Welcome to the BARD Mobile application user guide for iOS devices. This handbook will guide you through the various features of BARD Mobile, an application that allows you to download and read books from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress, through its Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) website. Screenshots in this guide are visual representations of the BARD Mobile screens and may not exactly match VoiceOver representations.
Use of BARD Mobile 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 Mobile operates on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11 or later. Connectivity from a wireless carrier or a Wi-Fi provider is required to download material from BARD.
BARD Mobile is completely accessible to visually impaired individuals when used with Zoom or the VoiceOver screen reader, two standard features on iOS.
Zoom is a built-in magnifier that allows you to adjust screen magnification up to 500 percent. Zoom will not affect gestures used to operate BARD Mobile and works with VoiceOver.
VoiceOver is gesture-based and allows blind or visually impaired individuals to interact with items on the screen. You do not need Zoom or VoiceOver to use BARD Mobile. However, if using VoiceOver, you may find enabling the Hints feature helpful.
Gestures used to operate BARD Mobile with VoiceOver differ somewhat from the gestures used to operate BARD Mobile without it. With VoiceOver, for example, you can flick your finger to the right or left to hear what content is on a screen and you can double tap buttons to select an item, rather than the single tap required without VoiceOver. A few functions require additional gestures. Also, with the Hints feature enabled, VoiceOver provides verbal prompts that describe which gestures need to be used to complete an action. This occurs whenever you perform a gesture.
Unless otherwise noted in this guide, standard VoiceOver gestures should be applied if you use VoiceOver to interact with BARD Mobile.
If you would like to learn more about Zoom or VoiceOver, please visit Apple's accessibility website for iOS devices at www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone/vision. For additional information on VoiceOver, visit LookTel at www.looktel.com/vo-tutorial, or download the LookTel VoiceOver tutorial, available from the App Store.
To activate Zoom or VoiceOver on your device, go to Settings>Accessibility if you are running iOS 13 or later, or Settings>General>Accessibility if you are running an earlier iOS version.
At the initial launch of the application, BARD Mobile prompts you to read and agree to the BARD service agreement. You cannot use BARD Mobile unless you consent to the terms of service.
To agree, select the Agree button, which is located directly after the terms of service. VoiceOver announces the word “agree.” Then flick to and select the Start button near the bottom of the screen. If you want to verify that the Agree button was selected, flick back to the Agree button and VoiceOver will confirm by saying “selected agree.”
After you have selected the Start button, a BARD login screen will appear. Provide your BARD account login information here.
Enter your user name in the user name text field following the Login Information heading and then enter your password in the password text field that directly follows the user name text field. Select the Done button on the bottom right corner of the keyboard to complete login.
BARD Mobile will remember your user name and password. Unless you change them through the BARD web application, you should only have to provide this information once.
You are now ready to download books to your iOS device.
To get the most out of BARD Mobile, there are various features and functions that you should know. This section provides a quick overview of the basic elements to help you get started.
Each screen of BARD Mobile has a heading. The heading name is on the navigation bar at the top of the screen, directly below the device status bar, which displays information about your device such as the current time and battery life. The heading tells you which screen or content you are managing.
Also on the navigation bar—and depending on where you are in the application—there will be a back button on the upper left corner, or a Done or Edit button on the upper right corner.
The back button allows you to easily return to the previous screen, while the Edit and Done buttons allow you to customize categories, select titles to delete, and finalize actions.
The tab bar is at the bottom of the screen and contains the tabs that represent the four main screens of the application. These tabs are labeled Bookshelf, Get Books, Settings, and Now Reading. The Now Reading tab is available only when a title has been opened to read.
All the audio and braille titles you have downloaded to your device are listed in Bookshelf, the first tab on the tab bar. These titles are organized into four categories: Audio Books, Audio Magazines, Braille Books, and Braille Magazines. An additional category titled Help is where you can access this user guide.
Audio foreign-language titles, music materials, and books that you have downloaded will be automatically listed under the Audio Books category. Braille foreign-language titles, music materials, and books that you have downloaded will be automatically listed under the Braille Books category.
Get Books is the second tab on the tab bar directly following the Bookshelf tab. It allows you to access material on BARD and browse recently added audio and braille books and magazines, most-popular audio and braille books, and all audio and braille magazine titles. Items in these categories, as well as those on your wish list and previous downloads list, can be downloaded directly to your device.
In Get Books, you can also visit the BARD website to add titles to your wish list. Books on your wish list in BARD appear on your wish list in Get Books.
Settings is the third tab on the tab bar, between the Get Books and Now Reading tabs. In Settings, you can manage your audio and display preferences, as well as your user account information.
The Now Reading tab is the last tab on the tab bar and is available only when a title has been opened to read. You can activate this tab from any screen within BARD Mobile to access the book you are currently reading.
The Now Reading screen for audiobooks and magazines is oriented similarly to the digital talking-book player. Buttons used on the application resemble the buttons on the player, with a few exceptions. The Now Reading screen for braille books and magazines is also oriented similarly to the digital talking-book player, but the screen has very few controls that are similar to those on the digital talking-book player.
Bookshelf, the first tab on the tab bar at the bottom of the screen, is used to manage all the titles on your device that have been downloaded from BARD.
Downloaded titles, or titles in the process of being downloaded, are automatically placed under one of four categories listed in Bookshelf. As listed, these categories are: Audio Books, Audio Magazines, Braille Books, and Braille Magazines. The Help category is where you will find the user guide.
By default, books are listed alphabetically by title. However, if you prefer, books can also be listed alphabetically by the author’s last name or by the date they were last opened in the Now Reading tab. To change the listing order, select the Title, Author, or Latest button located at the top of the screen within each category. The listing order selection will apply to all categories and will persist until you change it.
