Teaching Others to Use Technology: Cloud Computing in Libraries by Carlos Bulling

    What is the cloud? The cloud is ubiquitous in our daily lives, whether you use Google Drive on your phone or backup images on your tablet. As you can tell, the cloud is not a formation in the sky to those familiar with IT concepts, rather it includes off-site storage of servers (basically computers with hard drives) composed of powerful hardware in temperature-controlled facilities in different parts of the world, including under the ocean (where it's cooler). A bigger facility such as this requires expenses and upkeep, therefore many cloud providers offer the software as a service model (SaaS) to those who need them. This includes libraries! "What one professional may view as storage in the cloud could be a platform service to another professional. Data storage, software, email, and much more are hosted through the web. There are several services provided in the cloud, but software as a service (SaaS) and data storage are most frequently discussed and may prove to be the most useful in libraries" (Buck, 2009). This is because libraries stand to benefit from the convenience of those stated services.

    So where do these services fit in? For small to medium size libraries, Google Apps can be used in place of Microsoft Office or other software. This is convenient because work on Google Apps can be accessed from any computer. Messaging apps from Google can replace server-based email, freeing up storage space (Buck, 2009). But how else can the cloud be used for libraries? Michael Klein explains the data storage requirements that burden digital collections. He says, "Storing large digital files can stress local server infrastructures. The files need to be backed up, maintained, and reproduced for patrons. This can strain the data's integrity as well as hog bandwidth. Last fall, Michael Klein, digital initiatives technology librarian at the Boston Public Library (BPL) at the time, began looking into Amazon's S3 service for these reasons" (Buck, 2009). So, you have Google, you have Amazon, these are familiar names. Yet, there may be privacy concerns as well, as you may have guessed. "Once you release your data to the cloud through a third party, how much control do you actually have of the data" (Buck, 2009). Libraries have to decide how they will handle those privacy questions, perhaps by following up with the vendor.

    Another question is, why do libraries want to go to outside companies for work they can do on their own? Is it really worth it to pay for a service? For one thing, the burden of managing, say, a server room, is eliminated, at least on the library's end. A journal article by Marshall Breeding states, "The more recent shift to true SaaS, as seen in library services platforms and discovery services, almost entirely removes responsibility for technical infrastructure away from the library" (Breeding, 2019). This means IT staff don't need to be hired to maintain the server room, so those expenses are saved, and more work can be focused on elsewhere. There is some debate on whether the costs of SaaS for cloud platforms is worth it, however, the Breeding article mentions it is usually cheaper. "In most cases, the hosting fees that are charged by vendors will be lower than the local technical infrastructure and personnel costs that would be incurred for local deployments" (Breeding, 2019). With this in mind, it's easy to see how cloud platforms have become a popular vendor service for libraries considering their convenience and cost-effectiveness.

    At this point you may have an idea of what cloud services do, but what else do libraries need them for? We have discussed SaaS and Google Apps, Amazon's S3, which is storage or Infrastructure as Service (IaaS). But now we move on to other essential services which the cloud also provides, such as database services. Jarrod Bogucki mentions, "SQL databases are very common, and there exists much documentation regarding their use. There are other database types as well, each with its own optimizations and special functions. Cloud Library Technology service providers usually offer a selection of different database types, with options to customize size, speed, and redundancy" (Bogucki, 2021). In this way, libraries can select the database they want, such as a fast one they will probably need, and suit it to their needs. Additionally, a library may choose to have containers to have their apps run in a separate space in order to remove the burden from stressed servers. Container systems perform many of the same services as cloud services, except run as a standalone platform. They also can be subscribed to like a SaaS as a subscription service with little time and effort (Bogucki, 2021). A library with a blend of cloud services and its own IT infrastructure may consider container services as an option.

    This concludes the blog about Cloud Computing in Libraries. I hope you found it as informative as I found it fun to write about, as I took some IT classes dealing with these terms. It gets a little complicated, which I why I chose Library Science over Computer Networking. However, it's still interesting to see how popular these cloud services are becoming in libraries. Next time you are in your nearest library, ask them which cloud services they use, and their IT department may be able to answer your questions.

References

Bogucki, J. (2021). Chapter 2: Getting started with cloud services. Library Technology Reports, 57(5), 8–12. https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=162530132&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Breeding, M. (2019). Managing tech and the impact of cloud computing on libraries. Computers in Libraries, 39(2), 9-11. https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=135486413&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Buck S. (2009). Libraries in the cloud: making a case for Google and Amazon. Computers in Libraries, 29(8), 6–10. https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=105430195&site=ehost-live&scope=site