Mac Keyboard User Guide
Brandi Wendelberger
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 titles from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress, Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) website using your personal computer. Screenshots in this guide are visual representations of the BARD Express interface and may not exactly match screen reader representations.
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 eligibility requirements and learn about signing up for service.
BARD Express is completely accessible to visually impaired individuals. The software is fully functional with JAWS, 2018 and later, and NVDA, 2017.2 and later, screen readers. Low-vision users may increase the font up to four times the normal size using the View menu.
At the initial launch of the software, BARD Express will prompt you to read and agree to the end-user license agreement. You cannot use BARD Express unless you select the radio button associated with accepting the terms.
Figure 1. License Agreement ScreenAfter you have agreed to the terms of service, an Install Options screen will display. If you are installing BARD Express on a shared computer, activate the checkbox labeled Install on Shared Computer. Activating this installation option will cause BARD Express to automatically log you out after five minutes of inactivity, any time BARD Express is closed, or any time the computer is shut down. The program will not save your username and password. If, however, you choose the Private installation option, BARD Express will remember your username and password moving forward.
After you log in for the first time, BARD Express will ask you to indicate your preferred format. By default the radio button associated with Audio is selected. Choose Audio, Braille, or Audio and Braille and then select the OK button. BARD Express will only include titles in your preferred format in title lists. Note: you may change your format preferences at any time by selecting the Preferences button from the Main Menu and selecting the desired format from the drop-down box labeled Format. See Section 7.1 Format for information on changing your preferred format setting.
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.
The top portion of the View Menu provides access to the Main Menu, Bookshelf, Wish List, Preferences, Subscriptions, Previous Downloads, and all of the browse and search options available on the Main Menu. It also lists the hot keys for each, when available, and gives you access to the Find dialog box for searching terms in active lists of titles. Additionally, if you are using a screen reader and you lose your place in BARD Express, you may select Announce Current View in Screen Reader (or Control+Q) to hear what screen you are currently accessing. The bottom portion offers options for adjusting the number of items per page (100, 500, 1000), the font size (larger or smaller), and the column configuration. See section 2.1.2 Column Configuration for details.
Figure 6. View Menu2.1.2.1: SubscriptionsSelecting Subscriptions from the View Menu will open a dialog box listing all of the magazines and series to which you have subscribed. Series or magazine titles that you subscribe to by selecting the Subscribe button from the various lists will display. When you subscribe to a series or magazine, future titles in that series or issues of that magazine will automatically be added to your wish list as they become available on BARD.
Select the series or magazine title you wish to manage from the list to access all of the issues of the magazine or books in the series. Then use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to add an issue or book to your wish list, download it, examine its details, unsubscribe to the series or magazine, or resort the list. See section 3.6 Sort Order for details on sorting lists.
Figure 8. UnsubscribeOnce you access the list of books in the series or issues of magazines, use the Find button to quickly access a particular title or issue. You can search the list for title, author, content flags, and/or whole words, including any word or all words.
Figure 9. Filtering by Title Terms2.1.2.2 Previous DownloadsTitles and magazine issues you have previously downloaded will display in the Previous Downloads list. Use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to add an item to your wish list, download it, examine its details, or resort the list. Previous Downloads can be organized by Type, Subject, or Author, as in the Bookshelf. Sort order options are available for each attribute displayed, based on your Column Configuration settings. Access the Column Configuration screen using Alt+V+C to display more or fewer attributes of each title.
Search the list for terms and phrases by selecting the Find button and entering the term or phrase you wish to find. You can narrow your search by unchecking the box associated with Search Title, Search Author, Search Annotation, and Search Content Flags, depending on what you are trying to find. Further refine results by checking the box labeled Whole Words and then selecting either Match All Words or Match Any Words.
Selecting Column Configuration from the View Menu will open a dialog box listing all of the options for displaying items in the columns of lists. Here you can enable and disable the information you want displayed for each title in your lists. The options are: Type (book or magazine), Format, Title, Author, Subject, Annotation, Narrator, Series, Reading Time, Date Added, File Size, and BARD ID (book number). Check the box associated with each item you want displayed in the list. Note that items can be resorted based on any of the attributes you select to display. See section 3.6 Sort Order for details.
Figure 13. Column Configuration dialog box2.1.3: Help MenuThe Help Menu provides access to a Getting Started Guide, the help system inside BARD Express (including a list of keyboard commands), and information about BARD Express. It also provides an option to check for and install software updates.
Figure 14. Help Menu2.2: Main MenuThe Main Menu gives you access to your bookshelf and wish list. It provides options for searching and browsing the BARD collection and provides information on the status of materials you are currently downloading. It also allows you to manage external devices (cartridges or USB flash drives) connected to your computer and to set and change your BARD Express 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 yet 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 collection by subject and series, and browse the magazine collection. Additionally, you can search for titles using a keyword search.
You may also access external devices, cartridges or USB flash drives connected to your computer by using the Manage Devices button. The Preferences button presents options for selecting and changing preference settings. Additionally, you can check the status of materials you are downloading by activating the Download Status button.
All the 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, Braille Books, Braille Magazines, Read Items, and Unread Items. Materials in the Bookshelf may also be sorted by subject or author.
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, Audio Magazines, Braille Books, and Braille Magazines. Materials on the Wish List may also be sorted by subject or author.
You have a choice of time periods to access: the past one day, ten days, thirty days, or forty-five days. The default time period is set to ten days. Select the desired time period from the drop-down list displaying 10 Days.
By default, BARD Express will load 100 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 the Enter key.
Titles in this screen can be displayed in one of two ways: Standard Mode or Advanced Mode. Standard Mode allows you to work with only one title at a time. Advanced Mode allows you to select multiple items using the associated checkboxes, or the keyboard command Control+A to select all, to transfer to a cartridge, delete, or mark as read or unread at once. Choose between Standard and Advanced modes in preferences, or press Control+L to toggle between the modes while in a list of titles.
The Filter button presents a dialog box 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 access only books in that subject category. Additionally, you can filter by type by selecting Books and Magazines or Music from the drop-down list and filter by fiction and nonfiction by selecting the appropriate radio button under the heading Subject categories.
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