Veridian has introduced a new, configurable PDF download limiter to help libraries, archives and historical societies protect their digital collections from excessive automated downloading.
Bots and other automated tools can download large numbers of PDFs within a short period, placing pressure on hosting infrastructure and increasing bandwidth use. Mass downloading may also conflict with copyright restrictions, licence terms or an organisation’s collection access policies.
Related reading: Bot Wars 4.0
The new feature allows collection owners to limit the number of PDF downloads permitted within a defined period while maintaining normal access for researchers and other legitimate users.
What is Veridian’s PDF download limiter?
Veridian’s PDF download limiter is an optional, configurable feature that restricts the number of PDFs that can be downloaded within a specified period.
It is designed to reduce excessive or automated downloading without preventing users from searching, browsing and engaging with the collection normally.
Will the PDF download limiter affect regular users?
For most researchers, genealogists, students and casual visitors, nothing will change. Typical research activity—such as browsing pages, reviewing issues and downloading a small number of PDFs—should not trigger the limit.
The feature is intended to respond to unusually high download volumes rather than normal collection use.
What triggers the PDF download limit?
The limit is triggered when the number of PDF downloads exceeds the threshold configured for the collection within a specified period.
For example, a collection could set a limit of 25 PDF downloads within 24 hours. This is only an example: each organisation can decide whether to enable the feature and choose a threshold that reflects its collection, audience and access requirements.
If someone exceeds the configured threshold, they will see a message explaining that the PDF download limit has been reached. They can continue searching and browsing the collection but must wait until the defined period resets before downloading additional PDFs.
How does the PDF download limiter protect digital collections?
The PDF download limiter can help:
- Reduce mass extraction of PDF content
- Protect copyrighted, licensed or otherwise controlled material
- Reduce bandwidth spikes and unnecessary infrastructure costs
- Maintain reliable performance for legitimate collection users
- Support collection-specific access and responsible-use policies
In short, it’s a practical way to balance open access with responsible stewardship of digital historic newspaper collections.
The limiter does not prevent every form of automated scraping or cyberattack. It provides a targeted control for excessive PDF downloading and can form part of a broader approach to collection security and access management.
Related reading: How Veridian Uses Cloudflare to Protect Digital Collections
Veridian is designed to help organisations balance open access with the responsible management of their digital collections. The PDF download limiter adds another configurable control for protecting collection content while maintaining a positive experience for legitimate users.
If you have any questions about the new PDF download limiter, please contact us.