A New Chapter in Digital Libraries: Embracing Automation with Vigilance – Stacks for Libraries

A Message from our CTO

In the past 18 months, I’ve had to come to terms with a new reality: the meteoric rise of automated content retrieval systems. These systems, leveraging the trusted, reliable content provided by libraries all over the world, have heralded a new era in digital information sharing. It’s an exciting development, no doubt, but like any good plot twist, it comes with its own set of challenges.

Imagine a bustling marketplace where the best vendors from across the globe gather to offer their finest wares. Now, imagine a new cohort of savvy actors arriving on the scene, each determined to gather the highest quality goods. This is our new reality in the world of digital libraries. Automated systems are voraciously consuming our meticulously curated content, and this unprecedented demand is stretching our resources to their limits.

For the customers of the Stacks for Libraries platform, and indeed all librarians concerned about the current and future state of their digital initiatives, it’s time to take stock. Our traditional cloud infrastructure, which once comfortably met demand and ensured adherence to our service level agreements (SLAs), is now under considerable strain. The fast, tailored user experiences we’ve worked so hard to provide are at risk.

The Stakes: Quality vs. Quantity

Automated traffic is the villain in this story, placing an outsized demand on our systems. Much of this traffic originates from companies in the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) sector, eagerly harvesting our rich, reliable content. While these automated systems can be beneficial, enabling quick access to vast amounts of information, they also introduce complexity and cost. The challenge we face is offering our top-notch content to genuine users while mitigating the impact of automated traffic.

The Call to Action: Strengthen Your Defenses

The objective is clear: we need to educate and convince our customers to fortify their digital defenses. Fortunately, there are many tools available to combat the tide of automated traffic. The ideal solution is a robust DNS and Web Application Firewall (WAF) service positioned in front of your Stacks website.

Why Cloudflare?

Among the various options, we recommend Cloudflare. Think of it as a modern-day fortress for your digital library. Cloudflare offers state-of-the-art DNS management tools and a reliable Web Application Firewall. These services not only protect your content but also ensure that your users continue to enjoy the seamless, high-quality experience they expect. Additionally, Cloudflare provides a powerful and effective complimentary service that enables our customers to see immediate, impactful performance and security improvements.

Implementing the Solution

Adding defenses to your website might sound like a daunting task, but it’s a necessary step to safeguard the integrity of your digital initiatives. Here’s a brief guide to get you started:

Assess Your Current Setup: Understand your existing infrastructure and identify potential vulnerabilities.
Choose a Trusted Provider: Opt for a reliable service like Cloudflare that offers comprehensive DNS and WAF solutions.
Implement and Monitor: Deploy the chosen solutions and continuously monitor their effectiveness. Make adjustments as needed to stay ahead of evolving threats.
Educate Your Team: Ensure that everyone involved in your digital initiatives is aware of the new measures and understands their importance.

The Future: A Balanced Approach

As we navigate this new landscape, it’s crucial to strike a balance between accessibility and security. Our goal is to continue providing high-quality, easily accessible content while protecting our systems from the unintended consequences of automated traffic. By strengthening our defenses, we can ensure that our digital libraries remain a beacon of knowledge and reliability. Collaboration: The Key to Success Benjamin Franklin, one of the most ardent advocates for public access to information, would likely be fascinated by the challenges we face today. His devotion to promoting literacy, education, and public access to information laid the foundation for the libraries we cherish. In this spirit, we must continue to innovate and protect these vital resources.

The rise of automated content retrieval systems is a chapter in our story that demands vigilance and action. By embracing robust DNS and WAF services, we can turn this challenge into an opportunity, ensuring that our digital libraries thrive well into the future. Our best results happen when we work collaboratively with our customers. By joining forces, we can develop and implement strategies that safeguard our resources while continuing to champion the cause of accessible, reliable, and secure digital information.

So let’s arm ourselves with the best tools available and continue to work together, ensuring our digital libraries remain a reliable, trusted beacon of knowledge for all.

Chad Smith, Founder and CTO Stacks Solutions, VP EBSCO Information Systems
August 2024

Learn More: