Cloud Computing in Libraries: Concepts, Tools and Practical Approaches 9783110608915, 9783110605860

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Mayank Yuvaraj Cloud Computing in Libraries

Current Topics in Library and Information Practice

Mayank Yuvaraj

Cloud Computing in Libraries Concepts, Tools and Practical Approaches

ISBN 978-3-11-060586-0 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-060891-5 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-060601-0 ISSN 2191-2742 Library of Congress Control Number: 2020940238 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Typesetting: Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd. Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck www.degruyter.com

Dedicated to my parents and better half Khushboo for unconditional love, support, encouragement and inspiration.

Preface Cloud computing is a new trending technology which aims to exploit Web 2.0 and other recent technological advancements through Internet platform to satisfy the computing and information needs of users. It is virtual approach to data access and storage on demand to computers and other devices similar to electricity grid. In cloud computing model software, infrastructure and platform which were physically bound to desktop or server are delivered as services through cloud. There are many books on cloud computing in the market today. But, unlike most books on the topic, which address it almost exclusively in the context of a firm or an organization, to help gain a competitive advantage, this book looks at cloud computing in the context of not for profit organizations such as libraries. This book is written as a textbook on cloud computing with a slant towards librarianship for educational programmes at colleges and Universities and for the working library professionals. The book attempts to make learners easily understand the fundamentals of cloud computing without requiring deep technical knowledge and work experience in the IT field. It will prove to be a useful resource for teachers, researchers and experts interested in this field. The book is organized into eight chapters to provide pivotal knowledge needed to familiarize learners with fundamentals of cloud computing, how it can be implemented in library setup and how it is being used in libraries around the world. Chapter 1, “Origin and development of Cloud Computing” starts by providing an overview of the development of cloud computing. Identifies key characteristics, various phases and discusses enabling technologies. Chapter 2, “Cloud Computing: Models, Process and Components” Identifies various types of web-based services delivered from the cloud, processes and key components. With the migration of technology from on-premises to cloud new service offerings represented by standard syntax as a Service are evolving daily, which is discussed in detail in the chapter. Chapter 3, “Cloud Computing: Resources and Tools” covers various resources and tools including computing, storage, database, application, network and deployment services. Chapter 4, “Cloud Computing: Advantages, Disadvantages and Success” provides an overview of advantages, disadvantages and success stories of cloud computing around various domain. Chapter 5, “Cloud Computing and Librarianship” covers various aspect of application of cloud computing in the library science theory, practice and education. Chapter 6, “Cloud Computing in LIS education” discusses in detail about the application of cloud computing in LIS education. It covers various tools and best practices for course instructors and librarians. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-202

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Chapter 7, “Cloud Computing in libraries: a global survey” gives an overview of perception of library professionals towards cloud computing and practical application in libraries. Chapter 8, “Cloud Computing in libraries: tutorials” provides hands-onapproach on tools discussed in chapter 5 and 6 so that library professionals can adopt the system and take the benefit of cloud computing environment. Amercian writer and actor Wilson Mizner (May 19, 1876 – April 3, 1933) in 1930s quoted “To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal ideas from many is research”. A number of sources have been consulted to write this document. Consciously all sources have been cited and mentioned in the reference, however sincere apologies, if any source is found to be left out mistakenly The development and production of this book could not be possible without support and constant assistance of Claudia Heyer, Editor (Library and Information Science) at De Gruyter Saur. All credits to her for intensively working with me to provide necessary support for making this book ready. All web links were correct at the time of checking (March 2020). 25 March 2020, Bodh Gaya

Mayank Yuvaraj

Acknowledgement In compling the book some part has been extracted from a doctoral thesis (2014) by the author, Mayank Yuvaraj entitled “Problems and prospects of implementing cloud computing technology in Indian academic libraries” supervised by Prof. A.P. Singh at the Department of Library and Information Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-203

Contents Preface

VII

Acknowledgement

IX

List of Figures

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List of Tables

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List of Abbreviations Introduction 1 Cloud Computing References 6

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Chapter 1 Origin and Development of Cloud Computing 9 1.1 Evolution of Cloud Computing 9 1.2 Phases of Cloud Computing 9 1.3 Principles of Cloud Computing 11 1.4 Nomenclature of Cloud Computing 12 1.5 Concept of “Cloud” in Cloud Computing 12 1.6 Cloud Computing: Intellectual Contestations 15 1.7 Advent of Cloud Computing Services 18 1.8 Cloud Computing Enabling Technologies 18 1.8.1 Virtualization 18 1.8.2 Provisioning 19 1.8.3 Web Services 19 1.8.3.1 XML (Extensible Markup Language) 20 1.8.3.2 SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) 20 1.8.3.3 WSDL (Web Services Description Language) 20 1.9 Characteristics of Cloud Computing 20 1.10 Cloud Computing and Libraries 22 1.10.1 Transition to Cloud Libraries 23 1.10.1.1 Modernization of Libraries 24 1.10.1.2 Innovation in Libraries 25 1.10.1.3 Transformation of Libraries 25 References 27

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Chapter 2 Cloud Computing: Models, Process, and Components 33 2.1 Service Models 33 2.1.1 Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) 33 2.1.2 Platform as a Service (PaaS) 35 2.1.3 Software as a Service (SaaS) 36 2.2 Relationship between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS 38 2.3 Other Cloud Computing Service Models 38 2.3.1 Computing as a Service (CaaS) 39 2.3.2 Storage as a Service (SaaS) 39 2.3.3 Database as a Service (DaaS) 39 2.3.4 Identity as a Service (IDaaS) 40 2.4 Deployment Models 40 2.4.1 Public Cloud 40 2.4.2 Private Cloud 40 2.4.3 Community Cloud 41 2.4.4 Hybrid Cloud 42 2.5 Cloud Computing Components 42 2.5.1 Client 43 2.5.2 Data Centers 44 2.5.3 Distributed Server 44 2.6 Cloud Computing Players 44 2.6.1 Cloud Infrastructure Consumers 44 2.6.2 Cloud Infrastructure Providers 45 2.6.3 Cloud Infrastructure Brokers 45 2.6.3.1 Intermediation of Services 45 2.6.3.2 Aggregation of Services 45 2.6.4 Cloud Infrastructure Regulators 45 2.7 Migration from Traditional Platform to Cloud Platform 2.7.1 Cloud Migration 46 2.7.1.1 Migration Strategies 46 2.7.2 Cloud Hosting 48 2.7.3 Virtual Data Center 50 2.8 Cloud Computing Usage Scenario 51 References 51

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Chapter 3 Cloud Computing Resources and Tools 53 3.1 Compute Services 53 3.1.1 Google Compute Engine 53 3.1.2 Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud 54 3.2 Storage Services 54 3.2.1 Google Cloud Storage 54 3.2.2 Amazon Simple Storage Service 58 3.3 Database Services 58 3.3.1 Google Cloud SQL 58 3.3.2 Google Cloud Datastore 61 3.3.3 Amazon Relational Data Store 61 3.3.4 Amazon DynamoDB 61 3.4 Application Services 61 3.4.1 Google App Engine 66 3.4.2 Amazon Simple Queue Service 66 3.5 Content Delivery Services 66 3.5.1 Amazon CloudFront 69 3.6 Analytics Services 69 3.6.1 Amazon Elastic MapReduce 69 3.6.2 Google BigQuery 69 3.7 Deployment and Management Services 73 3.7.1 Amazon CloudFormation 73 3.7.2 Amazon Elastic Beanstalk 73 3.8 Identity and Access Management Services 73 3.8.1 Amazon Identity and Access Management 77 References 77 Chapter 4 Cloud Computing: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Success 79 4.1 Benefits of Cloud Computing in Libraries 79 4.2 Risk and Challenges of Cloud Computing in Libraries 82 4.3 Managing Disadvantages of Cloud Computing 84 4.4 Success Stories of Cloud Adoption 85 4.5 Practical Cloud Computing Success Stories/ Platform in Libraries 85 4.5.1 Librarika 85 4.5.2 Best Book Buddies 86

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4.5.3 4.5.4 4.5.5 4.5.6

Contents

TinyCat 86 Enquire OCLC 86 Mendeley 92 Google Forms 92 References 95

Chapter 5 Cloud Computing and Librarianship 101 5.1 Cloud Computing and Library Users 102 5.2 Cloud Computing and Libraries 103 5.2.1 Open Cloud Library Model 107 5.2.2 Closed Cloud Library Model 107 5.2.3 Integrated Cloud Library Model 107 5.2.4 Publisher’s Cloud Library Model 107 5.3 Library Services in Cloud Environment 107 5.4 Cloud Service Providers for Libraries 108 5.4.1 On the Basis of Service Layer Offerings 108 5.4.2 On the Basis of Features and Purpose 111 5.4.2.1 Cloud Storage Providers 111 5.4.2.2 Cloud Operating Systems Providers 111 5.4.2.3 Cloud Infrastructure Providers 113 5.4.2.4 Cloud based Productivity Suites 115 5.4.2.5 Cloud based Mailing Services 116 5.4.2.6 Cloud based Cataloging Suites 116 5.4.2.7 Cloud based Calendar Services 116 5.4.2.8 Cloud Security Providers 116 5.4.2.9 Cloud Network Providers 120 5.5 Libraries Based in Cloud in Context of Five Laws of Library Science 120 5.5.1 First Law: Books are for use 120 5.5.2 Second Law: Every Reader his or her Book 121 5.5.3 Third Law: Every Book its Reader 121 5.5.4 Fourth Law: Save the Time of the User/ Staff 121 5.5.5 Fifth Law: Library is a Growing Organism 122 5.6 Key Cloud Players for Libraries in Cloud Environment 122 5.6.1 Cloud Infrastructure Consumers 122 5.6.2 Cloud Infrastructure Providers 123 5.6.3 Cloud Infrastructure Integrators 123

Contents

5.6.4 5.7 5.7.1 5.7.2 5.7.3 5.7.4 5.8 5.8.1 5.8.2 5.8.3 5.8.4 5.8.5 5.8.6 5.9 5.10 5.11

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Cloud Infrastructure Regulators 123 Libraries in Cloud Computing Platform – SWOT ANALYSIS 124 Strengths 124 Weaknesses 124 Opportunities 124 Threats 125 Initiatives of Libraries in Cloud Computing Platform 125 OCLC’s Webscale 125 Ex-Libris Cloud 125 OSS Labs 126 DuraSpace’s DuraCloud 126 Shared Academic Knowledge Base plus or KB+ 127 3M Library Systems 127 Role of Librarians in Cloud Computing Environment 127 Limitations of Libraries 128 Future Scope 128 References 129

Chapter 6 Cloud Computing in LIS Education 131 6.1 Technology Trends in Education 131 6.2 Cloud Computing in Pedagogy 131 6.3 Specific Cloud Computing tools in Pedagogy 133 6.3.1 Wiki 134 6.3.2 Moodle 137 6.3.3 Dropbox 137 6.4 Cloud Computing in Education: Practical Application Platforms 137 6.4.1 G Suite for Education 137 6.4.2 Microsoft 140 6.4.3 Knowledge Matters 140 6.4.4 Coursera 140 6.4.5 Blackboard Learn 145 6.4.6 ClassFlow 145 6.4.7 D2L 145 6.4.8 A Cloud Guru 145 6.4.9 Viridis 150 6.4.10 Muzzy Lane 150

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6.4.11 6.5 6.6 6.7

Contents

Evernote 150 Cloud Computing Practical Considerations 150 Cloud Computing Benefits for Education 154 Cloud Computing Challenges for Education 155 References 155

Chapter 7 Cloud Computing in Libraries: a Global Survey 157 7.1 Librarians’ Understanding of Cloud Computing 157 7.1.1 Attitude of Librarians towards Cloud Computing 157 7.1.2 Investment and Concerns of Traditional Computing Needs as Drivers to Cloud Computing 159 7.1.3 Willingness of Librarians to Adopt Cloud Computing 160 7.2 Familiarity with Cloud Computing 161 7.2.1 Cloud Computing Service Layers 161 7.2.2 Cloud Computing Deployment Models 162 7.2.3 Familiarity with Cloud based Tools 162 7.2.4 Cloud based Email and Communication Tools 165 7.2.5 Cloud based Tools of Social Group 165 7.2.6 Cloud based Social Networking Tools 166 7.2.7 Cloud based Information Collection Tools 167 7.2.8 Cloud based Event Management Tools 167 7.2.9 Cloud based File Sharing Services 167 7.2.10 Cloud based Video and Presentation Tools 168 7.2.11 Cloud based Software and Application Services 169 7.2.12 Cloud based Storage/ Backup Tools 170 7.2.13 Cloud based Operating Systems 170 7.2.14 Cloud based Productivity Tools 172 7.2.15 Cloud based Library Solutions 173 7.3 Possibilities of Cloud Computing in Libraries 173 7.3.1 Potential Domains of Cloud Computing in Libraries 173 7.4 Benefits of Cloud Computing for Academic Libraries 174 7.5 Adoption of Cloud Computing Technology in Libraries 175 7.6 Support and Integration of Library Services with Cloud Computing 177 7.7 Skills of Library Staff in Cloud Computing Environment 178 7.8 Security Effectiveness in Adoption of Cloud Computing 180 7.9 Cost Reduction through the Adoption of Cloud Computing 181

Contents

7.10 7.11

Main Findings Summarized 183 Impediments to the Adoption of Cloud Computing in Academic Libraries: Perception of Librarians 184 References 186

Chapter 8 Cloud Computing in Libraries: Tutorials 187 8.1 Cloud Practical Implementation: KOHA in Cloud 8.2 Setting up Oracle VM 201 8.3 Setting up Wikis 220 8.4 Setting up Dropbox 239 References 250 Index

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List of Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2 Figure 2.1 Figure 2.2 Figure 2.3 Figure 2.4 Figure 2.5 Figure 2.6 Figure 2.7 Figure 2.8 Figure 2.9 Figure 3.1 Figure 3.2 Figure 3.3 Figure 3.4 Figure 3.5 Figure 3.6 Figure 3.7 Figure 3.8 Figure 3.9 Figure 3.10 Figure 3.11 Figure 3.12 Figure 3.13 Figure 3.14 Figure 3.15 Figure 3.16 Figure 3.17 Figure 3.18 Figure 4.1 Figure 4.2 Figure 4.3 Figure 4.4 Figure 4.5 Figure 4.6 Figure 4.7 Figure 4.8 Figure 5.1 Figure 5.2 Figure 5.3

Basic structure of cloud computing environment 1 Architecture of cloud computing 5 Phases of computing technologies 11 Development of technology 24 Key market players in IaaS 34 Key companies in PaaS space 36 Key companies in SaaS space 37 Relationship between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS 38 Cloud service models and consumers 39 Public cloud 41 Private cloud 42 Community cloud 43 Overview of cloud migration strategies 48 Screenshot of Google Compute Engine 55 Screenshot of Amazon EC2 console 56 Screenshot of Google Cloud Storage 57 Screenshot of features of Google Cloud Storage platform 58 Screenshot of features of Amazon Simple Storage Service platform 59 Screenshot of bucket on S3 console 60 Screenshot of Google Cloud console 62 Screenshot of Google Cloud datastore 63 Screenshot of Amazon Relational Data store console 64 Screenshot of Amazon Relational Data store console 65 Screenshot of Google App Engine console 67 Screenshot of Amazon Simple Queue Service 68 Screenshot of Amazon CloudFront 70 Screenshot of Amazon Elastic MapReduce 71 Screenshot of Google BigQuery 72 Screenshot of Amazon CloudFormation 74 Screenshot of Amazon Elastic Beanstalk 75 Screenshot of Amazon Identity and Access Management 76 User interface of Librarika 87 Snapshot of BBB Website 88 Snapshot of cloud hosted Web OPAC 89 Snapshot of TinyCat OPAC interface 90 Snapshot of OCLC’s Enquire interface 91 Snapshot of Mendeley cloud interface 93 Snapshot of Google Forms developed at Central University of South Bihar 94 Snapshot of responses collected from Google Forms at Central University of South Bihar 95 Traditional IT library environments 104 Cloud computing environment 105 Players in cloud library environment 123

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Figure 6.1 Figure 6.2 Figure 6.3 Figure 6.4 Figure 6.5 Figure 6.6 Figure 6.7 Figure 6.8 Figure 6.9 Figure 6.10 Figure 6.11 Figure 6.12 Figure 6.13 Figure 6.14 Figure 6.15 Figure 7.1 Figure 7.2 Figure 7.3 Figure 7.4 Figure 7.5 Figure 7.6 Figure 7.7 Figure 7.8 Figure 7.9 Figure 7.10 Figure 7.11 Figure 7.12 Figure 7.13 Figure 7.14 Figure 7.15 Figure 7.16 Figure 7.17 Figure 7.18 Figure 7.19 Figure 7.20 Figure 7.21 Figure 7.22 Figure 8.1 Figure 8.2 Figure 8.3 Figure 8.4 Figure 8.5 Figure 8.6 Figure 8.7 Figure 8.8 Figure 8.9 Figure 8.10

List of Figures

Education cloud outlook 134 Booklist trailer 136 ALA’s e-learning Moodle site 138 Dropbox interface 139 G Suite for education interface 141 Office 365 interface 142 Knowledge Matters interface 143 Coursera interface 144 Blackboard Learn interface 146 ClassFlow interface 147 Brightspace learning management system interface 148 Cloud guru interface 149 Viridis interface 151 Muzzy Lane interface 152 Evernote interface 153 Investment of libraries on IT based solutions 159 Reasons for adoption of cloud computing in libraries 160 Level of cloud computing adoption 161 Familiarity with service layers 162 Familiarity with deployment models 163 Familiarity with cloud based tools 163 Usage and awareness of cloud based mailing services 165 Usage and awareness of cloud based forums 166 Usage and awareness of cloud based networking services 166 Usage and awareness of cloud based information collection tools 167 Usage and awareness level of cloud based event management tools 168 Usage and awareness of cloud based file sharing tools 168 Usage and awareness of cloud based video and presentation tools 169 Percentage of use of cloud based software and applications 169 Usage and awareness of cloud based software and applications 170 Usage and awareness of cloud based storage and backup tools 171 Percentage of use of cloud based operating systems 171 Usage and awareness of cloud based operating systems 172 Percentage of use of cloud based productivity suites 172 Usage and awareness of cloud based productivity suites 173 Percentage of use and awareness of cloud based library solutions 174 Areas of implementation of cloud computing in libraries 174 Google Cloud interface 188 Google Cloud registration form 189 Google Cloud successful registration 190 Google Cloud dashboard 191 Compute engine option 192 Create VM instance 193 New VM interface 194 Machine type selections 195 Boot disk selections 196 VM instance details 197

List of Figures

Figure 8.11 Figure 8.12 Figure 8.13 Figure 8.14 Figure 8.15 Figure 8.16 Figure 8.17 Figure 8.18 Figure 8.19 Figure 8.20 Figure 8.21 Figure 8.22 Figure 8.23 Figure 8.24 Figure 8.25 Figure 8.26 Figure 8.27 Figure 8.28 Figure 8.29 Figure 8.30 Figure 8.31 Figure 8.32 Figure 8.33 Figure 8.34 Figure 8.35 Figure 8.36 Figure 8.37 Figure 8.38 Figure 8.39 Figure 8.40 Figure 8.41 Figure 8.42 Figure 8.43 Figure 8.44 Figure 8.45 Figure 8.46 Figure 8.47 Figure 8.48 Figure 8.49 Figure 8.50 Figure 8.51 Figure 8.52 Figure 8.53 Figure 8.54 Figure 8.55 Figure 8.56 Figure 8.57

Server login 198 Root login 199 Oracle VirtualBox 202 Virtual box 203 Click new symbol in Virtual box 204 Naming virtual OS 205 Selecting type and version of Ubuntu 206 Memory size allocation 207 Create virtual disk 208 VDI option 209 Storage on physical hard disk 210 File location and size of the virtual hard disk Adding LiveCD 212 Changes in controller: IDE 213 Selection of ISO file 214 LiveCD file 215 Start option 216 Ubuntu installation on VirtualBox 217 KOHA interface on VirtualBox 218 DSpace interface on VirtualBox 219 Pbworks interface 220 Education tab 221 Basic plan PB Works 222 Registration PB Works 223 PB Works confirmation mail 224 PB Works security settings 225 First wiki page on PB Works platform 226 View tab 227 Edit tab 228 Upload files tab 229 Side bar options 230 Adding and managing assignments 231 Pages and files option 232 Adding new users 233 Creating classroom accounts 234 User ID and passwords for accessing wiki page Settings tab 236 Workspaces tab 237 Workspace 238 Dropbox interface 239 Basic plan Dropbox 240 Downloading Dropbox 241 Synchronization option 242 Dropbox homepage 243 Create new file in Dropbox 244 Upload files/ folder option in Dropbox 245 Share option in Dropbox 246

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List of Figures

Figure 8.58 Enter email ID for sharing a document Figure 8.59 File request feature in Dropbox 248 Figure 8.60 Transfer feature of Dropbox 249

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List of Tables Table 1.1 Table 2.1 Table 2.2 Table 5.1 Table 5.2 Table 5.3 Table 5.4 Table 5.5 Table 5.6 Table 5.7 Table 5.8 Table 7.1 Table 7.2 Table 7.3

Bricks and mortar vs. cloud library 26 Cloud servers versus traditional servers 49 Comparative study of cloud hosting providers 50 Cloud approaches and relevant library systems 102 Cloud vendors and service offerings 108 Cloud based storage service providers 112 Cloud based operating system providers 114 Cloud based productivity suites 115 Cloud mailing service providers 117 Cloud based cataloging suite providers 118 Cloud based calendar service providers 119 Librarians’ attitude towards cloud computing 158 Level of the use of cloud computing tools and practises 164 Perceptions of librarians towards the potential benefits of cloud computing 175 Table 7.4 Means and test values for the adoption of cloud computing in libraries 176 Table 7.5 Means and test values for support and integration of library services with cloud computing 178 Table 7.6 Means and test values for skills of library staff in the cloud computing environment 179 Table 7.7 Means and test values for security effectiveness in the adoption of cloud computing 180 Table 7.8 Means and test values for cost reduction through the adoption of cloud computing 182 Table 7.9 Main findings 183 Table 7.10 Librarians’ perceived problems of implementing cloud computing 184

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List of Abbreviations Amazon EBS AWS CaaS DaaS EC2 GCP GCS HPC HVM IaaS IT ITaaS PaaS QoS S3 SaaS SaaS SNS SQS SWS TPM VM VPC VPG VPS

Amazon Elastic Block Store Amazon Web Services Computing as a Service Database as a Service Elastic Compute Cloud Google Cloud Platform Google Cloud Storage High-Performance Compute Hardware Virtual Machine Infrastructure as a Service Information Technology Information Technology as a Service Platform as a Service Quality of Service Simple Storage System Software as a Service Storage as a Service Simple Notification Service Simple Queue Service Simple Workflow Service Trusted Platform Module Virtual Machine Virtual Private Cloud Virtual Private Gateway Virtual Private Server

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Introduction The concept of the cloud and the Internet is not new. The email and searching services available through the Internet which we have been using for some time have been hosted in the cloud. System developers and network administrators for years have been using the cloud symbolically to represent the Internet. Geelan (2009) suggests the cloud has as many definitions as there are squares on a chessboard, ranging from “Everything you can use over the Internet” to specific definitions of “virtual servers available over the Internet”. Using cloud abstraction, the basic intention of system developers was to temporarily ignore the underlying complexity of communication and simply assume that messages would flow successfully from one Internet-connected network to another. Cloud computing takes the emphasis of computing power (software, platform, and infrastructure) away from local computers. It is less concerned with the machine you use at home or on the move and more about what is happening on computers many miles away. Instead of having to store information on your PC, smartphone or tablet, your data can be kept remotely and is scalable as per need. A basic structure of cloud computing can be seen below:

Figure 1: Basic structure of cloud computing environment (source: author’s research). https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-001

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Introduction

Typically, most cloud computing is conducted via a Web browser but there are other ways, including specially-made apps for computers, tablets, and smartphones. These act as access points for cloud services. They also mean that you do not always need to have dedicated software installed on your machines. The benefit of this is clear: you are not tied to your own computer; you do not even need to be tied to your own phone. All you need is a way of accessing the data, which can be done from any machine. Most profit and non-profit organizations are currently seeking to contract services from cloud computing as a utility, such as electricity or water, rather than owning the infrastructure and hardware to supply those services. Alvin Toffler notes in his famous book The Third Wave that civilization has progressed in waves (three to date: the first wave was agricultural societies, the second was the industrial age, and the third is the information age), where within each wave there have been several important subwaves (Mather, Kumaraswamy, and Latif 2009). Post-industrial information has begun to experience a new era of cloud computing whose background was created in the past. In the 60s and 70s the development of ARPANET planted the seeds of computing which was considered as the direct predecessor to the Internet. After a decade when ARPANET moved into a more openly networked Internet, J.C.R. Licklider, the then Director of ARPA, referred to the phenomenon as an “inter-galactic network” (Pelkey 2007). The philosophy of “inter-galactic network” was to interconnect everyone on the globe through a network in the galaxy and make the programs and data accessible from any site from anywhere, which marked the vision for cloud computing. Some experts attribute the cloud computing concept to MIT Professor John McCarthy who predicted during 1961 that “computation may someday be organized as a public utility such as water and electricity”. This concept, however, declined in the early 1970s due to the lack of physical infrastructure that could satisfy the needs of implementation of cloud technology. In recent years cloud computing has generated a perfect storm as a result of technological advances, Web 2.0 technology, and economic uncertainty that have nurtured a niche in which cloud computing can flourish. Nicholas Carr, in his keynote talk at the 2008 Xconomy conference, remarked that: In the nineteenth century, companies often generated their own power with steam engines and dynamos. But with the rise of reliable electric utilities, companies stopped generating their own power and plugged into a shared electrical grid. Information technology is undergoing a similar evolution today in the form of cloud computing. (Wladawsky-Berger 2008)

The origin of the term cloud computing is shrouded with obscurity. There is a general notion that the Internet has been pictorially represented in the network diagrams as a cumulus cloud, to represent data transfer from one point to another, from which the term was coined. The cloud image indicates a vague and intangible

Introduction

3

concept that conceals network topology, infrastructure, and the logic behind the Internet. Computation in the cloud is no different from use of the Internet itself. It is an outcome of the advancements of various technologies: the Internet, hardware, systems management, and distributed computing (Buyya et al. 2009). The World Economic Forum Report of 2010 claimed that the ability of organizations to tap into computer applications and other software via the cloud and thus free themselves from building and managing their own technology infrastructure was potentially irresistible. The storage and delivery services provided by cloud computing significantly reduced costs (Broberg, Buyya, and Tari 2009) and made it a valuable solution in the 2010 financial crisis for institutions to maintain the quality of services (Mircea 2010). A survey conducted by Tata Consultancy Services reveals that the rate of adoption of cloud computing applications is 19% in the US, 12% in Europe, 28% in Asia Pacific and 39% in Latin American countries. Most scholars have argued that by 2020 most services will be available in the cloud which mandates the preparedness for shifting to this format. Apart from commercial avenues, medical care, agriculture, and education, libraries in US and Europe are widely adopting cloud computing technology, seeing its merits. A study conducted by Cisco Consulting Services (CCS) along with Intel revealed that “IT leaders in emerging nations like India, Brazil and China are more upbeat about Cloud given its transformational and innovative potential; in developed markets it is mostly seen as a tool for cost-cutting. Despite existing and potential challenges, India respondents cited a high level of satisfaction with their existing cloud providers” (Sakshi Education 2013). These developments have given ample scope for the implementation of cloud computing in various areas in India. Meanwhile, the environment of academic libraries has also undergone a drastic change in recent years. With the emergence of the Internet, libraries now have to justify their services. Academic libraries have experienced a sharp fall in the number of gate counts as well as reduction in the circulation of traditional library materials. Some researches indicate a rapid growth in the percentage of electronic resources used outside of the library. Students and faculty who once turned to libraries now turn to their personal computers, tablets or smart phones when they need to find information. Under such circumstances, cloud computing is an approach that could be worthwhile to academic libraries. Academic libraries can use various service providers to connect to and become a part of the cloud, choosing variations of software, systems, and hardware services. Whatever they choose, cloud computing could help the academic libraries save time, money, and resources if servers and software were not needed on their premises as they are today. Libraries could, ideally, focus more directly on services and materials for patrons if their computer hardware and software were handled

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Introduction

by IT companies of the cloud. These are some of the many reasons why cloud computing is becoming commonplace (Sachdeva et al. 2011). Technologically, cloud computing is now being used because of its convenience of use. Economically, it is cost effective. It also makes interactivity easier to achieve with targeted audiences. Jim Neal, the Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University, commented in his address at Radical Collaboration at the Future of Academic Libraries Symposium, 2011, that: One of the real benefits of libraries moving to cloud computing is for librarians to build enough critical mass to make our data driven services worthwhile. When we move towards true cloud-computing solutions, where data from all participating libraries can, with their permission, be shared and utilized with other institutions, it enables us to drive analytics, recommendations, reviews, reference and long-tail based services in meaningful ways for our library members. This also means when we’re buying cloud computing platforms, taking a close look at the number of libraries using it. Consider it a powerful multiplier of your ability to provide excellent librarianship-based services. (Grant 2012)

Cloud Computing Cloud computing definitions are a work in progress. It has been a contested project that has been interpreted differently by different people. It has been defined from various perspectives depending on the area of implementation, core services, and the associated features that it unravels. Asking one question about the concept leads to ten more. Considering the lack of agreement of interpretations, it would be fair to examine some of the existing definitions to clarify cloud computing and to understand what it involves (or might involve). Gupta (2012) mentions that cloud computing is Internet based computing where the Internet represents the “cloud” of applications and services which are available for access to the subscribers through Web browsers which need Internet connectivity. Additionally, Misevicience, Budnikas, and Ambraziene (2011) observe that cloud computing technology is a way to provide computer applications to users without the need to purchase, install or support software on their local computers and/or server. Cloud computing can be understood as a thin line between the front end and back end. Examining the architecture of cloud computing shows that the Internet symbolically represented by the cloud divides the front end and back end. Figure 2 shows the architecture of the cloud computing environment. The most cited NIST (Mell and Grance 2009) definition of cloud computing reveals that “cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network

Cloud Computing

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Figure 2: Architecture of cloud computing (source: author’s research).

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”. On the other hand, Joshua and Ogwueleka (2013) pronounce that cloud computing today is the beginning of “network based computing” over the Internet in force. They further argue that it is the beginning of the end of the dominance of desktop computing such as Windows. According to some scholars, portraying relief features of cloud computing is as difficult as attempting to capture an actual cloud with one’s hands. Erdogmus (2009) considered cloud computing as a pool of highly scalable, abstract infrastructures capable of hosting end-customer applications that are billed by consumption. Sultan (2010) defined it as the IT capabilities that are requested, provisioned, delivered, and consumed in real time over the Internet. Some authors have defined cloud computing as the “the idea of delivering personal (e.g., email, word processing, presentations) and business productivity applications (e.g., sales force automation, customer service, accounting) from centralized servers” (Merrill Lynch 2008, cited in Stanoevska-Slabeva and Wozniak 2010). In addition, Gartner (2008, as cited in Stanoevska-Slabeva, Wozniak, and Ristal 2010) defined cloud computing as “a style of computing in which massively scalable IT-related capabilities are provided “as a service” using Internet technologies to multiple external customers”. However, many papers on

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Introduction

cloud computing have come to accept the definition given by Armbrust et al. in 2009 which stated that: Cloud Computing refers to both the applications delivered as services over the Internet and the hardware and systems software in the datacentres that provide those services. The services themselves have long been referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS), so we use that term. The datacentre hardware and software is what we will call a Cloud. When a Cloud is made available in a pay-as-you-go manner to the public, we call it a Public Cloud; the service being sold is Utility Computing. Current examples of public Utility Computing include Amazon Web Services, Google, AppEngine, and Microsoft Azure. We use the term Private Cloud to refer to internal datacentres of a business or other organization that are not made available to the public. Thus, Cloud Computing is the sum of SaaS and Utility Computing, but does not normally include Private Clouds.

Most authors discern that NIST and Armbrust et al. put forward the most unsurpassed definitions of cloud computing which encompass the perspective of the user as well as the service provider. Furthermore, it is most striking that most of the definitions dealing with cloud computing have been postulated either by cloud service providers, consulting firms or market research companies.

References Armbrust, M., A. Fox, R. Griffith, A.D. Joseph, R.H. Katz, A. Konwinski, G. Lee, D.A. Patterson, A. Rabkin, I. Stoica, and M. Zaharia. Above the clouds: a Berkeley view of cloud computing. UC Berkeley EECS, February 10, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.eecs.berke ley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2009/EECS-2009-28.pdf. Broberg, J., R. Buyya, and Z. Tari. Creating a Cloud Storage Mash Up for High Performance, Low Cost Content Delivery. ICSOC Workshops 2008, 178–183. 2008. Buyya, R., C.S. Yeo, S. Venugopal, J. Broberg, and I. Brandic. “Cloud computing and emerging IT platforms: Vision, hype, and reality for delivering computing as the 5th utility.” Future Generation Computer Systems 25 (2009): 599–616. Erdogmus, H. “Cloud computing: does Nirvana hide behind the nebula?” IEEE Software 26 (2009): 4–6. Geelan, J. “Twenty one experts define cloud computing.” Virtualization Journal. 2009. Retrieved from http://virtualization.sys-con.com/node/6123752009. Grant, C. Why and how librarians have to shape the new cloud computing platforms. Thoughts from Carl Grant. 2012. Retrieved from: http://thoughts.care-affiliates.com/2012/06/whyand-how-librarians-have-to-shape.html. Gupta, S. “Cloud computing in education in current financial crisis”. In Proceedings of International Conference on Technology and Business Management. 2012. Retrieved from http://www.icmis.net/ictbm/ictbm12/ICTBM12CD/pdf/D2195-done.pdf. Joshua, A.H., and F.N. Ogwueleka. “Cloud Computing with related enabling technologies.” International Journal of Cloud Computing and Services Science 2, no. 1 (2013): 40–49. Lynch, M. “The Cloud Wars: $100+ billion at stake.” Merrill Lynch research note, May 2008.

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Mather, T., S. Kumaraswamy, and S. Latif. Cloud security and privacy. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media Inc., 2009. Mell, P., and T. Grance. The NIST definition of Cloud computing. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Information Technology Laboratory, Version 15. 2009. Retrieved from http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SNS/Cloud-computing/. Mircea, M. “SOA, BPM and Cloud Computing: Connected for Innovation in Higher Education”. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Education and Management Technology, 456–460. 2010. Misevicience, R., G. Budnikas, and D. Ambraziene. “Application of Cloud Computing at KTU: MS Live@Edu Case. Vilnius University.” Informatics in Education 10, no. 2 (2011): 259–270. Pelkey, J. Entrepreneurial capitalism and innovation: a history of computer communications. 2007. Retrieved from www.historyofcomputercommunications.info/Book/2/2.1IntergalaticNetwork-1962-1964.html. Sachdeva, M., P. Rana, R. Kapoor, and M. Shahid. “Cloud Computing: Pay as you go Technology”. In Proceedings of the 5th National Conference on Computing for National Development, 161–166. 2011. Sakshi Education. India, China upbeat on cloud computing: study. 2013. Retrieved from http://www.sakshieducation.com/(S(qctephbkksgphseqww1l4eu))/Story.aspx? cid=12&nid=58727. Stanoevska-Slabeva, K., and T. Wozniak. “Cloud Basics – An Introduction to Cloud Computing.” In Grid and Cloud Computing: A Business Perspective on Technology and Applications, edited by T. Stanoevska-Slabeva, T. Wozniak, and S. Ristol, 47–61. Berlin: Springer, 2010. Sultan, N. “Cloud computing for education: A new dawn?” International Journal of Information Management 30, no. 2 (2010): 109–116. Wladawsky-Berger, I. Cloud Computing: The coming IT Cambrian explosion. Xconomy, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2019 from http://xconomy.com/boston/2008/07/25/cloudcomputing-the-coming-it-cambrian-explosion/. World economic forum report. Exploring the future of cloud computing: riding the next wave of technology-driven transformation. 2010. Retrieved from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/ WEF_ITTC_FutureCloudComputing_Report_2010.pdf.

Chapter 1 Origin and Development of Cloud Computing If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree. (Michael Crichton)

Human civilization has constantly adapted itself, from the age of stone to the age of information Technology (IT). IT that we see and use today is the result of constant ramifications in the field of research and development, which have sublimely reformed communication, sharing and exchange of information, resources, and data. Cloud computing has evolved from its simplest algorithmic logic and complex software, hardware network, and synthesis to the Internet based computing strategy. For convenience of study, the historiography of cloud computing can be split into four segments:

1.1 Evolution of Cloud Computing Banerjee (2011) has split cloud computing evolution into three phases: – Idea Phase (1960s-pre Internet bubble era) During this period core ideas of utility and grid computing developed. – Pre Cloud Phase (1999–2006) The Internet developed as a mechanism to provide application as a service. – Cloud Phase (2007-until present). Cloud computing became popular and the sub classifications IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and SaaS (Software as a Service) were formalized.

1.2 Phases of Cloud Computing Cloud computing has been severely criticized by scholars who claim that it is not a new computing paradigm. Zhang et al. (2010) assert that there is actually nothing new about the notion of cloud computing, taking into account the inclusion of existing technologies such as Centralized and Distributed Computing, Utility Computing, and Virtualization. Complementarily, IBM claims that the concepts such as virtualization, utility computing, grid computing, and on demand computing are

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-002

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the pre-existing concepts on which cloud computing is built (IBM 2012). Conversely, Babcock (2010) and Weiss (2007) argue that cloud computing is essentially outsourcing of IT resources wherein the novelty lies in the integration of pre-existing technologies onto a network situation. Marston et al. (2009) agree that cloud computing is different from the pre-existing technologies as it offers an environment where the location and device type do not matter. Further, Mikalsen (2009) argues that as a form of distributed computing, cloud computing expands the fundamental principles of grid computing, but represents an evolution in terms of business models, applications, programming models, and use of visualization. In order to understand the differences, it may be helpful to first understand the pre-existing technologies that led to cloud computing. There are various attributes that differentiate cloud computing from traditional computing (Hofer and Karagiannis 2011; Armbrust et al. 2009; Li et al. 2010; Oh et al. 2010; Wang et al. 2010; and Zhang, Cheng, and Boutaba 2010) which generally comprise the following: – Underlying infrastructure and software is abstracted and offered as a service. – Built on a scalable and flexible infrastructure. – On-demand service provisioning and quality of service (QoS). – Pay for use of computing resources, like with electricity and water. – Shared and multitenant. – Accessible over the Internet by any device. Figure 1.1, adapted from Voas and Zhang (2009), shows six phases of computing paradigms, from dummy terminals/mainframes and PCs as well as networking computing to grid and cloud computing. In phase 1, many users share powerful mainframes using dummy terminals. In phase 2, stand-alone PCs become powerful enough to meet the majority of users’ needs. In phase 3, PCs, laptops, and servers are connected together through local networks to share resources and increase performance. In phase 4, local networks are connected to other local networks, forming a global network such as the Internet to utilize remote applications and resources. In phase 5, grid computing provides shared computing power and storage through a distributed computing system. In phase 6, cloud computing further provides shared resources on the Internet in a scalable and simple way. Comparing these six computing paradigms, it appears that cloud computing is a return to the original mainframe computing paradigm. However, these two paradigms have several differences. Mainframe computing offers finite computing power, while cloud computing provides almost infinite power and capacity. In addition, in mainframe computing, dummy terminals act as user

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Figure 1.1: Phases of computing technologies (source: Voas and Zhang 2009).

interface devices, while in cloud computing powerful PCs can provide local computing power and cashing support.

1.3 Principles of Cloud Computing Five main principles of cloud computing are (Rosenberg and Mateos 2011): a) Pooled computing resources available to any subscribing users b) Virtualized computing resources to maximize hardware utilization c) Elastic scaling up or down according to need d) Automated creation of new virtual machines or deletion of existing ones e) Resource usage billed only as used

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1.4 Nomenclature of Cloud Computing It is unclear when the term cloud computing was first coined. There is an element of uncertainty surrounding the coinage and the evolution of the cloud computing paradigm. Some scholars trace the birth of the term to May 1997 when Netcentric tried to trademark the term “cloud computing” but later abandoned it in April 1999 (Willis 2008). In the same period (1997) the first scholarly use of the term “cloud computing” appeared in a lecture by Ramnath Chellappa (1997), who suggested it was a new “computing paradigm where the boundaries of computing will be determined by economic rationale rather than technical limits alone”. In April 2001, the New York Times ran an article by John Markoff that dealt with Dave Winer’s negative reaction to Microsoft’s .Net services platform called Hailstorm and used the phrase “cloud of computers”. A Technology Review article in 2011 suggested that the oldest use of the term “cloud computing” was at a 1996 meeting of Internet and start-up company executives at Compaq offices in Houston, where it was described that the universe was being transformed by the Internet and that “cloud-computing enabled applications would become commonly available via the Web” (Regalado 2011). The term cloud computing was first exposed to the public media by former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt at a search engine conference in 2006, where he used the term to refer to SaaS. As this occurred in a Google context, the term picked up the PaaS/ IaaS connotations associated with the Google way of managing data centers and infrastructure. Voorsluys, Broberg, and Buyya (2011) opine that cloud computing has been coined as an umbrella term that describes a category of sophisticated on-demand computing services initially offered by Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. It denotes a model on which a computing infrastructure is viewed as a “cloud,” from which businesses and individuals access applications from anywhere in the world on demand (Buyya et al. 2009). Commenting on cloud computing, Oracle’s CEO Larry Ellison, in a 2009 interview, said: All the Cloud is, is computers in a network . . . Our industry is so bizarre. I mean, they just change a term and they think they’ve invented technology. (Kepes 2011)

1.5 Concept of “Cloud” in Cloud Computing The usage of the word “cloud” was an unrevealed mystery for the scholars. In order to understand cloud computing, it is essential to understand the concept of the cloud. Defining the cloud element of cloud computing and tracing its roots

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has revealed divulging viewpoints, but all the propositions more or less account a single ideology. The cloud offers an illusion of infinite resources available on demand. Some scholars trace the origin of the term “cloud” to the concealing nature of this technology’s framework (Blokdijk and Menken 2009), where the system works for users yet they really have no idea about the inherent complexities that the system utilizes. What they do not realize is that there is a massive amount of data being pushed globally in real time to make these applications work for them, the scale of which is simply amazing. Meanwhile, studies also cite the vagueness of the term that has been used symbolically to represent the infrastructure of cloud computing. The IT Infrastructure side (Reese 2010) views the cloud as an electronic village with thousands and thousands of server farms, network equipment for providing communication between server farms, controller mechanisms for management, storage area networks (SANs), firewalls, and other security devices. In fact, the cloud symbol was used in network diagrams to denote the margin point between the responsibility of the provider and user which was extended to include servers and the network infrastructure in the cloud. For example, Tadwalkar (2009) states that cloud computing derives its name from the cloud which represents data centers, technologies, infrastructure, and services delivered through the Internet. Similar thoughts have been put forth by Kennedy (2009) who argues that the term cloud is used to include things like virtual servers which are difficult to locate as users are completely unaware of where their data is being stored or managed. According to Powell (2009), the cloud can be viewed as an infrastructure for on-demand computing, for anyone with a network connection. Complementing these studies, Armbrust et. al. (2009) argue that “clouds can be defined as computers that are networked anywhere in the world with the availability of paying for the used clouds in a pay-per-use way, meaning that just the resources that are being used will be paid for”. Similarly, Convery and Ferguson-Boucher (2011) point out that the cloud as such is composed of hardware, storage, networks, interfaces, and services that provide the means through which infrastructure, computing power, applications, and services are accessed by the user on demand and independent of location. According to PC Magazine’s Tech Encyclopedia (n.d.), clouds generally refer to wide area networks (WANs) such as the Internet, but can also be used to depict local area networks (LANs). Singh and Channa (2013) and Lasica (2009) claim that the name comes from the use of a cloud-shaped symbol as an abstraction for the complex infrastructure (virtual servers, distributed hosting, and shared resources available over the Internet) it contains in system diagrams. According to Reese (2010), the cloud contains both IT physical infrastructure and software

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which can be software a user accesses via the Web or a physical server which can be used exactly when required. Further, Velte, Velte, and Elsenpeter (2010) put forth the view that in the cloud computing world, the cloud comprises all that makes the network and system work, which is a kind of on-demand computing from the client perspective. According to Li (2013), the cloud means a group of computers in terms of architecture where each group of computers includes thousands and thousands of computers connected by network. He further concludes that “each cloud is a computing centre designed to provide cloud users with cloud applications and cloud data storage”. Another group of studies claims that cloud computing in essence is Internet based computing and its name came from the Internet being represented in network diagrams through a cloud icon. For example, Molen (2010) puts forth the view that the term “cloud originated in the telecommunications world where telecommunications networks and the Internet were visualized on technology diagrams as clouds, signifying areas where information was moving and being processed, without the average person needing to know exactly how that happens”. A report released by Union des consommateurs in 2011 claimed that the cloud in question is the symbolic representation of the Internet and is used by engineers when they talk about the Internet, while the term “computing” refers to functionalities offered by computers, i.e., calculation or data storage capacities. As a joint term, cloud computing purportedly offers users the possibility of using the Internet as a place where computer calculation or data storage is made available to the public. Further, Rittinghouse and Ransome (2010) opine that the term cloud has been used historically as a metaphor for the Internet. This usage was originally derived from its common depiction in network diagrams as an outline of a cloud, used to represent the transport of data across carrier backbones (which owned the cloud) to an end point location on the other side of the cloud. Commenting on the term cloud, Lasica (2009) is of the view that the shift towards cloud services and the cloud as a platform is an evolutionary one, which denotes a process in which the cloud itself disappears into the background as it becomes just an unspoken part of the way things are delivered through the Internet. According to KPMG group (2011), the cloud can be viewed as a summation of Internet based data access and exchange process and Internet based access to low cost computing and applications. Alternatively, the “cloud” element of cloud computing can be seen as an acronym that stands for computing resources (C), that are location independent (L), can be accessed via online means (O), used as an utility (U), and are available on Demand (D) (Yuvaraj 2014). Meanwhile, Mei, Chan, and Tse (2008) put forth the view that the prime focus of cloud computing is on data sharing and computations over a scalable network of

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nodes such as end user computers, data centers, and Web services, with these network of nodes referred to as a cloud. On the other hand, Staten (2008) argues that “Viewing the cloud narrowly in cost and risk is to miss the social impact of the technology. No technology is perfect but appropriately positioned technology becomes viral in adoption. The cloud in fact is the content bazaar of the Web”.

1.6 Cloud Computing: Intellectual Contestations Cloud computing has emerged as a forefront research channel that has an enormous storm within itself that can change the face of the IT industry. The importance of cloud computing as a technology of the future has drawn attention from a diverse group of researchers. Many scholars have attempted to study cloud computing from different perspectives targeted to serve different purposes. Moreover, there are several white papers and general introductions to cloud computing that provide an overview to the field (Sun Microsystems 2009; Fellows 2008; Varia 2009; Chappell 2009; Rayport and Heyward 2009; Gartner 2008), but it has been largely undefined due to the different aspects of the definers. Due to the lack of a universal definition and various perceptions of cloud computing, including the related benefits and challenges, many companies struggle to make use of the cloud concept (Nuseibeh 2011; Leavitt 2009; Marston et al. 2011). A report released by Union des consommateurs in 2011 reveals that, unsurprisingly, the definition of cloud computing has been amply discussed in social networks and Internet users’ blogs. Vaquero et al. (2009), after reviewing the many possible definitions on cloud computing, argue that most of them focus on the technology only. Vaquero et al. (2009) gave a serious note on the definitions of cloud computing available in the literature and tried to combine the different definitions in order to come up with one (proposed) uniform definition. McKinsey & Company (the global management consulting firm), after reviewing 22 research articles, put forth a new definition (Forrest 2009) which states that cloud computing is hardware based services offering compute, network, and storage capacity where: 1. Hardware management is highly abstracted from the buyer; 2. Buyers incur infrastructure costs as variable OPEX; 3. Infrastructure capacity is highly elastic (up or down). Birman (2012) views cloud computing as an actively debated topic due to the diverse use of the term by various enterprises. Some perceive the cloud as related to Web searching, others see it as social networking, while others think of the cloud as the world’s most amazing outsourcing technology, permitting users to ship data and computation to some remote place where computing and storage

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are cheap and even more uses and meanings of the term are emerging. A search carried out on Google Scholar using the term cloud computing reveals that the first articles on the topic were published in 2008. However, during 2009 a few dozen articles on cloud computing attracted citations which on evaluation by AIS eLibrary were found to be irrelevant. There has been a large increase of scientific publications on cloud computing since the beginning of 2009 (cf. Armbrust et al. 2009; Buyya et al. 2009; Vaquero et al. 2009; Weinhardt et al. 2009), but unfortunately the term has been largely undefined. Zhu (2010) has referred to cloud computing as “ITaaS – IT as a Service”, where Information Technology (IT) resources and services are offered to the end users through web models. Elsewhere, some scholars argue that cloud computing is Internet based technology (Chine 2010; Cubillo et al. 2011) which provides computational resources via a computer network and provides flexible, scalable, and on-demand services to the end users by centralizing the storage and network bandwidth as well as processing memory. A report released by the European Commission (Schubert and Jeffery 2012) has put forth three perspectives in an attempt to define cloud computing. From the user’s perspective, cloud computing is an environment which extends the general Internet based provisioning model with the aspects of high availability, reduced cost, and ease of use. Another perspective deals with the cloud service provider purview, which defines cloud computing as a dynamic (resource) environment that guarantees availability, reliability, and related quality aspects through automated, elastic management of the hosted services – the services can thereby consist in a platform, a service, or the infrastructure itself (P/S/ IaaS). Lastly, from the cloud service developer view, cloud computing is an environment which exposes services, platforms or resources in a manner that multiple users can use from different locations and with different devices at the same time, without affecting the quality aspects of the offered capabilities (service, platform, resource). Supplementing the studies, Bristow et al. (2010) have defined cloud computing as the network of computing plants called IT factories, which are realized commercially in the form of cloud computing (Gao and Zhai 2010). Babcock (2010) and Durkee (2010) view cloud computing as a form of shared resource computing where computing is pooled in large external datacenters and accessed by a range of customers through the Internet. Regaldo (2011) remarks that around 2007 the term cloud computing reflected the use of the Internet, figuratively represented as a “cloud” in diagrams, to connect to the services. Alternative definitions offered by Boss et al. (2007) highlight the significance of access devices such as PCs and laptops (Cubitt et al. 2011), tablets, smartphones, and other forms of mobile computing (Iyer and Henderson 2010) to

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access the cloud based applications via an Internet connection. A recent development has enabled the usage of cloud computing infrastructure through the Internet enabled sensors (Pritchard 2012). Contrary to the aforesaid arguments, Cheng (2010) and Smith (2009) argue that the deployment of scalable, rapidly provisioned, and metered IT assets and computing capabilities ubiquitously accessible via the Internet is known as cloud computing. In other words, cloud computing was portrayed as the manifestation of “the long-held dream of computing as a utility” (Armbrust et al. 2010, 50) that was proclaimed as “the new frontier of the Internet era” (Etro 2009, 179). Apart from the above arguments, the broad definitions on cloud computing often focus on the user perspective, in terms of what cloud computing allows individuals and organizations to do. For instance, Fingar (2009) defines cloud computing as an endless computer made up of networks of networks of computers. Cagle (2008) is of the opinion that cloud computing represents the distributed virtualization of an organization’s computing infrastructure. Miller (2008) asserts that in the arena of cloud computing the applications and files are hosted on a cloud that consists of thousands of computers and servers which are linked together and is accessible via the Internet. Further, with cloud computing, everything a user does is Web based instead of being desktop based. A user can access all the programs and documents from any computer that is connected to the Internet. Global research and advisory company Gartner, Inc. expounds cloud computing as a style of computing where massively scalable IT-related functions and information are provided as a service across the Internet, potentially to multiple external customers, where the consumers of the services need only care about what the service does for them, not how it is implemented. Moreover, cloud is not architecture, a platform, a tool, an infrastructure, a website or a vendor; rather, it is a style of computing which supports many for its implementation and use. On the other hand, the narrower definitions on cloud computing tend to focus on the technical aspects of the cloud. For example, Cagle (2008) argues that cloud computing is grid computing, which uses a distributed network of servers, which work in parallel, to accomplish a specific task. A comprehensive review conducted in 2009 by the University of California Berkeley RAD Lab (Reliable Adaptive Distributed Systems Laboratory) yielded a definition that has been gaining broad popularity: “Cloud Computing refers to both the applications delivered as services over the Internet and the hardware and systems software in the datacenters that provide those services. The services themselves have long been referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS). The datacenter hardware and software represents a Cloud” (Armbrust et al. 2009).

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1.7 Advent of Cloud Computing Services The first milestone in the cloud computing arena was the arrival of Salesforce.com in 1999 which pioneered the concept of delivering enterprise applications through a simple website. The services firm paved the way for both specialist and mainstream software firms to deliver applications over the Internet (Mohamed 2018). Added to these developments was the introduction of Amazon Web Services in 2002 that provided a suite of cloud based services which included storage, computation, and human intelligence through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Later on, in 2006, