays more attributes, and each title has a
checkbox next to it. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items at
once
to download, delete, and so on. If using Standard Mode, you must move the
focus to a title, then double-click or press Enter to show the book's
details.
The Details page shows the title, author, category, annotation, narrator,
reading time, BARD ID, and buttons to download the title to your Bookshelf
or add it to your Wish List.
You can switch between Standard and Advanced Modes in Preferences, or you
can press Control+L to toggle between them while in the list of titles.
The Subject Filter button shows a dialog that lists all of the available
subjects, with a checkbox for each subject. Initially, all subjects are
checked.
Unchecking subjects will cause books under that subject to disappear from
the results list. There are buttons to check or uncheck all items. For
example,
uncheck all items and then check "Mystery and Detective Stories" to see
only books in that category.
Figure 23: Recently Added Date Range
Figure 23: Recently Added Date Range
5.2: Most Popular Books
The Most Popular Books page consists of books that people download most
frequently from BARD. By default, BARD Express will load fifty books at a
time.
Increase or decrease this number by opening the View menu in the menu bar
with Alt+V and using your arrow keys to find "Items Per Page." Open the
submenu,
choose the number of books you wish BARD Express to show per page, and
press Enter.
The Most Popular Books menu is "paged," meaning that if you have a lot of
items, they are displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate using the
Next
and Previous buttons.
The items in Most Popular Books can be displayed in one of two ways.
Standard Mode displays only the title and author of the book. Advanced Mode
displays
additional attributes such as the book's annotation, narrator, and more.
Each title has a checkbox next to it that allows you to select multiple
items
at once to download or add to your Wish List.
To learn more details about a book while using Standard Mode, select a
single item, then double-click or press Enter to open a details page that
allows
you to view the annotation, narrator, and more. After viewing the book
details, choose the Download or Add to Wish List buttons.
Choose between Standard and Advanced Modes in Preferences, or press
Control+L to toggle between the two modes while in the list of titles.
The Most Popular Books page lets you filter the results by subject. The
Subject Filter button shows a dialog that lists all of the available
subjects,
with a checkbox for each. Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking
subjects will cause them to disappear from the view. There are buttons to
check
or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check
"Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that category.
Figure 24: Most Popular Books Subject Filter
Figure 24: Most Popular Books Subject Filter
5.3: Browse by Subject
The Browse by Subject page presents a list of all the subject categories in
which books appear. It allows you to view all the books on a particular
subject.
To use this page, scroll down the list of subjects and either double click
or press Enter on the subject you are interested in. BARD Express will then
search for books on that subject and present them in a list.
To find a particular subject, go to the subject list and use first letter
navigation to quickly move to a specific subject. For example, typing the
letter
T will take you directly to the first subject that begins with the letter
T. Typing two letters in succession, such as the letters T H, will bring
you
to a subject that begins with the letters T H.
Experiment with typing even more than two letters to see how quickly you
can jump to your favorite subject.
As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter text box
to narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular subject.
For
example, type the word "fiction," without quotes, and you will get a list
of nineteen subjects, such as Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, and
more.
Figure 25: Browse by Subject Filter
Figure 25: Browse by Subject Filter
5.4: Browse by Series
The Browse by Series page presents a list of all the book series on BARD.
To use this page, scroll down the list of series and either double click or
press Enter on the series that you are interested in. BARD Express will
then
present the list of books in that series.
To find a particular series, go to the series list and use first letter
navigation to quickly move to a specific series. For example, typing the
letter
T in the series list will take you directly to a series that begins with
the letter T. Typing two letters in succession, such as the letters T H,
will
take you to any series that begins with those letters. As an alternative,
you can type some characters into the Filter text box to narrow down the
list
and make it easier to find a particular series.
Figure 26: Browse by Series Filter
Figure 26: Browse by Series Filter
5.5: Browse Magazines
Browse Magazines presents a list of all the magazines on BARD and all the
issues available for a particular magazine.
To use this page, scroll down the list of magazines and either double click
or press Enter on the magazine you are interested in. BARD Express will
then
present a list of available issues of that magazine.
