Library users who download e-books to read offline will have noticed an important change. Major academic e-book platforms ProQuest and EBSCO have moved away from Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) and are using other software solutions for downloading DRM-protected titles.
Most e-books that the University Library has in its collection can easily be downloaded in PDF or EPUB format, for permanent storage on your personal device. A smaller amount of e-books can only be downloaded for a certain amount of time.
What is changing?
For many years, Adobe Digital Editions has been the standard program used to download and read library e-books with that type of usage restrictions. This is now changing:
- ProQuest has transitioned to its own platform, Ebook Central.
- EBSCO now supports downloads through Thorium Reader, a third-party application used more widely.
As a result, Adobe Digital Editions will no longer be the primary tool for accessing downloads from these providers.
What does this mean for you?
If you try to download an e-book with usage restrictions, you will be prompted to install a program for downloading and offline reading.
- In ProQuest, you will need to create an account. You will be prompted to download Ebook Central when you click the download button for your e-book. You can find the registration code to activate the app in your ProQuest profile.
- In EBSCO, you will often need to create an account to download the full e-book. Choose the number of day you would like to borrow the book, and use the password visible on the EBSCO webpage to activate the book in Thorium Reader. You can download Thorium reader from all major app stores.
People with an @wEURk laptop can download Ebook Central and Thorium Reader from the company portal.
While the Ebook Central app is only suitable for ProQuest e-books, Thorium Reader can be used for PDF and EPUB format e-books from most providers. Moreover, Thorium Reader includes a read-out-loud function for EPUB format.
- More information
Questions? Contact us or call 010-4081198.
