EBSCO eBooks Transitioning to New Thorium Reader App

by UB LIBRARIES

Beginning May 19, 2026, EBSCO eBooks will transition to a new PDF and EPUB reader app for desktop and laptop devices. The free Thorium Reader app will be required for offline reading of full-book downloads. Chapter downloads and online reading through EBSCO will remain unchanged.

Apps for iOS and Android devices, along with compatibility with the EBSCO mobile app, are expected in the future.

Thorium Reader was developed to support updated ADA accessibility standards and includes several customizable accessibility features, including:

• Text-to-speech functionalit
• Adjustable font type, size, spacing and layout
• Background color customization
• Note-taking and bookmarking tools
• Accessibility metadata, when provided by the publisher

Unlike Adobe Digital Editions, which required a separate Adobe ID account, Thorium Reader uses a one-time-per-device passphrase generated by the EBSCO platform when downloading a book for offline use.

Further details are available in the following resources:

• EBSCO eBooks LCP Thorium FAQ Handout
• EBSCO eBooks LCP Thorium Frequently Asked Questions