Talking Books for the Blind: NLS, BARD and How to Sign Up

By Carlos Acosta · October 30, 2026 · 12 min read

Talking books for the blind are audiobooks made for people who can't read regular print, and in the US the national source is a free library run by the Library of Congress: the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS). Through libraries in every state, it lends audiobooks, braille books, magazines and the player to use them, by mail or by download. "There is no direct cost to eligible readers," the NLS says (NLS FAQ).

Below: who qualifies and how to sign up; how books arrive, by mail or through BARD; the player and DAISY; braille; and the state libraries, with the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library as an example. Official pages were checked on October 29, 2026; services change, so confirm details with your network library. This article explains the program; it isn't legal or medical advice.

Key points

Free for eligible readers. Books go out and come back by mail at no cost, and "NLS loans equipment free of charge to patrons who need devices to play NLS audiobooks and magazines or read electronic braille" (NLS).
More than blindness qualifies. Low vision, physical disabilities and reading disabilities such as dyslexia can qualify, with a certification (How to Enroll).
A quick start. The goal is to send a player and first books "within five working days of receiving a properly certified application" (NLS FAQ).
BARD is the download side. Your library can sign you up for BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download service, to read on a phone, tablet, computer or the NLS player (Sign up for BARD).
Your state runs it. "Generally, state governments are responsible for ensuring that library service is provided to their eligible residents" (NLS network libraries). In Washington, that's the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library.

Talking books for the blind: the answer at a glance

Question	Short answer	Source
What is it?	A library of audiobooks, braille books and magazines from the Library of Congress	NLS
Who qualifies?	US residents, and US citizens abroad, who can't read or handle print because of a visual, physical, perceptual or reading disability	NLS application page
How do I apply?	Online or on a PDF form in English or Spanish, certified by a doctor, teacher, librarian or other qualified person	How to Enroll
What does it cost?	Nothing for eligible readers; mail goes without postage	NLS FAQ; USPS DMM 703
How do books arrive?	On cartridges by mail, or downloaded from BARD	NLS overview; Sign up for BARD
What plays them?	A talking-book player on loan, the BARD Mobile app, or a compatible player you buy	NLS equipment; NLS FAQ
Braille too?	Yes: paper braille by mail, electronic braille on BARD, and up to five braille books a month to keep	NLS overview; Braille on Demand
Who do I call?	Your state's network library, or 888-NLS-READ (888-657-7323)	Find Your Library

Sources: NLS, Apply for NLS Services, How to Enroll, NLS FAQ, USPS DMM 703, NLS overview, Sign up for BARD, NLS equipment, Braille on Demand, Find Your Library.

What a talking book is

A talking book is a book recorded as audio for readers who can't use print, and the machines that play them are talking-book players. NLS began with braille: an Act of Congress created it in 1931 "to serve blind adults," and recorded books were added within a few years (NLS overview). For NLS next to the other national organizations, see organizations for the blind.

What sets an NLS talking book apart:

Who records it. "NLS talking books are recorded by professional narrators in the studios of contractors who bid each year on book production" (NLS FAQ). Some network libraries record books too.
Who can use it. "NLS formats render the books unusable by the general public," which is how US copyright law, through the Chafee Amendment (17 U.S.C. 121), lets NLS lend them to its patrons for free (NLS FAQ; NLS laws and regulations).
What's in it. The collection "contains hundreds of thousands of items," about 65% fiction and 35% nonfiction (NLS overview), from preschool books to bestsellers, how-to books and magazines (NLS FAQ).

Who qualifies for NLS talking books

The service is for people in the US who can't read or handle regular print because of a disability, temporary or permanent. NLS lists four groups (Apply for NLS Services):

Blind people: acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with glasses, or a field of vision of 20 degrees or less, the US definition of legal blindness (what legally blind means).
People with a visual disability that keeps them from reading standard print, "regardless of optical measurement."
People with a physical limitation, such as being unable to hold a book or turn pages.
People with a perceptual or reading disability, such as dyslexia (NLS).