To find a particular magazine, go to the magazine list and use first letter
navigation to quickly move to a specific publication. For example, typing
the letter C in the magazine list will take you directly to a magazine that
begins with the letter C. Typing two letters in succession such as the
letters
CH will bring you to any magazine that begins with the letters CH.
As an alternative, you can type some characters into the Filter text box to
narrow down the list and make it easier to find a particular magazine.
Figure 27: Browse Magazines
Figure 27: Browse Magazines: American History Issues
Section 6: Searching the BARD Collection
The main menu one option for searching the BARD collection: Search BARD.
The Search view lets you search for books on BARD by keyword, author, or
title.
If "By Keyword" is selected, enter the search words in the text box,
separated by spaces. Multiple words can be grouped into a phrase by double
quotes.
If "By DB Number" is selected, type DB followed by the five-digit book
number, without a space between the prefix and the number. Note: all audio
prefixes
including DB, DBC, DBE, DBF, DBM, and DBN are recognized.
If "By Author Beginning With" is selected, enter the first letter or
letters of an author's last name. For example, entering the letter B
returns all
books whose author's last name begins with B. Typing CR returns all books
whose author's last name begins with CR.
If "By Title Beginning With" is selected, enter the first word or words of
a book's title. The prepositions "A," "An," and "The" that may occur at the
beginning of a title are not included in search terms. For example to
search for the title A Christmas Carol, you would type in "Christmas
Carol."
By default, BARD Express will load fifty results at a time. If your search
results in less than fifty matches, BARD Express will return that number of
results. To increase the number of results that display on each page, open
the View menu in the menu bar with Alt+V and use the arrow keys to find the
Items Per Page submenu. Open the submenu, arrow to the number of books you
wish to show per page, and press Enter.
Search BARD is "paged," meaning that if you have a lot of items, they are
displayed in multiple pages, which you navigate via the Next and Previous
buttons.
The results can be displayed in one of two ways. Standard Mode displays
only the title and author of the book. Advanced Mode displays additional
attributes
including the annotation, narrator, and reading time. Each title has a
checkbox next to it. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items at
once
to download or add to your Wish List. In Standard Mode, move the focus to a
title and then double-click or press Enter to show the details page. The
details page allows you to download or add the title to your Wish List. You
can switch between Standard and Advanced Modes in Preferences, or you can
press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in the list of titles.
Search BARD lets you filter by subject. The Subject Filter button shows a
dialog that lists all of the available subjects, with a checkbox for each
subject.
Initially, all subjects are checked. Unchecking subjects will cause books
under that subject to disappear from the results list. There are buttons to
check or uncheck all items. For example, uncheck all items and then check
"Mystery and Detective Stories" to see only books in that category.
In Standard Mode, a Sort Order button appears at the bottom of this page.
The Sort Order button lets you sort your results by title, author, or by
relevance.
In Advanced Mode, your sorting options are expanded to include type,
subject, annotation, narrator, and reading time.
Figure 28: Search BARD by Title Beginning With
Figure 28: Search BARD by Title Beginning With
Section 7: Preferences
The BARD Express Preferences allow you to select your display, copy, and
save location preferences.
7.1: Cartridge Copy Mode
There are two cartridge copy mode settings: Limit one book on a cartridge
or USB device or Allow multiple books on cartridges and devices.
Limit one book on a cartridge or USB device: With this option selected, all
existing books on an external storage device are deleted when you copy a
new book onto the device. BARD Express will not copy another book onto the
device if you do not agree to delete the title already on the device.
Figure 29: Limit One Book
Figure 29: Limit One Book
Allow multiple books on cartridges and devices: With this option selected;
when you copy a book onto an external storage device, the program gives you
the option to leave existing books on it or delete them.
Figure 30: Allow Multiple Books
Figure 30: Allow Multiple Books
7.2: Display Mode
There are two display modes: Standard Mode and Advanced Mode.
Standard Mode: Displays only the title and author for each book. If you
double-click or press Enter on a title, the book details are displayed,
along
with buttons to carry out various functions such as Copy to Cartridge, Mark
as Read, Delete from Bookshelf, Download, and add and remove from Wish
List,
depending on the focus and context of the menu you have selected.
