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!

Lean Library: Your Library Services Tool on Firefox

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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View on Firefox Browser Add-ons

Add-on stats

Users: 13,793
-219
Rating: 2.86
(56)
0.02
Version: 2024.31.0 (Last updated: 2024-12-20)
Creation date: 2017-02-22
Weekly download count: 195
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: 12.09M

Ranking

# 651 ▲ 2
Other rankings
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Other platforms

Lean Library (v2024.31.0)
3.56 (113) 200,000
Sales Library (v2.45.0.IDE)
2.71 (32) 5,059
Lean Library (v2024.31.0)
3.80 (6) 92,754
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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
  • Provides access to scientific literature through university libraries
  • Useful for replicating the 'on campus' experience for users working remotely
  • Responsive feedback from the company
Cons
  • Significantly slows down browser performance
  • Always active with no easy way to disable or manage settings
  • Issues with functioning on non-academic websites
  • May interfere with other extensions and tools
Most mentioned
  • Slow performance
  • Always active without an off switch
  • Problems with loading and browser compatibility
User reviews
This would be a 5-star extensions if the performance wasn't so terrible, especially on websites like youtube or facebook where it shouldn't even be active. There really should be a way to create a blacklist of websites to disable the extension. The disable switches in the popup don't work most of the time, or have weird behaviour
by Lourdeau, 2024-12-14
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
View all user reviews

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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