Titles in the Audio Books or Audio Magazines categories will list the title, author/s (if available), and total reading time. Titles in the Braille Books or Braille Magazines categories will list the title, author/s (if available), and number of volumes. To learn more information about each book or magazine in Bookshelf, select the More Info button--which appears as a circle with a lowercase “I” inside--that is located after the total time or number of volumes. When you select this button, a screen with the heading Details will open and, if applicable to the book, will list the title, author, annotation, narrator, total time, and book number. The Details screen for braille books will list the title, author, annotation, number of volumes, and book number. To access more titles by the same author, in the same subject category(s), or in the same series (if applicable), select the More Actions button. Choose “All books by [author],” All books in [subject],” or “All books in [series title].” A list of related titles within the selected parameters will display. Additionally, if you wish to subscribe to a book series, select “Subscribe to [series title]”.
See section 4.9 for more information about subscribing to a series.
Depending on the status of the book or magazine selected, there is also a Read, Downloading, or Queued for Download button at the bottom of the Details screen.
There are three ways to read titles that are on your bookshelf.
Method one: Select a title, and it will automatically open in the Now Reading screen.
Method two: Select the More Info button after the title you would like to read. This will open the title’s Details screen. At the bottom the screen, select the Read button.
Method three: Select the Recently Read button from the top left corner of the Now Reading screen, or use a three finger swipe to access the Recently Read list. Select a title from the list and it will automatically open in the Now Reading screen.
You cannot read a book that is in the process of downloading.
At any time, you can delete titles from your Bookshelf and Wish List.
After you select and enter a category within Bookshelf, swipe left on the title to reveal the delete option. Tap the delete option to delete the title. When using VoiceOver flick up or down when the focus is on the title you want to delete. Double tap once you hear the delete option. You can also activate the Edit button on the upper right corner of the screen to reveal a Delete button. Select the Delete button to remove the title from the list.
When you have finished deleting titles from within the category selected, activate the Done button on the upper right corner of the screen or the Bookshelf back button on the upper left corner.
To delete items from your Wish List, go to the Get Books tab and select Wish List. Swipe left on the title to reveal the delete option. Tap the delete option to delete the title. When using VoiceOver, flick up or down when the focus is on the title you want to delete. Double tap once you hear the delete option. You can also activate the Edit button on the upper right corner of the screen to reveal a Delete button. Select the Delete button to remove the title from the list.
When you have finished deleting titles from your Wish List, activate the Done button on the upper right corner of the screen or the Get Books back button on the upper left corner.
Get Books is the second tab on the tab bar, following the Bookshelf tab. It is used to access and download titles currently on BARD. Within this tab, you can browse BARD, access your previous downloads, add titles to your wish list, and download materials.
Materials on your wish list in BARD will appear on your wish list in Get Books. Materials on your previous downloads list in BARD will appear on your previous downloads list in Get Books. Titles on your wish list and previously downloaded list, or in the recently added, most popular, or browse magazines categories, can be downloaded to your device. Titles accessed through BARD’s search option must be added to your wish list before they can be downloaded.
You can view titles that are available on BARD through several categories within Get Books. The first category is Wish List. The second set of categories is organized within the Recently Added to BARD section, and they are: Audio Books, Audio Magazines, Braille Books, and Braille Magazines. The third category is Previous Downloads. The fourth set of categories is organized within the Most Popular Books section, and they are Audio Books and Braille Books. The fifth set of categories is organized within the Browse Magazines section, and they are Audio Magazines and Braille Magazines. The sixth and final category is titled BARD Website.
Figure 1 The Get Books tab in BARD Mobile
The wish list in Get Books is your BARD wish list, and you can download these titles to your device directly from this category.
Titles on your wish list are presented in scrollable lists that you can flick or scroll through. Title, author, and reading time (for audio) and number of volumes (for braille) will display for each entry. Titles are listed in the order they were added to your wish list, with the most recent first.
Since this list may contain items in both braille and audio formats, a braille or audio icon in the table cell indicates the book format. VoiceOver will announce the format after the author’s name. To access more information about individual titles in this list, select the More Info button. The Details screen will display.
From the Details screen, you can delete this title from your wish list by selecting the Delete from Wish List button; download the title by selecting the Download button; or access all available titles by the same author, in the same subject categories, and (if applicable) in the same series by selecting the More Actions button.
Select the More Actions button and choose “All books by [author],” “All books in [subject],” or “All books in [series title]” from the pop-out menu. A list of related titles within the selected parameters will display. Additionally, if you wish to subscribe to a book series, select “Subscribe to [series title]”.
See section 4.7 to learn about downloading titles to your device. See section 4.9 to learn more about subscribing to series and magazines.
BARD Mobile lists the audio and braille books most recently added to BARD. They are listed within one of four categories under the Recently Added to BARD section: Audio Books, Audio Magazines, Braille Books, and Braille Magazines.
Recently added titles are presented in scrollable lists that you can flick or scroll through. Title, author, and reading time (for audio) and number of volumes (for braille) will display for each entry. Each list is divided into sections based on the date the titles were added to BARD. A table index is available to help you navigate through the lists by the date the titles were added.
To access more information about individual titles in this list, select the More Info button. The Details screen will display.
From the Details screen, you can add this title to your wish list by selecting the Add to Wish List button; download the title by selecting the Download button; or access all available titles by the same author, in the same subject categories, and (if applicable) in the same series by selecting the More Actions button.
Select the More Actions button and choose “All books by [author],” “All books in [subject],” or “All books in [series title]” from the pop-out menu. A list of related titles within the selected parameters will display. Additionally, if you wish to subscribe to a book series, select “Subscribe to [series title]”.
See section 4.7 to learn about downloading titles to your device. See section 4.9 to learn more about subscribing to series and magazines.
The previous downloads list in Get Books is the list of materials you have downloaded from BARD. You can download these titles to your device directly from this category. Titles in your previous downloads are presented in scrollable lists that you can flick or scroll through. Title, author, and reading time (for audio) and number of volumes (for braille) will display for each entry. A table index is available to help you navigate through the lists by the date the titles were downloaded.
Since this list may contain items in both braille and audio formats, a braille or audio icon in the table cell indicate the book format. VoiceOver will announce the format after the author’s name. To access more information about individual titles in this list, select the More Info button. The Details screen will display.
From the Details screen, you can add or delete this title to or from your wish list by selecting the Add to/Delete from Wish List button; download the title by selecting the Download button; or access all available titles by the same author, in the same subject categories, and (if applicable) in the same series by selecting the More Actions button.
Select the More Actions button and choose “All books by [author],” “All books in [subject],” or “All books in [series title]” from the pop-out menu. A list of related titles within the selected parameters will display. Additionally, if you wish to subscribe to a book series, select “Subscribe to [series title]”.
See section 4.7 to learn about downloading titles to your device. See section 4.9 to learn more about subscribing to series and magazines.
The Most Popular Books section lists the most frequently downloaded titles within two categories: Audio Books and Braille Books.
The most popular titles are presented in scrollable lists that you can flick or scroll through. Title, author, and reading time (for audio) and number of volumes (for braille) will display for each entry. You can download these titles to your device directly from this category.
To access more information about each title, select the corresponding More Info button to see the Details page. From the Details page, you can add this title to your wish list by selecting the Add to Wish List button or download the title by selecting the Download button.
To access more information about individual titles in this list, select the More Info button. The Details screen will display.
From the Details screen, you can add this title to your wish list by selecting the Add to Wish List button; download the title by selecting the Download button; or access all available titles by the same author, in the same subject categories, and (if applicable) in the same series by selecting the More Actions button.
Select the More Actions button and choose “All books by [author],” “All books in [subject],” or “All books in [series title]” from the pop-out menu. A list of related titles within the selected parameters will display. Additionally, if you wish to subscribe to a book series, select “Subscribe to [series title]”.
See section 4.7 to learn about downloading titles to your device. See section 4.9 to learn more about subscribing to series and magazines.
The browse magazines section lists the available magazines within one of two categories: Audio Magazines and Braille Magazines.
Magazines are presented in scrollable lists that you can flick or scroll through. Select the title of the magazine you wish to read to access the list of issues available. The title and reading time (for audio) and number of volumes (for braille) will display for each entry. Each list is divided into sections based on the date the issues were added to BARD. A table index is available to help you navigate through the lists by the date the issues were added.
You can download these titles to your device directly from this category.
If you wish to subscribe to a magazine, select the Subscribe button (plus sign) from the magazine issue list. A confirmation message will present. Subscribing to a magazine will cause BARD to automatically place new issues on your wish list once they become available.
To unsubscribe from a magazine, select the Unsubscribe button (minus button) from the magazine issue list. A confirmation message will present and new magazine issues will no longer be added to your wish list.
To access more information about each issue, select the corresponding More Info button to see the Details page. From the Details page, you can add this title to your wish list by selecting the Add to Wish List button or download the title by selecting the Download button.
See section 4.7 to learn about downloading titles to your device.
The BARD website option on the Get Books screen allows you to access BARD online. You can search the collection, add additional items to your wish list, and more. However, only links that lead to another location within BARD will be functional. You cannot explore other websites or change your BARD password through this option.
Navigate through the BARD website as you wish, and at any time, return to the main Get Books screen through the Get Books Back button on the upper left corner of the screen.
There are two methods to download books or magazines to your device.
Method one: Select the title you would like to download. An alert box titled Confirmation will appear on the screen. Select the Cancel button within the alert box to cancel the option to download, or select the OK button within the alert box to confirm that you would like to download the selected title. When you select OK, the alert box will fade away and a downloading progress bar will appear directly below the title you have chosen to download. You may download up to three titles simultaneously.
VoiceOver announces downloading progress as a percentage. When a book is downloading, flick to the right until you reach the progress bar of the title being downloaded. VoiceOver will say “progress” followed by the percentage downloaded.
Method two: Activate the More Info button, located after the name of the title you would like to download. Selecting the More Info button will open a screen labeled Details, from which you can activate the Download button at the bottom of the screen. You may download up to three titles simultaneously. If three titles are currently downloading, the button will be replaced by a Queued for Download button. To pause downloading, select the title currently downloading.
Books that are downloading will automatically be removed from your wish list and filed within the appropriate category in Bookshelf.
If you wish to cease downloading a book or delete a title from Bookshelf, activate Bookshelf, which is the first tab of the tab bar. Select the category that contains the title you want to cancel downloading or delete. Then activate the Edit button to reveal the Delete or Cancel button.
Depending on the download status of the title, select the Cancel or Delete button. When you have finished canceling or deleting, activate the Done button on the upper right corner of the screen.
To delete a title from your wish list, activate the Edit button within the wish list category. Deleted titles will be removed from the list.
If you wish to subscribe to a book series, bring up the details screen of one book in the series by selecting the More Info button. Select the More Actions button and then select Subscribe to [series title]. All new titles added to BARD in that series will be automatically placed on your wish list.
To unsubscribe from a book series, select Unsubscribe to [series title] from the More Actions panel in the details screen of one book in the series.
If you wish to subscribe to a magazine, select the Subscribe button (plus sign) from the magazine issue list. Subscribing to a magazine will cause BARD to automatically place new issues on your wish list once they become available. Select the Unsubscribe button (minus sign) from the magazine issue list to unsubscribe from magazine titles.
BARD Mobile allows you to adjust audio, display, and user account settings to optimize your reading experience through the Settings tab, the third tab on the tab bar.