From the same application page:

Where you live. In the US, its territories or the District of Columbia, or abroad as a US citizen. Dependents of active military personnel or diplomats are covered too.
Who certifies. A "competent authority": doctors, optometrists, registered nurses, therapists, teachers, social workers, reading specialists, librarians and others.

Not sure? Try the NLS eligibility quiz or call your network library.

"One application. A lifetime of reading." (How to Enroll). The steps:

Find your network library with Find Your Library or at 888-NLS-READ (888-657-7323).
Apply online, or send the PDF, in English or Spanish, to that library by mail, email or fax. "Applicants under the age of 18 will also need to submit a parental acknowledgement form" (How to Enroll).
Get it certified. You don't always need a doctor: "in many cases your network librarian can certify your eligibility over the phone" (same page).
Wait for your library. The FAQ's goal is five working days to send a player and first books after a properly certified application.

No visit is needed: "All of these interactions can be done remotely, via telephone, fax, postage-free mail, or e-mail" (Find Your Library). Schools for blind students, hospitals, assisted living communities and rehabilitation centers can also open an institutional account (How to Enroll).

How talking books arrive

There are two ways, and many people use both: cartridges by mail, or downloads from BARD.

By mail, on cartridges

NLS audiobooks come on digital cartridges that go into the talking-book player. "Equipment and materials are sent and returned via postage-free USPS mail" (NLS overview). You choose books from the NLS Catalog by phone, email or mail, or let the library send a fresh selection based on the subjects and authors you like (WTBBL service overview). To return one, you turn over the address card, which "will show the library's name and address for return mailing" (NLS FAQ).

Free Matter for the Blind: why there's no postage

NLS materials "are mailed as "Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped" through a separate appropriation to the United States Postal Service," so Congress pays for it (NLS overview). The rule is in the USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM 703, section 5.0):

Who. Mail by or for people who can't read regular print because of a disability, including "Certified participants in the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)," the program's name before 2019.
What. Braille, large type of 14 points or more, sound recordings and the players for them, among other things, with no advertising.
How. Marked "Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped" in the upper right corner of the address side, and for "domestic mail only."

It works only with the Postal Service: "Free Matter is not accepted by FedEx, UPS, or other commercial mail carrier not affiliated with the United States Postal Service" (WTBBL FAQ).

BARD: Braille and Audio Reading Download

BARD is the NLS download service, which is why so many people search for NLS BARD. It "provides instant access to hundreds of thousands of books, magazines, and music materials in audio and electronic braille" (Sign up for BARD). The NLS overview gives the breakdown: "well more than one hundred thousand books in audio, nearly twenty thousand books in electronic braille, and nearly ten thousand music collection items."

To get in, become an NLS patron first, then "contact your network library, tell them you are a patron, and they can sign you up for BARD" (Sign up for BARD). You sign in on the BARD website or in the app. Ways to read:

BARD Mobile, a free NLS app for iOS, Android and Fire phones and tablets.
A computer, to download books and copy them to a cartridge or USB drive for the player. On Windows, BARD Express also plays them.
The DA2 player, which connects to BARD over Wi-Fi (NLS equipment).
My Talking Books, a voice skill for smart speakers, for patrons who register.
The BARD Web Player, which NLS lists as coming soon.

Limits: "Patrons must have access to a high-speed Internet connection to use BARD," and phone data may cost extra (NLS FAQ), but downloaded books play without Wi-Fi or data (WTBBL FAQ). Under a February 2024 update, patrons can download up to 250 books and magazine issues "in any rolling 30-day period" (BARD updates). And there are "no holds and no due dates" (WTBBL).

The talking-book player and DAISY

You don't need a phone to use NLS. "As a patron, you can get a free talking-book player on long-term loan from your network library" (Sign up for BARD), and "NLS talking-book players feature large buttons, braille letters beside the controls, a sleep timer, and built-in audio instructions" (Apply for NLS Services). There are three models today (NLS overview):

Player	What it does
Standard	Eight controls for the basics: volume, tone, rewind, fast forward and speed
Advanced	Adds bookmarks and moves through chapters and sections
DA2	The newest: Wi-Fi to BARD, Bluetooth, 28GB of storage and text-to-speech

Sources: NLS FAQ, NLS equipment.

