Libraries Computing on a Cloud
Feechi Hall
MLIS, Valdosta State University
Background &
Overview
Currently, there are a numerous definitions of cloud computing.
The common thread among many of the definitions seems to be that data, data
management, infrastructure, and services are shared and stored within a virtual
network over the internet making it accessible almost anywhere internet access
is provided. These aspects of cloud computing, as a definition, work well
for applying these same aspects to the manner in which library institutions
organize themselves and utilize features to supply services to patrons. As
many LIS institutions make strides to virtually and digitally provide online
services to patrons in a technical savvy manner, cloud computing can be a great
way to manage, access, share, and store data without the cost and space saving
issues traditionally faced by library and information institutions.
However, with cloud computing there are wonderful advantages to using
such services along with many downsides to incorporating the service within a
library institution. As with most technologies, an institution must
ensure that a technology fits within its service goals, budget, and patron
expectations in order to be beneficial.
Cloud Computing Advantages
Currently
libraries are trending toward acquiring mass amounts of digital computing data
making it very difficult to store, manage, and provide access to this new
medium of digital resources. Cloud computing is a technology option
that offers libraries a service, from cloud hosting providers, to capture,
store, and manage digital data in a landscape that some libraries are a bit
unfamiliar with. The most widely known providers of this form of cloud
computing services are companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Sun, and
Yahoo. They offer hardware, operating systems, or software services to users
(Han, 2010). The cloud computing option seems to be a great fit for
libraries that have very limited funds and little experience dealing with the
management and storage of digital data. The cost to acquire a cloud service is
usually low in nature do to the fact that the structure is based on fees
assessed for what cloud space users actually use.
Yan
Han, an associate librarian with the University of Arizona Libraries, discusses
the NIS’s definition of cloud computing services as a “model for enabling convenient,
on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources
(e.g. network, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be
rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service
provider interaction” (2010, p. 87). Along with this definition, the fact
that libraries are not responsible for the ownership of the system, its
software, and services the advantages of cloud computing can be a great choice
for academic and public libraries that are faced with budget constraints. Being able to integrate full ILS, content
management systems and repository software on clouds makes library online
infrastructure and interfaces (through provide services) much easier to access
for library IT departments (Han, 2010).
Cloud Computing
Disadvantages
On
the other side of cloud computing advantages comes some disadvantages which
affect library institutions, especially within distant learning services. The
downside of transferring service and information access within a cloud is the
fact that library institutions will not have ownership of the cloud systems. Under
this condition institutions are forced to trust an outside service provider,
and must be a bit critical of information being gathered and shared by
collaborative sources within library sharing systems with vendors and internet
contributors. Consequently, “cloud computing is currently enabling
librarians to shift from the paradigm of ownership and maintenance of resources
towards the provision of access to information maintained and controlled by
others” (Scale, 2010, p. 935).
These
issues presented above also present a security risk to a library’s data and
data systems. The rights of ownership of public accessed data, and the
overall longevity to the permanence of stored data being available within a
cloud are also problems for libraries (Scale, 2010). Such issues must be
addressed by librarians and library institutions. Libraries and
librarians were fundamentally created and groomed to protect and provide access
to information resource materials. The digital technology landscape (including
cloud computing) is creating many difficult obstacles for librarians to uphold
and control these traditional tasks of protection, access, management, and
retention of information resource materials.
Many
LIS scholars view the use of cloud computing as a very luring way to pass off
the responsibility of ownership and upkeep of data and the management of data
to cloud service providers. These LIS professionals warn against this
practice of not being responsible for a library’s own services and the content
they are entrusted to provide to patrons, as stewards of information. They also
feel that this practice will negatively affect the perception and legitimacy of
library professionals being viewed as credible. How can librarians
ensure that the data content quality, management, and access to the content are
exact if they do not have ownership of cloud computing system services within
an online library environment?
Scale
(2010) makes note of how academic library distant learning services face the
most impact of these disadvantages and the overall web computing trends of
cloud computing. Many academic libraries are feeling the pressure to
offer such services as the needs of distance learning is becoming more popular
and more digitally service driven. In this race to play catch up to
provide web based distant learning services through cloud computing, the
questions of libraries being able to ensure accurate information content,
secure access to content, and longevity of data content storage must be
addressed and the standards to do so must be upheld in a professional manner.
Suggestion to Cloud
Computing Problematic Issues
Possible
ways that library professionals can combat many of these problematic issues are
by creating contracts between library institutions and cloud computing vendors
that address the issues of ownership protection and rights to accessing content
materials. The actual security of access to content within cloud computing
systems must also be address. It could be very help to libraries to have
LIS professionals working directly with vendors to develop features within
cloud computing systems that lend themselves directly towards the special needs
and problems of operating ILS, content management systems, and data storage
when using clouds. This LIS representation involvement could possibly help to
alleviate the issues of security and integrity of content held inside of
clouds.
Conclusion
Cloud
computing is one of the newest and cost effective ways to manage digital data
while offering library services in a web environment. Being able to manage,
share, and retain content for library service systems, all in one virtual area
(a cloud), provides libraries with the flexibility to grow their content
resource materials and be charged for the cloud computing service according to
the direct size of content space used. Academic and public library
institutions must cautiously assess their needs and concerns when choosing to
implement cloud computing into their web systems. Such factors as content
integrity, security, content longevity presence, and cloud systems failures
(systems being down) are important factors that could affect the service to
provide information to a library’s patrons (Jackson, 2011).
The
luring nature of cloud computing taking the pressure of ownership, maintenance,
management and upgrading system responsibilities from libraries can be an aid
in the allocation of staffing and financial resources for institutions.
These same advantages can cause many issues with content integrity,
security, and preservation within the future of libraries cloud computing if
they do not take active roles in the continuation of development with cloud
service providers. In all, I feel that cloud computing can be a
very promising tool for libraries to utilize in order to help them organize
their infrastructure to provide an array of web based content and services to
patrons.
Works Cited
Jackson, D.W. (2011).
Thinking about technology …:watson, answer me this: will you make librarians
obsolete or can I use free and open source software and cloud computing to
ensure a bright future?. Law
Library Journal, 103, 497.
Scale, M.F. (2010).
Assessing the impact of cloud computing and web collaboration on the work of
distance library services. Journal Of Library Administration, 50(7/8),
933-950. doi:10.80/01930826.2010.488995
Yan, H. (2010). On the
clouds: a new way of computing. Information Technology & Libraries, 29(2),
87-92