BARD Mobile settings for iPad users are displayed in a split-view screen, similar to the iPad device settings screen. In BARD Mobile, the left pane lists all the setting options available—audio, braille and display, and user account—and the right pane lists all the subordinate actions available within each of the settings, as selected on the left pane.
While in the subsections of Settings, iPad users will need to navigate to the left pane to return to the main Settings options. iPhone and iPod touch users can return to the main Settings screen by selecting the Settings Back button located on the upper left corner of the screen.
Figure 2 Audio settings on iPad (top) and iPhone/iPod Touch
The first button on the Settings screen is the Audio Settings button. Through the Audio Settings button, you can adjust default narration speed and tone, turn on or off the background playback and auto-lock during playback, enable or disable automatic start playback and automatic five second rewind features, turn on or off Skippable (Play or Skip) and Verbosity options, and the Silence Button Beeps option. You can also restore BARD Mobile audio settings to their default values.
By default, the narration speed is set at 100 percent and is adjustable by a slider, which is located near the top of the Audio Settings screen.
A slider is used to adjust the speed to pre-set values between 50 and 300 percent. VoiceOver users can quickly adjust the speed by flicking one finger on the screen, either upward or downward. Flicking upward increases the speed in increments of 25 percent, and flicking downward decreases the speed in similar increments. If VoiceOver is not enabled, you can slide the slider to the left to decrease the speed or to the right to increase the speed.
Changing the Speed setting only affects titles not previously opened.
By default, the narration tone—or the amount of bass or treble in the reading voice—is set at zero and is adjustable between the values of negative 4 and positive 6 by a slider. The tone slider is the second setting option on the Audio Settings screen, directly after the speed slider tool.
VoiceOver users can quickly adjust the tone by flicking one finger on the screen, either upward or downward. Flicking upward increases the treble and decreases the bass in increments of one. Flicking downward decreases the treble and increases the bass in similar increments.
Changing the tone setting only affects titles not previously opened.
The third setting option located on the Audio Settings screen, following the tone slider, is the Background Playback setting. This switch provides you the option of allowing a book to play while the application is closed. By default, this setting is switched on. When you close BARD Mobile or your device enters sleep mode, the book you are reading will continue to play. If the option is switched off, BARD Mobile will stop.
iOS devices have an auto-lock setting, which turns off the display in order to save battery life and prevent unintended operation of the device. However, BARD Mobile offers you the option of allowing auto-lock features to remain off or on during playback. By default, the setting, controlled by a switch, is switched off. Auto-lock during playback only allows the app to continue running when Background Playback is also enabled.
The Auto-Lock during Playback setting is the fourth setting option, directly after the background playback option on the Audio Settings screen.
The Automatic Start Playback setting is the fifth setting option, directly after the auto-lock option on the Audio Settings screen. When set to on, audiobooks and magazines will begin playback directly after jumping to the Now Reading screen. When set to off, the user will have to activate the Play/Stop button on player interface in the Now Reading screen to initiate playback of titles. Automatic Start Playback is to off by default.
The Automatic Five Second Rewind setting is the sixth setting option, directly after the automatic start playback option on the Audio Settings screen. When set to on, audio materials will automatically rewind five seconds from the last reading position when opened in the Now Reading screen.
The fifth setting option on the Audio Settings screen is the Skippable setting, located directly after the Automatic Five Second Rewind setting. The Skippable button is used to enable or disable the narration of elements that producers have marked as skippable within the book.
By default, BARD Mobile will play content within books marked as “skippable.” Skippable material may include items such as sidebars, page numbers, and footnotes. To change this setting, select the Skippable button, then activate the Skip button if you would like the material to be skipped. Activate the Play button if you would like BARD Mobile to play material that is marked as “skippable.”
Changing the Skippable setting only affects titles not previously opened.
Verbosity only affects the behavior of BARD Mobile when VoiceOver is off.
The Verbosity setting affects the amount of spoken messages the application will provide as you navigate a book using the buttons on the Now Reading screen. These messages are similar to the messages you might hear when using your digital talking-book player. For example, choose the Bookmark button to create a bookmark in BARD Mobile and you will hear the message “bookmark inserted.” Select the button again, at that same point in the book, and you will hear the message “bookmark removed.” When VoiceOver is enabled, the Verbosity setting will not affect VoiceOver speech.
By default, the Verbosity option is on, and spoken messages are provided.
Changing the Verbosity setting only affects titles not previously opened.
The Silence Button Beeps option allows you to silence the beeps that sound when you activate any of the button controls in the Now Reading screen. When Silence Button Beeps is set to off, audible beeps will sound when the Sleep Timer, Bookmark, Previous, Menu, Next, Rewind, Play/Stop, Forward, Speed, and Tone buttons are activated in the Now Reading screen. When it is set to on, the beeps will not sound.
By default, the Silence Button Beeps option is off; audible beeps are heard.
At the bottom of the Audio Settings screen, above the tab bar, is an orange button labeled Restore Defaults. This button is used to reset all audio settings to the BARD Mobile default values.
The second button on the Settings screen, following the Audio Settings button, is the Braille and Display Settings button. Through Braille and Display Settings, you can adjust the display contrast, turn braille reflow on or off, adjust the braille display length, set and adjust braille autoscroll, or restore BARD Mobile braille and display settings to their default values. See section 8.6 for instructions on adjusting the font size.
By default, BARD Mobile uses black text on a white background. However, you can select another contrast option for the text in relation to the background. In addition to black text on a white background, you can choose white text on a black background, black text on a yellow background, or yellow text on a black background.
To change your Contrast setting, select the Contrast button, which is the first button on the Braille and Display Settings screen. Then select the contrast option of your choosing.
