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    5 min read 6 stepsMay 9, 2026Verified May 2026

    NLS BARD: Free Audio Books from the Library of Congress

    Sign up for the National Library Service Talking Book Program — free audio and braille books, magazines, and players mailed to your home.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Tips & Tricks
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    5 min read
    Steps
    6
    Topics covered
    nls
    bard
    talking-books
    library-of-congress
    low-vision
    audiobooks
    seniors
    free

    In this guide (6 steps):

    1. 1.Confirm eligibility and find the state NLS library
    2. 2.Fill out and sign the one-page application
    3. 3.Receive the free digital player by mail
    4. 4.Order books by phone, mail, or website
    5. 5.Install BARD Mobile for instant downloads
    6. 6.Add NLS books to an Amazon Echo or Google Nest
    1

    Confirm eligibility and find the state NLS library

    ~24s
    Go to loc.gov/nls and click Find a Library. Enter the home state to see the address and phone number of the regional library that serves that state. Each state library is the front door to the program. The librarian will answer questions, mail the application form, and help with first-time setup. NLS service is open to US citizens and legal residents of any age, including children with print disabilities.
    2

    Fill out and sign the one-page application

    ~31s
    Request the application by phone, by mail, or download it from the state library website. The form asks for name, address, and the type of disability that prevents standard reading. A doctor, eye doctor, optometrist, ophthalmologist, registered nurse, social worker, therapist, professional librarian, or qualified educator must sign the certifying section. Family members cannot certify. Mail the signed application back to the state library — there is no fee.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: The eye doctor often signs the form during a routine visit if asked at the front desk during check-in. Bring the form along.

    3

    Receive the free digital player by mail

    ~28s
    After approval, usually within two to four weeks, the state library mails a free NLS digital talking-book player. The player is built to be felt rather than seen — large, color-coded buttons, a sleeve for the cartridge, and adjustable speed and tone controls. The player is on permanent loan and stays at the home as long as the reader uses it. A second player is available on request for a vacation home, a hospital room, or a relative who reads aloud to the user.
    4

    Order books by phone, mail, or website

    ~25s
    Browse the NLS catalog at loc.gov/nls or call the state library and ask for help finding titles. Many readers set up a Reader Profile with favorite genres — mysteries, biographies, large-print Bibles, Westerns, Christian fiction, history — and the librarian mails out new titles automatically as they arrive. Each cartridge holds dozens of books, so a single mailing can be weeks of reading. When finished, drop the cartridge in any mailbox in its prepaid case.
    5

    Install BARD Mobile for instant downloads

    ~24s
    BARD Mobile is the free NLS app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Once approved for NLS, ask the librarian to enable BARD account access. They will email a username and password setup link. Install BARD Mobile from the App Store or Play Store, sign in, and browse the same 140,000 titles available by mail. Tap any title to download it over WiFi in a few minutes. Headphones and Bluetooth speakers both work.
    6

    Add NLS books to an Amazon Echo or Google Nest

    ~25s
    On an Amazon Echo, say Alexa, enable BARD Express. Sign in with the BARD account, and then say Alexa, ask BARD to play my downloads. The Echo plays NLS audiobooks aloud in any room. Pause, rewind, and jump-to-chapter all work by voice. This is the most hands-free way to read for someone with very low vision or limited hand mobility, and the entire program from sign-up to listening is free.

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    The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, run by the Library of Congress, has been mailing free audio and braille books to Americans with vision problems since 1931. The program is called NLS for short, and its online catalog and download site is called BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download). Every aspect of NLS is free — no fees, no shipping costs, no late charges, no membership dues, no income limits. Funded by Congress, the program serves more than 400,000 readers a year.

    Qualifying is wider than many seniors expect. A person qualifies if they cannot read regular print due to any visual, physical, or reading disability. That includes macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts that have not been corrected, arthritis that makes holding a book difficult, and stroke recovery. A doctor, eye doctor, nurse, social worker, or librarian can certify eligibility on the one-page application form. There is no test of visual acuity required.

    The NLS catalog holds over 140,000 books, hundreds of magazines, and special collections like Westerns, mysteries, and biographies. Books arrive in three ways. The traditional way is by mail in a sturdy plastic case containing a digital cartridge that plays in a free NLS audio player, sent at no cost on permanent loan. Postage is free both ways through the Free Matter for the Blind program. The modern way is BARD Mobile, a free app for iPhone, iPad, and Android that streams or downloads the same titles instantly. The third way is on an Amazon Echo, where the BARD Express skill plays NLS audiobooks by voice command.

    Most states run a regional NLS library — for example, the Massachusetts Braille and Talking Book Library, the California Braille and Talking Book Library, the Texas State Library Talking Book Program. Each state library handles signups and mailings for residents. Sources include the National Library Service at loc.gov/nls, the BARD application portal at nlsbard.loc.gov, and the American Council of the Blind at acb.org.

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