We're making a change to the way library eligibility works. Previously, users who didn't meet the access criteria could still log in and file applications for content - they simply didn't receive Library Bundle authorizations. Such applications were usually denied, except in cases where the user was very close to one of the criteria (e.g. 5,000 edits but 5 months of activity). We want to simplify how things work and reduce the burden of ineligible user applications by making the criteria a strict requirement for logging in to the library at all.
The number of users who may have still been approved to access a collection but didn't meet the requirements is very small.
Until now, any user with a Wikipedia account can log in to The Wikipedia Library and file an application to access an application-based collection. Many users who are far below the criteria make such applications, causing our coordinators to waste time reviewing additional applications. Additionally, explaining who is eligible to access which content in the library is often confusing - we need to explain that there is an automatically-verified Library Bundle, content that you can apply for if you meet the criteria, and if you don't meet them you can still apply but might be declined. In our user research we found that this was confusing, and our explanations could only be simplified so much while we still had this setup. Enforcing the requirements uniformly allows us to be clearer about how the library works: You get some collections automatically, and can apply to use others, or you don't get access at all.
We also needed to make this change so that access to EBSCO Discovery Service could be implemented smoothly. We want to highlight it as the primary functionality of the library, but it's only really useful to folks who meet the eligibility criteria.
The subtasks of this task need to be deployed together, rather than individually, for this to be a smooth rollout.