By default, Braille Reflow is set to off. Select the Braille Reflow button to turn it on. The default Braille Display Length is 40. Select the Braille Display Length button to change the display length. A new screen will display. Flick one finger up or down on the picker item to select the desired value. Available values are: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 32, and 40.
For a full description of Braille Reflow, see Section 7.10.
By default, Braille Autoscroll is set to off. Select the Braille Autoscroll button to turn it on. The default value for Autoscroll Time per Line is 1,500 milliseconds (1.5 seconds) for a 40-cell display. If you change the display length, this amount will be prorated. For example, if you set display length to 20, the Autoscroll Time per Line will change to 625 milliseconds. The default Time per Character on the line is 50 milliseconds. When Braille Autoscroll is turned on, these values can be increased or decreased from their defaults.
For a full description of Braille Autoscroll, see Section 7.11.
Near the bottom of the Braille and Display Settings screen, prior to the tab bar, is an orange button labeled Restore Defaults. This button is used to reset all display settings to the BARD Mobile default settings.
The BARD Mobile user account settings allow you to access your BARD login information. They also allow you the option of downloading materials to your device using your mobile network if your device has cellular capabilities, to control auto-lock during downloads, and set your format preference.
BARD Mobile allows different users to log into their BARD account on the same device using their unique user name and password. This is accomplished through the User Account Settings button, the third button on the Settings screen listed after the Visual Settings button.
When you make this selection, a BARD account Details screen with your current login information appears. Listed in two text fields, one above the other, are your user name and your password. Select the first text field, the user name text field, to enter the user name, and select the second text field to enter your password.
If you have a temporary or an expired password, you must first update it on BARD using a web browser before it can be entered in BARD Mobile.
The option to download materials over a mobile network only appears in User Account Settings if your device has cellular capabilities. When on, the setting allows you to download titles using your mobile network.
By default, the setting is off.
This setting, which is off by default, will prevent your device from sleeping while a download is in process. Turning it on will allow your device to go to sleep during download, which will interrupt the download process.
This setting allows you to display books in a preferred format only: both audio and braille, audio only, or braille only. By default, titles in both formats will display in lists of available materials. Choose audio only or braille only to display titles in the preferred format only. All displays of book lists in the Get Books section, other than the wish list, previous downloads, and web view (BARD website), will adhere to this setting. The Bookshelf screen will hide submenus for audio and braille materials according to the setting unless there are items in those categories already on the device.
The Now Reading tab, the fourth and last tab on the tab bar, is used to read audio and braille titles that are downloaded onto your device. Section 6 outlines the steps necessary to play audio titles only. See Section 7 for the steps necessary to read braille titles.
Figure 3 Now Reading screen (audio)
At the top of the Now Reading screen is the title bar. It displays the title of the book you are reading, a Recently Read button on the left corner, an AirPlay button (if available), and a Navigation button on the right corner.
Activating the Recently Read button will bring up a list of all available titles that have been previously opened, sorted by the most recently read. Since this list may contain items in both braille and audio formats, items are identifiable by either a braille or audio icon. VoiceOver will announce title and format. Select the title you wish to read and it will automatically load at your current reading position.
Activating the AirPlay button will bring up a panel with AirPlay options.
Activating the Navigation button provides an alternate way to navigate through the contents of the book you are reading. It also allows you to access your Skippable settings.
For further details on book navigation options, please see section 6.13.
Located on the top portion of the Now Reading screen is the title information section. On the iPhone, this information includes the title of the section being currently read, the current reading time, and current position within the book. The title information presented on the iPad also displays the author, narrator, and book number of the title.
You can navigate through the book using the current position slider, located after the title information. It indicates your current position in the book, compared to the total length of the book, and is used to adjust your position within the book.
VoiceOver users can quickly adjust the position by flicking one finger on the screen, either upward or downward. Flicking upward will move the reading position toward the end of the book in increments of 10 percent and flicking downward will move the reading position toward the beginning of the book in similar increments.
If VoiceOver is not enabled, slide the slider to the left to move the reading position toward the beginning of the book or to the right to move the reading position toward the end of the book.
Directly following the current position slider is the Sleep Timer button, which is used to stop playback after a set period of time or at the next chapter boundary.
Activating the Sleep Timer button repeatedly (within 3 seconds) will cycle through the available options. Activating it once will set the Sleep Timer for 15 minutes, twice will set it for 30 minutes; three times will set it for 45 minutes; four times will set it for 60 minutes; and five times will set the Sleep Timer to stop playback at the end of the current boundary set on the Menu button (see Section 6.7). VoiceOver users can activate the options for the Sleep Timer settings using a double tap. At the conclusion of the selected period the volume will fade for 10 seconds and playback will stop. Activating the Play/Stop button will cancel the Sleep Timer.
If hints are enabled on the device, flicking to the Sleep Timer button after it has been set will indicate the remaining time until playback stops. Activating the Sleep Timer button while the book is not playing will initiate playback and then stop playback at the designated time. Activating the Sleep Timer button while the book is playing will reset the timer to the selected setting.
Following the Sleep Timer button is the Bookmark button. Selecting the Bookmark button will insert or delete a bookmark at the current reading position.
While reading the book, select the Bookmark button at any time to mark points you may wish to return to later. Selecting the Bookmark button while playing a book will not disrupt the narration. The bookmark will be kept in memory even if you turn off BARD Mobile or select another title to read.
To remove a bookmark while reading a book, return to within 5 seconds of the marked position and select the Bookmark button. If you are not currently reading the book, the reading position must be exactly at the existing bookmark to remove it.
You can review all your bookmarks for the title you are currently reading through the Navigation screen. To access the screen, select the Navigation button on the upper right corner of the navigation bar. The Bookmark button follows the Page button on the Navigation screen. (Note that the iPad Navigation screen is displayed as a pop-up.)
The next button on the Now Reading screen is the Previous button, which is used to move backward one navigation point to the previous point as selected with the Menu button. If BARD Mobile is in stop mode, each time the Previous button is activated, the book narrator will read the heading of the new item selected. If it is in play mode, playback will start from the new location.
Pressing the Previous button for an extended time will move navigation toward the beginning of the book in increments of five navigation items, or by tens for pages. VoiceOver users can double tap and hold the button to accomplish the same result.
The Previous button is followed by the Menu button. Its purpose is to select the navigation you would like to use when moving between points of the book, through the Previous or Next buttons. Navigation points such as chapters, sections, or bookmarks vary with each title. Your menu button selection will be saved for each book.
Following the Menu button is the Next button, which is used to move forward one navigation point to the next point as selected with the Menu button. If BARD Mobile is in stop mode when the Next button is activated, the book narrator will read the heading of the item selected. If it is in play mode, playback will start from the new location.
Pressing the Next button for an extended time will move navigation toward the end of the book in increments of five navigation items, or by tens for pages. VoiceOver users can double tap and hold the button to accomplish the same result.
The Rewind button is directly after the Next button and just before the Play/Stop button. It is used to move the reading position backward. Select the Rewind button to move backward 5 seconds in the book or double tap to move backward 10 seconds. If VoiceOver is enabled, you can triple tap the button to move backward 10 seconds in the book
If you continue to press the button, however, you will keep moving backward. If you press the Rewind button for longer than 10 seconds, the reading position will continue moving backward in increments of up to one hour.
Beeps during rewind indicate you have passed a navigation point.
After the Rewind button is the Play/Stop button. Activate the button to either start or stop playing a title.
You will hear a beep each time you activate the button, unless you have activated Silence Button Beeps in the Audio settings section of the Settings tab. If VoiceOver is on, you will hear the word “stop” when halting play. After you have started playing an audio title, VoiceOver users can use a two-finger double tap to stop or restart audio playback.
The Forward button is directly after the Play/Stop button, and it is used to move the reading position forward. Select the Forward button to move forward 5 seconds in the book. VoiceOver users can triple tap the button to move forward 10 seconds in the book.
If you continue to press the button, the farther forward you will move. If you press the Forward button for longer than 10 seconds, the reading position will continue moving forward in increments of up to one hour.
Beeps heard while forwarding indicate you have passed a navigation point.
Located at the bottom of the Now Reading screen, directly above the tab bar, are the Speed/Tone button and slider. The Speed/Tone button changes the function of the slider that follows it and is used to interchangeably adjust those values.
Select Speed to adjust the speed to pre-set values between 50 and 300 percent using the slider. VoiceOver users can quickly adjust the speed by flicking one finger on the screen, either upward or downward. Flicking upward increases the speed in increments of 25 percent, and flicking downward decreases the speed in similar increments. A triple tap, with the focus on the Speed function, resets the speed value to the global value set in the application settings for Audio settings.
See section 5.1.1 for information on setting the global speed value.If VoiceOver is not enabled, you can slide the slider to the left to decrease the speed or to the right to increase the speed.
Select Tone to change the amount of bass or treble in the narrator’s voice using the slider. VoiceOver users can quickly adjust the tone between values of negative 4 and positive 6 by flicking one finger on the screen, either upward or downward. Flicking upward increases the treble and decreases the bass in increments of one. Flicking downward decreases the treble and increases the bass in similar increments. A triple tap, with the focus on the Tone function, resets the tone value to the global value set in the application settings.
See section 5.1.2 for information on setting the global tone value.If VoiceOver is not enabled, you can slide the slider to the left to increase the bass and decrease the treble or to the right to increase the treble and decrease the bass.
Changing the speed or tone setting on the Now Reading screen will only affect the book you are currently reading.
To access the Navigation screen, activate the Navigation menu located on the top right corner of the Now Reading screen. (Note that the iPad Navigation screen is displayed as a pop-up.) The Navigation screen provides you an alternate way to navigate through the contents of the book you are reading.
At the top of the Navigation screen, there is a Navigation heading and a button labeled Skippable on the upper right corner. The Skippable button is used to play or skip the narration of elements that producers have marked as “skippable” within the book.
By default, BARD Mobile will play content within books marked as skippable. Skippable material may include items such as sidebars, page numbers, and footnotes. To change this setting for the book you are reading, select the Skippable button, then activate the Skip button if you would like to skip material marked as skippable.
Use the Contents, Page, or Bookmark buttons located directly after the Navigation screen heading to navigate through the book. If applicable, selecting the Contents button will allow you to navigate, or jump, through the book by chapter or section; selecting the Page button will allow you to jump to a particular page number; and selecting the Bookmark button will allow you to jump to a set bookmark. By default, the Bookmark button contains options to jump to the beginning of the book and the end of the book.
A gray triangle next to a navigation item indicates that the item can be expanded to display additional points. VoiceOver will announce the triangles as a plus (to expand) or minus (to collapse), and the level. VoiceOver users can double tap and hold to expand or collapse the selected items. If VoiceOver is not enabled, tap and hold to expand or collapse.
Once you have chosen the point of the book you wish to jump to, the Navigation screen will close and the player will be set to read from your selected navigation point.
Select the Navigation button to return to the book you are reading without making a selection.
Figure 4 Navigation screen
On the Now Reading screen you can quickly switch to other titles on your bookshelf by swiping left or selecting the Recently Read button (book icon in the top left corner of the title bar). When using VoiceOver use a three-finger left swipe. A pop-out panel (on iPads) or a new screen (on iPhones) will display listing all available titles that have been previously opened, sorted by the most recently read. Since this list may contain items in both braille and audio formats, items are identifiable by either a braille or audio icon. VoiceOver will announce title and format. Select the title you wish to read and it will automatically load at your current reading position. If you select an audio item and have Automatic Start Playback turned on in Audio Settings, the book will begin playback once you select the title from the Recently Read list. If you have Automatic Five Second Rewind enabled, the book will pick up five seconds prior to the last reading position.
