EBSCO e-books switches to Thorium Reader for an offline e-book reading application

EBSCO will change the offline reading application for its e-books from Adobe Digital Editions to Thorium Reader starting from 14 April 2026. The browser reading of EBSCO e-books and the download of individual chapters to the device will remain unchanged. All EBSCO e-books will remain to be available to read in browser, so downloading Thorium Reader is not mandatory for EBSCO e-book users. Thorium Reader is already in use at the JYU library in, for example, Ellibs e-books.

A university student can download Thorium Reader on their own device from Thorium's own website (link here below) or from the device's own app store (e.g. Microsoft Store). Staff members can download Thorium Reader on their own work device from the Software Center. Thorium Reader is not yet available for mobile devices.

Thorium Reader requires a personalized password for each EBSCO e-book downloaded. This password is shared with the user while the user uploads the EBSCO e-book file to his computer. Thorium Reader remembers previously entered passwords, so it is not necessary to enter the password each time to read the same e-book loan. Full downloading of EBSCO e-books also requires making a separate MyEBSCO user account. The MyEBSCO user account also enables, among other things, making reservations for EBSCO e-books.

Currently, EBSCO e-books downloads for offline reading are not available due to conflicts with the EU Accessibility Directive. Thorium Reader enables the use of e.g. screen readers. This is one of the reasons why EBSCO is making the switch to Thorium reader now.

Possible questions and feedback can be sent to the library's acquisition team via e-mail: hank-esitys@library.jyu.fi