NLS BARD Support: BARD Mobile Android version 2.0 release

NLS has released version 2.0 of the BARD Mobile Android app. This is a major release and includes in-app search capability as well as several other feature updates, increased app stability, and bug fixes. This is the first in a series of planned releases to allow robust in-app searching and to eliminate the need to exit the app to search on the BARD website.

With this update, BARD Mobile no longer includes the embedded view of the BARD website. Instead, it gives patrons the ability to search within the app by keyword, author, title, or annotation and, from the search results listings, download the book directly to their Android devices. Other enhancements to search include:

• Search inputs are more intuitive. Author search supports First Name, Last Name format; Last Name, First Name; and Last Name only. Quotation marks are no longer required. For example, input “Mary Clark” (without quotations) to find all the Mary Higgins Clark titles.
• Keyword search supports searching all indexed metadata and can help users looking for multiple criteria. For example, to find a Terri Pratchett book narrated by Nick DePinto, a user can simply input “dePinto Terri” (without quotations).
• After a user inputs a search, they can amend the search type, the inputted term itself, or the format (audio or braille), and sort results alphabetically by author, title, or latest publication date.
• In-app search now includes NLS Music collection holdings, allowing users to access musical appreciation books, scores, and instructional titles.
• Users can switch between audio and braille searches. For example, input “learn guitar” (without quotation marks) with the search defaults set only to find audio instructional titles, then select the braille format and the search button again to find braille titles.
• Version 2.0 also includes enhancements to searching and sorting Bookshelf and Get Books listings.

The Android 2.0 release does not currently include non-English language collections, including music holdings, in the in-app search. Patrons can still find and access non-English books but must search for those books on the BARD website and save them to their Wish List to download to the app. Patrons can also sideload these books as they could before.

The Google Play Store rolls out app updates on a gradual basis, so devices running Android 9 and above will receive the update at some point over the next week.

You can check the bottom of the app’s Settings screen to confirm the version of BARD Mobile on your device.

The new release is supported by devices running Android 9 and above.