The Now Reading tab, the fourth and last tab on the tab bar, is used to read audio and braille titles that are downloaded onto your device. A refreshable braille display is required to read braille titles with this application. BARD Mobile does not translate braille files into visually readable, fully spelled-out text, but uses contracted braille.
Gestures described below to operate BARD Mobile when reading braille materials are based on VoiceOver being enabled.
Section 7 covers the steps necessary to read braille titles only. Section 6 covers the steps necessary to read audio titles.Almost all NLS braille materials downloadable from BARD are in contracted braille. To read a contracted braille book or magazine with BARD Mobile, you must set braille input and output to eight-dot and you must turn off single-letter Quick Nav. Even with eight-dot braille on, BARD Mobile will display your book or magazine in six-dot braille. You can turn eight-dot braille input on with dots 2-3-6-spacebar. You can turn eight-dot braille output on with 1-2-4-5-spacebar. Both of these can also be set from within braille on the VoiceOver settings menu of your iOS device. The command for toggling single-letter Quick Nav is spacebar with dots 1-2-3-4-5-7.
It may be helpful to think of the Now Reading screen as three distinct sections:
Figure 5 Now Reading screen (braille)
When the Now Reading screen first appears, the VoiceOver focus is at the top of the screen and the braille display shows the title of the book as the header. You can move through the elements of the screen by using the “flick right” gesture on your device or the “pan braille right” command from a braille display.
Beginning with BARD Mobile 1.3, you can flick into the reading window from above it or below it and your reading position will be retained. Each time you close the app or switch to a different title, BARD Mobile will remember your reading position. When you return to the Now Reading: Braille screen, you can resume reading by pressing the shortcut key r or by flicking into the reading window.
Listed below are shortcut keys that can be used from a braille display that includes a braille keyboard or with a Bluetooth keyboard. They are usable from any point on the Now Reading screen when a braille book or magazine is displayed. Some shortcut keys need their respective feature turned on in Settings before they work. Those are indicated in the table below by an asterisk.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| M | Menu Dots 1-3-4 |
| Comment: Cycles through the options available on the Jump By menu. The first press of the Menu key reports the current setting. Subsequent presses cycle through the available options. | |
| p or ' | Previous element Dots 1-2-3-4 or dot 3 |
| n or , | Next element Dots 1-3-4-5 or dot 6 |
| Comment: Moves to the previous or next instance of the currently selected menu item. | |
| V | Volume navigation Dots 1-2-3-6 |
| Comment: Moves to the Navigation screen with volume selected. | |
| A | Page navigation Dot 1 |
| Comment: Moves to the Navigation screen with page selected. | |
| W | Where am I? Dots 2-4-5-6 |
| Comment: Displays the volume, page, and line number of the current position in the item. | |
| S | Search text Dots 2-3-4 |
| Comment: Moves the focus to the search box. Text editing is activated and the edit box is ready for text entry. Text must be entered in the same form it would be found in the contracted braille item. The only exception to this is the entry of the dots 4-5-6 character where you need to enter dots 4-5-6-7. | |
| B | Bookmark Dots 1-2 |
| Comment: This has the same function as the Bookmark button on the Now Reading screen. It adds and removes bookmarks. | |
| K | Bookmark navigation Dots 1-3 |
| Comment: Moves to the navigation screen with bookmark selected. | |
| R | Reading Window Dots 1-2-3-5 |
| Comment: Moves the VoiceOver focus to the reading window. | |
| T | Skips to next non-blank line Dots 2-3-4-5 |
| Comment: When reading a braille book or magazine this key will advance the user to the next line containing text. | |
| * D | Toggles braille reflow on and off |
| Comment: This key will toggle the reflowing of the braille text on and off. The default is 40 cells. To reflow to a display length shorter than 40 cells, the desired length must be set in Settings. | |
| * / | Toggles braille autoscroll on and off |
| Comment: This key will toggle the automatic scrolling of the braille text on and off. The default is off. To activate this feature, turn Braille Autoscroll on in Settings. | |
| * + | Increases braille autoscroll speed |
| Comment: Changes made to braille autoscroll while reading will be saved globally when the app is closed but will not be saved with each book. | |
| * - | Decreases braille autoscroll speed |
| Comment: Changes made to braille autoscroll while reading will be saved globally when the app is closed but will not be saved with each book. | |
To the right of the Now Reading screen’s header is the navigation button.
Figure 6 Navigation menu in the Now Reading screen (braille)
When you activate this button, you will have access to the Volume, Page, and Bookmark buttons through which you can navigate the book. These buttons are located directly after the Navigation screen heading. Selecting one of these buttons will cause a list of the selected elements to appear. By default, BARD Mobile lets you navigate by page number, and the Bookmark button contains options to jump to the beginning of the book and the end of the book.
Once you select an item from the list of navigation points, the Navigation screen will close and the selected navigation point will appear in the reading window. To leave the Navigation screen without making a selection, double tap the Back button.
Directly below the screen header and the Navigation button is the search box. Double tapping the search field or entering the s shortcut key will put you into edit mode. You will need to type the search term in contracted braille, exactly as it appears in the book. The only exception to this is when you are searching for a dots 4-5-6 character, for which you must enter dots 4-5-6-7.
After entering your term, you can use the touch screen or the braille display to move to the Go button. The VoiceOver focus will be taken to the line of the book on which your search term appears. If your search term was not located, you will hear an ascending tone and the words “no match” will appear on the braille display.
