Cloud Computing in Libraries - C. Lynch

What is cloud computing, and what does it mean for libraries?

Let’s start by defining cloud computing. Cloud computing is the method of setting up a computer system that, rather than running locally, runs over the Internet. For an example, we will look at the difference between Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Both are word processors, allowing their users to write, edit, and save documents. However, Microsoft Word operates on your personal computer, and the documents are saved only to your personal computer. If you need to access a document on your home computer while you are at work, you are out of luck. However, Google Docs operates “in the cloud”, or over the Internet. When you create and save a Google Doc, it does not save to your computer, but rather to a server somewhere in a Google building. When you access it, you are using the Internet to connect to that server. This means you can access it from any computer where you are logged into your Google account, so long as you have an Internet connection.

So what does this mean for libraries?

Libraries have very important programs that they use to operate day to day, such as their website, their Integrated Library System(ILS), and more. When libraries have to host these programs themselves on local hardware, it can be both time-consuming and expensive. Someone needs to be paid to maintain the system. In his article “On the Clouds: A New Way of Computing”, Yan Han notes in his findings that, at the library he was studying, the costs were significantly less for cloud computing rather than maintaining local hardware(90). He also notes that cloud computing offers greater flexibility, availability, and a greater ability to handle more data(Han, 90). Cloud technology can also allow for greater flexibility in remote work, as mentioned by Jarrod Bogucki in his article for American Libraries magazine, which has been in the spotlight since the COVID-19 pandemic began, since the data is not stored locally.

But what are the potential downsides of cloud technology?

There are some downsides with cloud computing, as there are with any technology. Since the library staff is not maintaining the systems, there is less control over those systems, there may be fewer opportunities for customization, and there are serious security concerns, all of which may or may not be addressed by the vendor, as mentioned by Brighid Gonzales(2). Balancing those pros and cons is important to any library considering switching to Cloud computing.

Works Cited:

Bogucki, Jarrod. “Head in the Cloud?” American Libraries Magazine, American         Library Association, 26 Aug. 2021, Link.

Gonzales, Brighid. The Role of Cloud Computing in Modern Libraries, 

        University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2023, Link.

Yan Han. “On the Clouds: A New Way of Computing.” Information Technology         & Libraries, vol. 29, no. 2, June 2010, pp. 87–92. EBSCOhost, Link.