Lean Library

A library-approved tool to unlock access to academic papers.

Lean Library is a free browser extension designed to streamline your academic research by integrating your library's services directly into your workflow. Whether discovering scholarly articles or saving references, Lean Library enables instant, legal access to millions of academic papers, eBooks, and open access materials, bypassing paywalls effortlessly. Users benefit from features like customized library guidance, reference saving, content highlighting and annotation, journal alerts, and tools to enhance information literacy such as article retraction alerts and trust ratings.

Perfect for students and researchers alike, Lean Library works in tandem with Lean Library Workspace for a comprehensive research experience. Even without institutional affiliation, users can access open access content for free by selecting Lean Library Open. The extension also incorporates all the features from Sciwheel, ensuring a smooth transition for existing users. Simply install the extension, select your institution, and start researching efficiently today.

By:
Talis Education Ltd
Users:
93,026+ 4.68K
Rating:
3.80
(6)
Version:
2025.7.1 Last updated: 2025-04-30
Creation date:
2022-01-26
Risk:
High risk impact Moderate risk likelihood
Permissions:
  • storage
  • tabs
  • alarms
  • activeTab
  • webNavigation
  • contextMenus
  • unlimitedStorage
Host permissions:
  • http://*/*
  • https://*/*
  • <all_urls>
Size:
12.30M
URLs:
Website ,Privacy policy
Full description:
See detailed description
Source:
Edge Add-on Store
Updated:
a day ago

Other platforms

Lean Library (v2025.7.1)
200,000+ 3.61 (118)
Lean Library (v2025.3.0)
13,721+ 2.88 (59)

User reviews

Very useful tool. Love to use it with my research
by Clare, 2021-02-08

Makes the browser very laggy
by Dan, 2021-02-07

Very helpful for my studies
by kusal, 2021-02-05
View all user reviews ›

Extension safety

Risk impact

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

Risk impact analysis details
  • Critical Grants access to browser tabs, which can be used to track user browsing habits and history, presenting a privacy concern.
  • Critical ****** ****** ** *** ********* ****** * *********** ******** **** ** ** *** ******* *** ****** **** **** *** ******* *****
  • High ****** ********* ** * ****** ******** ******** ********** * ******* ******* *****
  • High ******* ******* **** *** ****** ***** *** ***** ** ******* **** ********* ********* ** * *********** *****
Risk likelihood

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

Risk likelihood analysis details
  • High This extension was recently updated in the past month. New updates may not be stable or safe.
  • High **** ********* *** *** **** ****** ********* ********** *** *** ** ****** ** *****
  • Low **** ********* *** ***** **** **** * ****** **** ***** ********** *** **** ****** ** ** ****** *** *****
  • Good **** ********* *** **** **** *******
Upgrade to see full risk analysis details

Promo images

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