Lean Library

The Lean Library extension is a free tool which assists your library in delivering their services directly into your research workflow in more ways than one!
What is Lean Library?
Lean Library is a Firefox extension that greatly simplifies the research process for academic papers. This add-on notifies you when library materials are available on a website, redirects you to these resources avoiding paywalls and multiple log-ins, and unlocks access to millions of free-to-read academic papers. It also provides seamless redirection to open access materials even for those unaffiliated with an institution. Additionally, it aims to deliver additional library services through its Futures feature.
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Add-on stats

Rating: 2.91 (56)
Version: 2024.28.0 (Last updated: 2024-11-18)
Creation date: 2017-02-22
Weekly download count: 316
Firefox on Android: No
Risk impact: High risk impact
Risk likelihood: Moderate risk likelihood
Manifest version: 3
Permissions:
  • storage
  • tabs
  • alarms
  • activeTab
  • webNavigation
  • contextMenus
  • unlimitedStorage
Host permissions:
  • http://*/*
  • https://*/*
  • <all_urls>
Size: 2.61M

Ranking

# 663 ▲ 3
Other rankings
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Other platforms

Lean Library (v2024.28.0)
3.50 (109) 200,000
Lean Library (v2024.28.0)
3.80 (6) 93,019
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Add-on summary

Analyze keywords

The Lean Library extension is a free tool which assists your library in delivering their services directly into your research workflow in more ways than one! With the Lean Library extension, you can enjoy:

Lean Library Access Do you use Browzine, EndNote Click, Readcube or PaperPanda? Then Lean Library Access is for you!

Get easy access to your library’s article and ebook e-resources directly into your browser.

The extension will notify when you are on a website that contains material your library can give you access to. A single click will redirect you to this content, no paywalls, no multiple log-ins. The browser extension simplifies searching for relevant sources and facilitates quality study time. A few quick clicks will get you started.

Lean Library Open - Unlock instant & legal access to millions of free academic papers. Did you know that over a third of all academic papers have a free-to-read version available? Our free plug-in unlocks access instantly and legally to millions of these papers, saving you time and effort.

Even if you're not affiliated to an institution, you can still get quick and seamless redirection to open access materials absolutely free.

Simply download the extension and select Lean Library Open as your library.

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User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Firefox Browser Add-ons does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Helps access scientific literature through university libraries
  • Can replicate the 'on campus' experience for remote users
  • Responsive to feedback from institutions
  • Useful for sourcing full texts of articles
Cons
  • Significantly slows down browser performance
  • Always active with no easy way to turn off or manage settings
  • Frequent pop-ups and distractions when browsing
  • Can break functionality of other extensions and websites
Most mentioned
  • Slows down browser performance
  • Always active with no off switch
  • Frequent pop-ups
  • Issues with site access and redirects
  • Compatibility problems with other extensions
Recent reviews
Significantly slows down my browser, even on an M1 Max Macbook pro with 32gb of ram.
by Steven Crane, 2024-10-03
I would give the feature 4 stars, though the extension itself is lacking. It's always on without an easy 'off' switch, meaning I have to manually go into my settings to turn it off, otherwise it bogs down my browser. It will often pop-up after I've already gotten to the intended page from clicking the provided link. If I click the pop-up, it opens the exact same page, again. Overall I still find it incredibly useful, though its implementation is wanting.
by Xard, 2024-09-27
The shortcut does "work" for me, as in, it allows me to access scientific literature though my university its library. HOWEVER, That does not mean that this extention works well, far from it... The extention is Always Active, with no options to change this. I would much rather have it off by default and activated upon request, or be able to manage sites it works on with either a whitelist or a blacklist... The extention often causes a lot of slowdown on different sites, and also regularly pops up the "sign in to your institution" widget when visiting sites like wikipedia... as you might have guessed, I don't need a library log in on a site which gives me its information for free :/ It does the bare minimum which it promisses to do, so I won't give it one star, but man, would I like a better extention for this.....
by Firefox user 15550996, 2024-09-13
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Add-on safety

Risk impact

Lean Library requires some sensitive permissions that could impact your browser and data security. Exercise caution before installing.

Risk likelihood

Lean Library is probably trust-worthy. Prefer other publishers if available. Exercise caution when installing this add-on.

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