NLS on the Move
March 28, 2019
The latest on our new initiatives
Update: Locally produced books on BARD
The program to open BARD to locally produced books began modestly, with seven network libraries participating in the initial test in the winter
of 2014. The libraries were trained in new technical specifications for producing, protecting, and uploading books to BARD (see
www.loc.gov/nlsold/networkspecs/index.html) and submitted one book each—titles such
as More than Petticoats: Remarkable Massachusetts Women (DBC00002) and
Hand Raised: The Barns of Montana (DBC00003).
The program expanded with five more libraries that spring. A milestone was reached in the summer of 2015 when the Wolfner Talking Book and Braille
Library in Missouri posted the 1,000th locally produced talking book. The 3,000th was posted just 18 months later.
Today, network libraries have posted more than 6,100 talking books to BARD. (Wolfner sets the pace with 704 titles, followed by the Texas State
Library’s Talking Book Program and the Washington TBBL with 670 each.) You can easily identify them in the catalog by the DBC prefix in their book numbers. They cover a wide variety of subjects, with Westerns, romances, cookbooks, and local history and travel
among the most popular. Thirty-five libraries and one machine-lending agency have completed the training and been certified to post books.
By any measure, the program has been a big success. “The network libraries put a tremendous amount of effort, resources and talent into producing
talking books,” NLS Director Karen Keninger said. “Besides the regional color they bring, they add depth and breadth to our collection. We’re thrilled to be able to share them nationally through BARD.”
But the program, though successful, has not been completely free of glitches, and some libraries have shared concerns about technical problems.
In an effort to improve the process, NLS has been testing a new web-based option for libraries to upload books to BARD. “It offers a smoother
user experience,” said Phillip Carbo, NLS audiobook production specialist. The new site, though,
does not provide a fully accessible interface.
With no easy work-around for existing technical problems that contribute to a less-than-perfect user experience, NLS weighed its options and concluded
that, though problematic, both sites provided an important conduit for valuable content. Participating
libraries will now have the option of using either site.
“We greatly value the contribution our network libraries make when they upload locally produced books to BARD,” Keninger said. “I hope they will be patient with us while we work toward a permanent fix to
make that process as easy as possible for them.”
This is only an interim solution until the new NLS Production Information Control System, known as PICS 2, is up and running—probably in two years
or so. PICS 2 will be augmented to accept uploads of network library books.
If your library has been certified to post books, look for an email from Carbo soon with instructions on how to use the new site.
And if you run into problems uploading books, contact us at
[log in to unmask].
Watch for the next issue of
On the Move in your inbox on April 25!