The DA2 is still scarce: "NLS has limited quantities of DA2 units available right now" (NLS equipment). People with significant hearing loss can ask for a high-volume player with headphones, up to 120 dB (NLS FAQ), and accessories such as breath switches are free too (request equipment).

You can also buy a player: "Some commercially available players are NLS-compatible" (NLS FAQ). NLS lists them and says "Their listing does not imply endorsement by NLS" (NLS equipment). We don't recommend any either.

What DAISY talking books are

DAISY is the standard for digital talking books. "The DAISY Consortium was formed in May 1996 by talking book libraries to lead the worldwide transition from analog to Digital Talking Books" (DAISY Consortium). "The current version of the DAISY standard is DAISY 3, released in 2005" (DAISY standard).

For the reader, DAISY means structure: you jump by chapter or section and leave bookmarks, and a book can carry the text and images alongside the audio. The older NLS players are "compatible with the ANSI/NISO Z39.86 and DAISY 2.0 standards for digital talking books" (NLS equipment). One catch: NLS books are protected, so a device that plays DAISY books won't necessarily play them. NLS players, the BARD apps and players listed as NLS-compatible do.

Braille books, too

The B in BARD stands for braille, and NLS has it in three forms:

Paper braille by mail. Of the NLS collection, "more than 34,000 are available in hard-copy braille" (NLS overview).
Electronic braille on BARD, read on a refreshable braille display. NLS lends a braille eReader with a 20-cell display, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (NLS equipment); more in refreshable braille displays.
Braille on Demand, which lets you "request up to five books a month in hardcopy braille to keep indefinitely for your personal use" (Braille on Demand).

NLS braille follows Unified English Braille, "which NLS adopted in 2016" (NLS guidelines). Other places to get braille books are in braille books; how reading by touch works, with NLS lending figures, in how blind people read; free alphabet sheets and courses, in free braille resources.

Your state's talking book library

NLS is national, but you deal with a library near you. Network libraries handle "registering new patrons, initiating service, maintaining request lists from patrons, circulating books and magazines to patrons, providing reader advisor services" (NLS network libraries). There are "55 regional libraries, 26 subregional libraries, and 13 advisory and outreach centers serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam" (NLS overview), and "Some libraries have additional collections, including large-print books and described DVDs" (Find Your Library).

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) "is a program of the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State." From Seattle, it serves the whole state "at the library and by mail or download," for any resident who can't read standard print because of "blindness, visual impairment, DeafBlindness, physical disability (cannot hold a book or turn pages), or reading disability" (WTBBL).

Network library since 1931. It was named Network Library of the Year in 2009, 2016 and 2022, and it records books "with a Northwest focus in our local studios."
What it costs. "All WTBBL library services are free to patrons, including postage on materials through the Free Matter for the Blind postal designation."
How to apply. Online in English or Spanish, or with a PDF sent by email, mail or fax (WTBBL apply).
Its books. "All the audiobooks in the WTBBL collection are narrated by humans," on cartridge or through BARD, with materials "in over fifty languages with the largest collection of materials in Spanish" (WTBBL service overview).
No fixed address? "Yes, we just need an address to send equipment and books. It could be a friend's house, a local public library branch, homeless shelter, etc." (WTBBL FAQ).
Contact. 2021 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121; (206) 615-0400, or (800) 542-0866 toll-free in Washington (Find Your Library).

If you live in another state, "similar services are provided by other NLS network libraries" (WTBBL apply).

Other state examples

Names vary from state to state. A few, from the NLS directory (Find Your Library):

Texas. The Talking Book Program of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, in Austin: (512) 463-5458, or (800) 252-9605 toll-free in Texas. Its collection "consists of more than 100,000 titles, including hundreds of titles in Spanish" (Texas TBP).
California. The California State Library's Braille and Talking Book Library in Sacramento serves northern and central counties, Braille Institute in Los Angeles the southern ones, and Fresno and San Francisco have subregional libraries (California BTBL).
New York. The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library serves New York City and Long Island; the New York State Talking Book and Braille Library in Albany, the rest of the state.
Florida. The Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services, in Daytona Beach, serves all 67 counties.

