NLS BARD Support: BARD Express Version 3.1.0.1 Release

NLS is pleased to announce the release of BARD Express Version 3.1.0.1. This release has numerous bug fixes, including:

• BARD Express now correctly recognizes titles on external media that a user wishes to delete before copying new titles to that external media.
• While the BARD Express Player is in use, the narration will continue even if the user presses/clicks the play button while the audio is playing.
• When jumping to the next navigation point in a book or magazine, the audio clip is no longer spoken a second time.
• While pressing and holding the F or R keys to fast forward or rewind, each tone that is heard now correctly represents the next navigation point.
• The BARD Express Player now maintains the navigation level of a book or magazine used when it was last set.
• A bug that caused a program crash when patrons tried to copy downloaded materials to external storage has been fixed.
• The Wish list sort types are now correctly labeled.
• The BARD Express Player more accurately resumes playback where a book or magazine was previously stopped.
• This release addresses an issue where the player would periodically buffer the audio and the user was unable to stop it without taking the program out of the task manager.
• BARD Express no longer crashes when trying to send a diagnostic report from within the Help menu.
• This version addresses an issue experienced by some users who reported that the F2 key would not reliably launch the player.

In Version 3.1.0.1, column configuration can no longer be adjusted while focused on the Wish List. Column configuration can be adjusted while in Recently Added or Most Popular Books. These adjustments will then carry over to the Wish List. This is a new bug that we will work on for the next release.

A reminder: Patrons using JAWS and NVDA can use the tab key to move to each of the player’s functions or tap a letter assigned to that function. For example, they can type F for fast forward, R for rewind, and B for bookmarks. A complete list of commands can be found under the Help menu of BARD Express.

Scripts are built into the 2024 version of JAWS to optimize the BARD Express Player. Patrons using JAWS 2022 or 2023 can download the same scripts from the BARD Express page on the NLS website and import them into their screen readers.

We recommend people read Section 7 of the BARD Express user guide, which is dedicated to the BARD Express Player.