Below the reading window are lines of text indicating the current volume number and the current page and line number. Below these lines and to the right is the Bookmark button. Double tapping this button or entering the B shortcut key will add a bookmark at your current location in the text. To move to a previously set bookmark, you can either open the Navigation screen and select the Bookmark button to display the list of bookmarks, or you can set the menu function to Bookmark and use the Next or Previous keys.
To remove a bookmark, navigate to the line of text where the bookmark is located and select the Bookmark button or enter the B shortcut key.
Near the bottom of the screen is a row of three buttons: Previous, Menu, and Next. Double tapping the Menu button will change the increments by which the Next and Previous buttons move. The Menu button can also be activated with the shortcut key M. The Jump By options on the menu are line, page, volume, and bookmark. Once you have performed a search, “jump by search keyword” will also appear on the menu. When you load a new book, the menu jump increments will be set to page by default. After that, BARD Mobile will remember the setting you last used.
To the left of the Menu button is the Previous button, and it is used to move backward one navigation point to the previous point as selected with the Menu button.
To the right of the Menu button is the Next button, and it is used to move forward one navigation point to the next point as selected with the menu button.
Braille Reflow was added to make reading braille books and magazines easier with braille displays shorter than 40 cells.
NLS braille books and magazines are formatted with 38 to 40 cells per line. Reading them on a shorter-length display can be awkward, as each line is broken into at least two lines, usually of different lengths. Braille Reflow allows BARD Mobile to tailor line lengths to match the user's braille display size, breaking lines only when necessary (e.g., at the ends of paragraphs) to provide a smoother reading experience.
Braille Reflow is off by default. To use Braille Reflow, it must be turned on in Settings>Display Settings. Once turned on, you will have an opportunity to select the desired display length using the picker item. Available display length values are: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 32, 40.
The shortcut key “d” will toggle Braille Reflow on and off. When turned on, text will reflow to the value selected in Settings. If no value is selected in Settings, use of the shortcut key will reflow braille to the default setting of 40 cells.
When Braille Reflow is active, paragraphs will be indented as usual, page numbers will be correctly positioned and other items such as lists of ingredients in a recipe will be properly formatted. However, Braille Reflow is done automatically, so it is possible that there may be occasional instances when the reflow is not done correctly.
Autoscroll allows the user to read a braille book with minimal hand movement. When autoscroll is activated, the braille display will begin advancing automatically. A fixed amount of time is set for the display of each line and an additional small amount of time is set for the display of each character on a line so the app will display short lines for a shorter time than longer lines.
You can start and stop autoscrolling with the / (slash, dots 3-4) key and increase/decrease the rate at which the display advances with the + (plus, dots 3-4-6) and – (minus, dots 3-6) keys respectively. Each press of the (+) or (-) keys will change the Autoscroll Time per Character value by 5 milliseconds and will have no effect on the Autoscroll Time per Line value.
The speed can be changed while autoscrolling is active or inactive but not while it is disabled.
When braille autoscroll is enabled, an additional button will appear on the Braille: Now Reading screen, labeled "Scroll" and "Stop." Activating this button begins automatic scrolling, and activating it again stops autoscrolling. This behavior is analogous to starting and stopping audio playback when reading an audiobook.
When braille autoscroll is enabled, the speed slider will also appear. Adjusting this slider varies the Autoscroll Time per Character setting.
On the Now Reading screen, you can quickly switch to other titles on your bookshelf by swiping left or selecting the Recently Read button (book icon in the top left corner of the title bar). When using VoiceOver, use a three-finger left swipe. A pop-out panel (on iPads) or a new screen (on iPhones) will display listing all available titles that have been previously opened, sorted by the most recently read. This list may contain items in both braille and audio formats, so items are identifiable by either a braille or audio icon. VoiceOver will announce title and format. Select the title you wish to read, and it will automatically load at your current reading position. If you select an audio item and have Automatic Start Playback turned on in Audio Settings, the book will begin playback once you select the title from the Recently Read list. If you have Automatic Five Second Rewind enabled, the book will pick up five seconds prior to the last reading position.
Beginning in iOS 13, a new VoiceOver feature has been added called Activities. It allows the user to associate a set of VoiceOver settings with a particular app or context within an app. Creating a VoiceOver activity can be a useful way to ensure you have the braille settings necessary for the proper display of braille books and magazines in BARD Mobile.
There are three VoiceOver settings that are necessary to read braille in BARD Mobile. To create an activity that includes these settings, do the following:
You can adjust the font size in BARD Mobile with your iOS device. BARD Mobile supports Dynamic Type. To increase the font size in BARD Mobile, go to your device settings. Select Display/Brightness, and then select Text size. Use the slider to increase or decrease to a size between 0 and 100 percent.
Larger sizes are available in Accessibility settings. Select General in your device settings, then select Accessibility. Choose Larger Text. Turn Larger Accessibility Sizes on and use the slider to increase or decrease the font size.
Books that are stored on your computer can be side loaded onto BARD Mobile by using services that allow you to store your files on the cloud and access them from your phone, computer, or the company website. To side load audio items they must be zipped, with each book or magazine zipped as a separate file. You do not have to zip braille books before importing them, but if you do not, BARD Mobile will treat each braille file as a separate book.
Please note that each protected audio item must receive a unique key from BARD in order to play on your mobile device. Audio items that have been side loaded will not play until your mobile device is able to contact BARD.
iTunes and Dropbox are two third-party file sharing applications that can be used to side load titles on BARD Mobile. The following instructions for using these applications have been included here as a courtesy to BARD Mobile users. Their inclusion does not imply that these applications are supported or endorsed by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.
If you use iTunes 11, you will probably find it easiest to use iTunes file sharing if the sidebar is turned on. Press Control-S in Windows or Command-Option-S on a Mac, as needed, to make the sidebar appear. When your screen reader says “sources tree view,” “hide sidebar,” or a similar announcement, you will know the sidebar is on the screen.