I want to download an ebook from ProQuest Ebook Central but it is asking me to download Adobe Digital Editions. What should I do?
I attempted to download an Ebook Central AC book this weekend and was asked to download an e-reader--specifically, Adobe Digital Editions. What if I can't or choose not to do that. Can I still read the ebook?
Answer
Ebook Central (and previously ebrary) uses Adobe DRM on downloaded ebooks and have always required Adobe Digital Editions or another Adobe-compatible e-reader in order to read the downloaded file. What has changed is the messaging during the download process, which makes it clearer to the user that they need to have access to Adobe Digital Editions and this is not the same as Adobe Reader. Previously, the vendor used to get a lot of questions from users who were confused about why their downloaded file would not open (the file format is .acsm).
ProQuest has also made a recent change to the mobile experience. They used to recommend the Bluefire Reader app, which is being discontinued. They now direct users to the Adobe Digital Editions mobile app. So it is a change that they are asking mobile users to use ADE.
For shared library computers ProQuest recommends that users read online instead of downloading, since the download is associated with their Ebook Central account and Adobe ID. The user won’t necessarily be able to get back to that exact machine to access their downloaded file in the future, and may have problems transferring the download to their own device if it is not authorized to the same Adobe ID (for example, if the library computer has authorized ADE to a generic library account). In fact, if the user selects ‘I’m using a public computer’ in step 1 of the download process they’ll see a message suggesting they download to their own device instead.