Figure31: Standard Mode Display
Figure 31: Standard Mode Display
Advanced Mode: Displays a book's title, author, annotation, narrator, and
reading time. Allows you to work with multiple items at once to download
books
or add titles to your Wish List. From within the Wish List, use the
Advanced Mode to download multiple titles at once or remove them from your
Wish List.
Figure 32: Advanced Mode Display
Figure 32: Advanced Mode Display
7.3: Result Message Display Time
When BARD Express is searching for books, a small "wait" window is
displayed. When the search completes, another window is displayed
indicating the search
is complete. This setting determines the length of time that window is
displayed. When set to the minimum value, it will not be displayed at all;
the
list of results is simply displayed. When set to the maximum value, it
doesn't go away by itself; you must click on the Close button. When set
somewhere
in between, the window indicating the search is complete is displayed for a
varying amount of time, from one to ten seconds.
Figure 32: Result Message Display Time
Figure 32: Result Message Display Time
7.4: Bookshelf Location
By default, the directory where your BARD books and magazines are kept-your
Bookshelf-is a subfolder within your main Documents folder called BARD. The
Preferences view will show the exact directory location. Most people won't
need to change this directory location, but there are a few cases in which
you might want to. You might want to change the directory if you have
multiple hard drives and have more available space on a different drive. If
you
have previously downloaded BARD books and have them stored on your
computer, you can move your Bookshelf directory to that location and BARD
Express
will then be able to access them. The Bookshelf directory is an edit field
that you can type into, or you can click the "Choose a different directory"
button to use a Windows Explorer window to browse to a new directory.
(Windows Explorer is the program for browsing through the files on your
computer
and connected devices.) "View Directory Location in Windows Explorer"
launches a Windows Explorer window showing the Bookshelf location, but does
not
change the setting.
You can import previously downloaded books into BARD Express in a couple of
different ways. One way is to use Windows Explorer to drag the zipped files
into the BARD Express window. BARD Express will copy the files to the
Bookshelf location. It will not remove or delete the files from their
original
location. Another way is to drag files to the Bookshelf location using
Windows Explorer. In this case, you will need to restart BARD Express in
order
for it to recognize the new books.
Figure 33: Move Bookshelf Location
Figure 33: Move Bookshelf Location
Section 8: Manage Devices
Manage Devices displays a list of removable storage devices, such as an NLS
cartridge or USB flash drive, connected to your computer and shows the
number
of books on each device.
8.1: Identifying Devices
BARD Express watches for removable drive changes, so you can plug and
unplug devices while the program is running.
Choosing a device presents a list that lets you see how much space is being
used on that device and how much space is still available. If there are any
books on the device, they are presented in a list. Select one or more of
the associated checkboxes to let BARD Express check the book contents to
make
sure each book has all the files it needs to play. If a file is missing or
corrupt, the audio will not play. Though this operation can be used as a
troubleshooting
tool, it is not necessary to perform it before playing a book or magazine.
Figure 34: Device List
Figure 34: Device List
8.2: Device Contents
Device Contents shows books and magazines that exist on a cartridge or USB
drive. Use this function by opening Manage Devices from the Main Menu, then
selecting a drive on the Device List view.
Figure 35: Device Contents
Figure 35: Device Contents
You may select the Validate button to start a process that validates all
the data files for each book. A progress dialog will be shown. This dialog
may
be dismissed, but the validation process will continue in the background.
If the validation process dialog hasn't been dismissed, then a dialog will
appear when the process completes. This dialog summarizes the results of
the
validation, providing a count of valid books and a list of invalid books,
with details about the flaws of the latter. Possible flaws are missing
files
and corrupt files. Selecting the Validate button either re-displays the
progress dialog if the validation process is still running or displays the
summary
dialog if validation is complete.
Some books contain information that allow them to be validated on a
stand-alone basis, but some do not. In the latter case, the book must exist
in your
bookshelf in order to be validated. The summary dialog will tell you if
that is the case.
Figure 36: Validating Materials
Figure 36: Validating Materials
This view has a Delete button, which allows individual books to be deleted.
Figure 37: Deleting Titles from Device
Figure 37: Deleting Titles from Device
Last updated: 12/01/2016
For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit:
http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit:
http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit:
http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit:
http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
