A patron got temporarily blocked on the library website. Why are they still blocked from accessing library resources after time has elapsed?
Answer
Why was the patron blocked?
A patron does not have to be engaging in data scraping to trip our library proxy system. Our EZproxy server suspends or blocks a patron when they use too much data too quickly by
- downloading large volumes of data from an online database
- downloading or accessing multiple PDF articles from an online journal
Why is the patron still blocked after the expected 30 minutes?
If the volume of data is past the suspension threshold, a more permanent block is put in place and an ERM librarian is needed to remove the block. Please report via an AskTech ticket.
Why is the blocking mechanism important?
This is a built-in step to ensure that an individual’s excessive use of an online resource doesn't block proxy access to that resource for all patrons.
If a vendor blocks our proxy IP because they are suspicious of one user’s excessive use of a resource, no patrons can access the resource from the library catalog using a proxied URL because the proxied URL uses the blocked proxy IP.
How are we mitigating this issue?
We have set up a notification for permanent blocks. Instead of retroactively checking for a block or being notified afterwards via AskTech, we get a notification email from the proxy server when a patron has been permanently blocked. This allows us to review the resource that triggered the block, reach out to the patron for more information on the activity that triggered the block, and remove the block or investigate further as needed.
Questions? Email AskTech (asktech@duke.edu) or submit a question form.