EDUNOUS International peer reviewed Journal of Interdisciplinary Education Vol. 1 Issue. 3 ISSN (Online)

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1 Library in the Clouds: Cloud Computing and its Impact on Library Services Author : Prof. Vandana R. Khakre(kasar) Librarian Shri. Shivaji College of Education, Amravati ABSTRACT: The past few years have seen the Cloud computing.this cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the internet. Cloud computing is the environment that enables customers to use applications of the internet such as storing and protecting data while providing services. This paper focus on the What is Cloud computing, types of cloud computing service models, infrastructure models and it also discusses how cloud computing solutions could be helpful for libraries in three basic areas: technology, data and community. Keywords: Cloud computing, types of cloud, cloud computing models Introduction In information technology age new computer/net based technologies are used in library. Everyone want to adopt new technology for accurate, excellence in work.cloud computing can transform the way systems are built and services delivered, providing libraries with an opportunity to extend their impact. Cloud computing has become a major topic of discussion and debate for any business or organization which relies on technology. Anyone connected to the Internet is probably using some type of cloud computing on a regular basis. Whether they are using Google s Gmail, organizing photos on Flicker or searching the Web with Bing they are engaged in cloud computing. is it did not start as a technology for the business enterprise, but was driven by the public with services like Face book and Flicker. Over the last few years businesses have started to see the value of cloud computing causing it to become a major technology solution for businesses and organizations around the world. What is cloud computing? Cloud computing means using web services for our computing needs. Which cloud include using software application, storing data, accessing computer power or using a platform to built application. The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that often used to represent the internet in the flowchart and diagram. more concrete terms, examples of each can be: 17

2 Fig.2 1) Cloud computing is a style of computing in which massively scalable IT related capabilities are provided as a service to external customer using internal technology (Gartner 2002) 2 ) Cloud computing means using web service for our computing needs which could include using software application, storing data, accessing computing power or using a platform to build applications (Kroski2009) 3) Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, where by shared resources, software and information are provided to computers other devices as a metered services over a network (typically the internet) (Wikipedia2012) 4) NIST definition, "cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction." The National Institute of Standards and Technology's definition of cloud computing identifies "five essential characteristics 1) 0n-demand self-service. A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider. 2) Broad network access. Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and workstations). 3) Resource pooling. The provider s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand

3 4) Rapid elasticity. Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be appropriated in any quantity at any time. 5) Measured service. Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service. Characteristics of Cloud Computing On-demand Resources should be always available when you need them, and you have control over turning them on or off to ensure there s no lack of resource or wastage happen. Scalable You should be able to scale (increase or decrease the resource) when necessary. The cloud providers should have sufficient capacity to meet customer s needs. Multi-tenant Sometimes you may be sharing the same resource (e.g. hardware) with another tenant. But of course, this is transparent to the customer. Cloud provider shall responsible the security aspect, ensuring that one tenant won t be able to access other s data. Self-service computation and storage resource Related processes including: billing, resource provisioning, and deployment should be self-service and automated, involving much less manual processing. If a machine where our service is hosted fails, the cloud provider should be able to failover our service immediately. Reliability Cloud provider should be able to provide customer reliability service, committing to uptimes of their service. Utility-based subscription You will pay the cloud provider as a utility based subscription, just like paying your electricity bill without any upfront investment. Types of Cloud Computing Models The three types of Cloud Computing Service Models Software as a Service (SaaS) Applications or software is delivered as a service to the customer who can access the program from any online device. Some of these Web-based applications are free such as Hotmail, Google Apps, Skype, and many 2.0 applications, while most businessoriented SaaS, such as Sales Force, is leased on a subscription basis. There is usually little customization or control available with these applications. However, subscribers benefit from low initial costs, have access to (usually 24/7) support services, and needn t worry about hosting, installing, upgrading, or maintaining the software. 19

4 Platform as a Service (PaaS) With PaaS, a computing platform is provided which supplies tools and a development environment to help companies build, test, and deploy Webbased applications. Businesses don't need to invest in the infrastructure required for building Web and mobile applications but can rent the use of platforms such as Windows Azure, Google App Engine, and Force.com. Applications which are built using these provider s services, however, are usually locked into that one platform. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) This type of cloud computing is also sometimes referred to as HaaS or Hardware as a Service and it involves both storage services and computing power. Amazon s Web Services, one of the major players in this area, offers two main products including the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), which provides computing resources, and Simple Storage Service (S3) for data storage. Companies are using Amazon's Web Services to host or backup their websites, for content delivery, to run high performance computing simulations, to host media collections, and much more. Most of these cloud services are available on a pay-per-usage basis, differing from the SaaS subscription model, enabling customers to scale up or down depending on their need at any given time and only pay for what they ve used Fig.3 Cloud computing Infrastructure module Following are the four types of Cloud Deployment Models identified by NIST. 20

5 Private Cloud Private cloud Community cloud Public cloud Hybrid cloud The cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. ---NIST Contrary to popular belief, private cloud may exist off premises and can be managed by a third party. Thus, two private cloud scenarios exist, as follows: On-site Private Cloud Community Cloud Applies to private clouds implemented at a customer s premises. Outsourced Private Cloud Applies to private clouds where the server side is outsourced to a hosting company. Examples of Private Cloud: Eucalyptus Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud - UEC (powered by Eucalyptus) Amazon VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) VMware Cloud Infrastructure Suite Microsoft ECI data center. The cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a The most ubiquitous, and almost a synonym for, cloud computing. The cloud specific community that has shared infrastructure is made available to the concerns (e.g., mission, security general public or a large industry group requirements, policy, and compliance and is owned by an organization selling considerations). Government cloud services. departments, universities, central banks etc. often find this type of cloud useful. Examples of Public Cloud: Community cloud also has two possible Google App Engine scenarios: Microsoft Windows Azure On-site Community Cloud Scenario IBM Smart Cloud o Applies to community clouds Amazon EC2 implemented on the premises of the customers composing a community Hybrid Cloud cloud Outsourced Community Cloud o Applies to community clouds where the server side is outsourced to a hosting company. Examples of Community Cloud: Google Apps for Government Microsoft Government Community Cloud Public Cloud The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for loadbalancing between clouds). Examples of Hybrid Cloud: 21

6 Windows Azure (capable of Hybrid Cloud) VMware vcloud (Hybrid Cloud Services) Libraries and the cloud Libraries will want to consider what types of information or processes they want to trust to the cloud. Now a days the responsibility of libraries to preserve information at the Top. Libraries will need to consider not only this type of ethical quandary, but also practical ones such as the privacy of sensitive information such as patron records, and concerns about records retention requirements. But it needn t be an all-or-nothing decision as libraries may choose to continue to host some of their own systems while using the cloud for less sensitive processes such as hosting library websites, backing up media collections, or storing and accessing bibliographic data. Libraries have already begun to adopt cloud services to alleviate their IT departments and increase efficiency. Types of cloud computing Models Fig.41 Cloud Computing can be finacialy advantageous for libraries as you pay for what you use and sped significantly less for local IT services and software cloud computing solutions for libraries So turning to cloud computing and libraries, The library community can apply the concept of cloud computing to amplify the power of cooperation and to build a significant, unified presence on the Web. This approach to computing can help libraries save time and money while simplifying workflows. A brief list of potential areas of improvement could include: 1. Most library computer systems are built on pre-web technology 2. Systems distributed across the Net using pre-web technology are harder and more costly to integrate 22

7 3. Libraries store and maintain much of the same data hundreds and thousands of Times 4. With library data scatter across distributed systems the library s Web presence is weakened 5. With libraries running independent systems collaboration between libraries is made difficult and expensive 6. Information seekers work in common Web environments and distributed systems make it difficult to get the library into their workflow Many systems are only used to 10% of their capacity. Combining systems into a cloud environment reduces the carbon footprints, making libraries greener These improvements can be grouped into three basic areas: 1)Technology 2) Data and 3)Community Technology improvements What can change in a cloud environment for managing core library services? First would be the possibility of one service oriented architecture. Many cloud solutions offer this type of openness with published Application program Interface (APIs) that any programmer can take advantage of this means if a new service or technology emerges libraries will not always be dependent on vendor other third party to start taking advantage of these services and technology. The main stay of libraries is the library management system (LMS, also known as the integrated library system or ILS). Library management systems were developed before the Internet and Web existed and are generally closed proprietary systems. It has been difficult and costly for these closed systems to take advantage of new technologies as they emerge. It is also challenging to integrate to external systems and libraries must rely on their vendors to do any such integration Cloud computing solutions at their essence are built on current technology and should be architected to allow for technology shifts. Looking at the explosion of mobile devices one sees how businesses and organizations operating in a cloud environment are able to adapt and deliver their services to the new devices much more quickly and less expensively Over time libraries have needed to add more systems to manage their changing collections which moved from strictly physical collection management to a combination of physical, licensed and digital collections. Since each of these systems has stood alone integrating them has been difficult and at times not possible.. Existing library systems have used APIs to connect to external services but they have remained closed proprietary systems making it hard to integrate them into external services. When library systems are deployed as open cloud solutions then the library community itself can step up to create extensions to their core services and more importantly share them throughout the community using cloud solutions. This makes it possible to integrate two services once and re-use it across the community. Secondly libraries can get out of the business of technology and focus on collection building, patron services and innovation. Servers can be decommissioned and no longer require replacement every five years (or less). Staff no longer has to maintain the complex. 23

8 . Data efficiencies When data is stored in the cloud it offers several advantages. 1) Easily shared among services and users. 2) The need for local storage, maintenance and backups is removed. 3) Agreements can be forged to share data that normally would be considered private to a single business or organization. And finally libraries can achieve Web scale when they massively aggregate data and users, something a cloud environment makes possible. 4 )Like the advantages of technology deployed and accessed as cloud solutions, data storage in the cloud brings many benefits for libraries. 5) The easy one to recognize is the same data being stored hundreds and thousands of times across libraries. Consider how many copies of the cataloging data there are for a serial publication such as the Economist. 6) And if a change is needed to the cataloging data to keep it current each library must perform that change. 7) When this data is maintained in the cloud, maintenance and backup of this data is now done once and if a change is needed, once one library performs the change all share it. 8)Another great benefit of data stored in the cloud is the opportunity for collaboration and cooperative intelligence. Libraries can agree to share pools of data for cooperative collection building, cooperative preservation or digitization, cooperative sharing of materials. Community power Libraries have a somewhat unique opportunity with cloud computing, to create an online information community network. Such a community is really two communities, the internal community of libraries collaborating within a single institution and across institutions and the external community of libraries and information seekers. The value to libraries is the network effect that coming together in the cloud provides. The cooperative efforts of libraries will create scale savings and efficiencies, bring wider recognition for libraries, and provide cooperative intelligence for better decision-making, and provide the platform on which libraries can innovate. Looking externally the first community cloud computing offers is taking advantage of social media. Businesses and organizations can both build social communities around their services and participate in existing social communities such as Facebook or Twitter The potential for collaboration between libraries is truly revolutionary in a cloud environment. When data and functions are shared in the cloud libraries can make joint decisions on collection development, preservation, digitization, in real time. Other personas in the library can also some benefit from cloud solutions? Acquisitions librarians managing increasingly diverse collections Cataloging librarians seeking to describe an ever increasing body of information and information sources the library is managing Serials librarians working to 24

9 maintain control and access to collections spidered across the Web Electronic resource librarians managing burgeoning collections, and ever-changing lists of vendors. Conclusion Cloud platforms enable organizations to use external expertise and resources to deliver complex services, remove the need for organizations to invest in server infrastructure, and lower the cost for organizations seeking elastic computing resources. Libraries have been adopting cloud-based solutions for different services including electronic journal access management, statistics tracking, digital library hosting, and even integrated library system (ILS) hosting. This has allowed libraries to make strategic choices about the allocation of resources and to offer better service than would be possible if relying on in-house solutions. Libraries have the opportunity to improve their services and relevance in today s information society. Cloud computing is one avenue for this move into the future. It can bring several benefits for libraries and give them a different future. The cooperative effect of libraries using the same, shared hardware, services and data rather than hosting hardware and software on behalf of individual libraries can result in lowering the total costs of managing library collections and enhancing the both library user s experience and library staff workflows. While local library systems served an important purpose earlier in library automation they now represent a tremendous duplication of effort. Each library builds and maintains a database, buys equipment and installs and updates the software. References 1. Kroksi,Elly LIBRARY CLOUD ATLAS :CLOUD COMPUTING AND ITS IMPACT ON LIBRARY SERVICES/ /2011/08/12/library-in-the-cloudscloud-computing-and-its-impacton-library-services(Accessed on10/02/ CLOUDcOMPUTING/ kipedia.org/wiki/cloud_computing #cite_note-nist-4 3. Sing,B. C. CLOUDE SERVICE MODEL-SaaS PaaS Iaas-which ONE IS FOR YOU?/ 4. Sing, B.C.CLOUD DEPLOYMENT MODEL- PRIVATE COMMUNITY,PUBLIC, HYBRID WITH EXAMPES?/ 5. Mitchell, Erik. USING CLOUD SERVICES FOR LIBRARY IT INFRASTRUCTURE/ / Coyale Karen CLOUD COMPUTING FOR LIBRARY SERVICES/ 10/06/26/cloud-computing-forlibrary-services/ 7. Matt Goldner WINDS OF CHANGE:LIBRARIES AND CLOUD COMPUTING/ 011/files/IFLA-winds-of-changepaper.pdf 25

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