National Library on High Alert over Cyber Attacks

Wales’ digital treasures, viewed more than 1.5 billion times, face a threat similar to the “catastrophic” cyber attack that left part of the British Library’s website offline for two years.

The stark warning came from Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, chief executive of the National Library of Wales, during a Senedd culture committee hearing on Wednesday (October 8).

Cybersecurity a Growing Priority

Cyber security is taking a “great deal” of the national library’s focus, Dr Llwyd Morgan told the committee, adding that significant additional investment has become a top priority.

He said:

“You’ll remember that the British Library suffered a catastrophic attack… two years ago.
Their website still isn’t back up and running. The British Library doesn’t have the ability to provide an electronic legal deposit service for its users in London.”

Dr Llwyd Morgan noted that this digital service is now available in Aberystwyth and Cardiff, and he welcomed extra Welsh Government funding to strengthen the library’s digital infrastructure.

“When, Not If”

Explaining what’s at stake, Dr Llwyd Morgan said:

“The way that we reach Wales and the world, more than any other method, is through the digital collections.
The library’s work in terms of the digital collections on Wikipedia, for example, has been seen 1.5 billion times.
So, our profile, and the profile of Wales on the international stage, stems in a significant manner from the library’s digital collections and those of our partners.”

He added that he had called an urgent meeting of the library’s internal security board that very morning, following a recent break-in at St Fagans museum.

Widespread Digital Threats

Jane Richardson, chief executive of Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Wales), echoed concerns about the growing risk of cyber attacks targeting public bodies.

“We have a screen in our IT department that shows all the attacks that are coming at us,” she said.
“We’re having multiple attacks all the time. Some of them get further than others.”

Ms Richardson revealed that one such attack, around six weeks ago, was “almost very serious”, adding that experts consistently warn:

“It will be a question of when, not if, someday, someone will get through. It’s just one of those facts that we have to live with.”

Conservation Skills “Bordering on a Crisis”

Beyond the cyber threat, library leaders also warned of a looming conservation crisis, the effects of a 10.5% budget cut, and upcoming pension scheme changes.

Dr Llwyd Morgan cautioned that the loss of specialist conservation skills was now a Wales-wide problem, hitting local archives particularly hard as their budgets have shrunk.

“As budgets have been restricted, staff have gone, the expertise has gone. It’s bordering on a crisis in this particular area when it comes to the conservation of documents,” he warned.

The national library itself has felt the impact, failing to meet its own targets for conservation hours due to staff cuts. In response, it now plans to establish a “centre of excellence in conservation” to address the growing skills gap.

Financial Pressures and the Future

Dr Llwyd Morgan confirmed that a two-month consultation had begun that day on changes to the staff pension scheme, including requests for “slightly higher contributions.”

In closing, Ashok Ahir, president of the National Library, warned that Wales now risks being unable to properly care for a major new historical collection if one were discovered.