Some states send braille readers to a library in a neighboring state, so check the directory or call 888-NLS-READ.

How NLS differs from commercial audiobooks

Commercial audiobook stores and apps sell to anyone. NLS is a library for a specific group of readers:

Who can use it. Only eligible readers, certified on the application.
Who pays. Commercial services charge per book or per month. NLS "is tax-supported by federal, state, and (where appropriate) local government or private agencies" (NLS FAQ).
No smartphone needed. NLS mails cartridges and lends the player.
A protected format. NLS books play only on NLS players, the BARD apps and compatible devices.
Different shelves. NLS has titles "you won't find anywhere else in audio, like cookbooks, books on hobbies, how-to guides and first aid manuals" (NLS for veterans).

Magazines, music and other languages

Magazines. "Currently more than one hundred audio and braille magazine titles" come by subscription, and "There are more than 20,000 magazine issues available on BARD" (NLS overview).
Music. The collection has "more than 25,000 titles" (NLS music) for learning music: braille and large-print scores and recorded lessons. "NLS does not offer music for listening" (NLS FAQ).
Other languages. Talking books in "Spanish, French, German, and Russian," among others, with about 750 Spanish titles produced each year (international language materials). The BARD website also works in Spanish and French (BARD updates).

Veterans, children and Americans abroad

Veterans. "Active duty military and honorably discharged veterans receive priority service from NLS, whether or not your condition is service-related" (NLS for veterans).
Children. Books start at preschool level, and under-18s need the parental form that comes with every application.
DeafBlind readers. NLS sends braille materials, including braille calendars, by free mail (NLS DeafBlind).
US citizens abroad. An overseas librarian in Washington, DC, handles them, with proof of citizenship such as a US passport number or a birth certificate. "A Social Security number is not acceptable for proof" (NLS overseas).

Outside the US, many countries have their own libraries of talking books and braille for blind and print-disabled readers. Ask a national organization for blind people where you live.

Where Braillito fits

Talking books are read by ear; braille is read by touch, and many NLS patrons use both. Braillito, our app, teaches braille. It teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder. It is meant for anyone learning the code, such as adults who are losing their sight (learning braille as an adult) or sighted family members of a braille reader (learning braille as a sighted person).

Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.

Frequently asked questions

Audiobooks recorded for people who can't read regular print. In the US, the national source is the NLS, part of the Library of Congress, which lends them through a library in each state, on cartridges by mail or by download from BARD.

Are NLS talking books free?

Yes, for eligible readers. The NLS FAQ says there is no direct cost to them: the program is tax-supported, and books and players travel by postage-free mail.

Who is eligible for talking books?

US residents and US citizens abroad who can't read or handle regular print because of blindness, low vision, a physical disability or a reading disability such as dyslexia. A qualified person certifies the application, often your network librarian by phone.

What is NLS BARD?

The Braille and Audio Reading Download service of the NLS: audiobooks, braille books, magazines and music materials on its website or in the free BARD Mobile app. Become an NLS patron first, then ask your network library to sign you up.

What is a talking book program?

It's what Texas calls its NLS library: the Talking Book Program at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Other states say talking book library or braille and talking book library. It's the same NLS service, run in your state.

What are DAISY talking books?

Digital talking books made to the DAISY standard, which lets you move by chapter and section and set bookmarks. The current version is DAISY 3, from 2005. NLS books are protected, so they play only on NLS players, the BARD apps and compatible devices.

How do I contact the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library?

It's at 2021 9th Ave in Seattle. Call (206) 615-0400 or, within Washington, (800) 542-0866 toll-free. You can apply on its website in English or Spanish.

Do I need the internet to use talking books?

No. Your library can mail books on cartridges with a player on loan, and you return them without postage. BARD needs a high-speed connection, but downloaded books play offline.