Cloud Computing in Libraries - by Lauren Lane

The topic of cloud computing in the library setting has often come up and will continue to come up as technology develops.  The question now is what can cloud computing give to libraries with its use.  To get to the bottom of this…you have to know what cloud computing is.  Here’s a quick video, letting you know what the cloud is:

So the cloud allows you to use services that you would have to traditionally buy as software and allows you to use an internet connection to have these kinds of services without purchasing software this is called “software as a service” or “SaaS,” (Buck).  In essence, it cuts out the middle man in that instead of having to buy and maintain software program for instance Microsoft Office Suite, you can use a web based service, like Google Drive.  Google Drive can offer you those same types of programs  the Microsoft Office Suite has for a fraction of the price or for free.  To use the cloud, all you need is access to the internet. 

In this class, we were assigned to make a presentation using Google Slides which is a Google Drive application.  After this, we were asked to take that presentation and make it into a Power Point Presentation.  Power Point is a program found in the Microsoft Office Suite.   These two assignments demonstrated the similarities between Google Slide and Power Point.  You can produce a really clever presentation with both Google Slides and Power Point.  Microsoft Office Suite costs money to purchase; Google Drive, for the purposes of this assignment, is free.  All you need to use Google Drive is an internet connection ; Microsoft Office Suite requires purchase to have access to the Power Point program. 

Cloud computing allows you to use software as a service instead of having a software purchased that you must maintain.  Traditionally for office suite programs, you need to purchase software, such as Microsoft Office Suite to have access to a word processer, spreadsheets, etc.  Now with cloud computing you can have access to a service that will provide you will applications that will do those same things for free or for little cost.  This kind of service saves money and makes it attractive for libraries that are saving costs. 

Another positive attribute about cloud computing is that you store your work onto the cloud.  When you save to the cloud instead of your hard drive, for example, you have access to whichever file you need whenever and wherever you need it.  For example, using Google Docs I can work on this blog on my computer at home and save it on my Google Drive.  I decide to go out and complete the blog on my I Phone at the local Starbucks.  Because I have saved my Google Doc onto my Google Drive on the cloud, I can easily access the file on my phone and continue my work.  All I have to do is save it again onto my Google Drive and I can access it when I get home with all my extra work already saved onto my document in the cloud.  This is great.  I don’t have to worry about having a USB drive to hold my work and I don’t have to worry about having my computer with me at all times to work on my blog.  All I need is access to the web and boom I have my blog at my fingers.  This kind of technology can be very convenient to the user and also to library staff.  Imagine working on a project and being able to save it on the cloud and being able to have your co-workers be able to change and add to the project in real time?  This is possible with cloud computing.

Cloud computing can save storage space.  Libraries hold a ton of information not only about its own collection but information about patrons, employees, etc.  There is a lot of storage necessary to hold this information.  This could be held on an in-house server or remote server but it’s saved using some sort of space.  By saving to the cloud you are using a server somewhere else, not in-house, to hold your files.  Someone else (the cloud) is doing that for you.  You can save storage and utilize it in better ways by saving onto the cloud.

The fact that cloud computing can save money and save space makes it very attractive to libraries. Using a cloud service can lower the cost of  purchasing traditional software programs, such as Microsoft Office Suite, they would need to purchase and renew and  improve storage by freeing up in-house servers which also may lower IT needs in the library setting (Buck).   Of course with the positives, there are potential negatives to look at when considering cloud computing. 

Cloud computing offers storage to users but only so much.  After you reach that maximum, then you have to pay to use the cloud.  Overall it’s suggested to look at that before moving to the cloud.  Is it price efficient to spend so much money on cloud storage or is a more traditional set-up more cost efficient? (Buck).  Privacy and security is another weighty topic.  What if you choose one cloud to store your data and decide you want to cancel…who owns your data?  Do you or does the cloud?  What happens to that information after you cancel?  Is it destroyed or does the cloud still have it?  Can the government have access to your information?  Who has permission to access what you have on the cloud?  What kinds of things are safe on the cloud?  These are all questions that have to be weighed out before going to the cloud.  You need to look at your library’s needs and find out what will work.  Maybe a combination of traditional software and SaaS.  Every library will have its own answer.

The topic will continue to grab the interest of librarians. Programs using cloud computing are progressively growing.  There is even the OCLC Worldshare Management Services (WMS) which, “is the first web-scale, cooperative set of library management services,” (Dula et al.).  This cloud service would, “move core services such as circulation, acquisitions, cataloging and discovery to the network or the cloud,” (Dula et al.)  As with all things, cloud computing has positive and negative aspects and librarians will need to weigh out all pros and cons before investing time, money y and effort into cloud computing.

Here’s a link to graphic found on OCLC Worldshare Management Services (WMS) website about what they can offer libraries. http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/worldshare-management-services/images/WMS_infographic.pdf

Works Cited

Buck, Stephanie. “Libraries In the Cloud: Making a Case for Google and Amazon.” Computers in

     Libraries 29.8 (2009): 6-10. ERIC. Web. 15 Apr. 2016.

Dula, Michael, et al. “Implementing A New Cloud Computing Library Management Service: A

     Symbiotic Approach.” Computers In Libraries 32.1 (2012): 611. ERIC. Web. 15 Apr. 2016.