What are the different versions of the ebrary Reader available?

The ebrary Reader now has three versions:

• ebrary QuickView
• ebrary Plug-in Reader
• ebrary Unity Reader (Java based)

For a chart based comparison, please click here.

QuickView

QuickView is a "slimmed" version of the ebrary Unity Reader that runs on Macintosh, Windows and Linux/UNIX systems in a supported browser that has JavaScript enabled.

It allows for instant viewing of documents without the need to download and install an application. This is especially useful in situations where the computers are in a locked-down state (shared lab computers and library computers are usually like this) and the user has no administrative rights.

However, there are no copy/print functionalities or the ability to make annotations when using QuickView. In order to use these funtions, one must install and use either the ebrary Plug-in Reader or ebrary Unity Reader.

QuickView is the default Reader for users utilizing the ebrary site. A simple click of a button opens the ebrary Reader (either version) instead.

ebrary Plug-in Reader

This is the ebrary Reader most are familiar with, that is an ActiveX control for Internet Explorer and a NS-API plug-in for all other supported browsers. This reader has full functionality, including copy/print, annotations, and InfoTools™.

The ebrary Plug-in Reader works in Macintosh and Windows environments.

ebrary Unity Reader

This is the ebrary Reader most are familiar with as the "ebrary Java based Reader"; and the latest version of the ebrary Reader that includes all of the features the Plug-in has, and more - including accessibility features like text-to-speech capability.

This is a separate and independent application from the Plug-in Reader, despite the similarity in the tools available.

The ebrary Unity Reader works on Windows and Linux/UNIX environments running Java 1.6 minimum. (Why no Macintosh? Click here.)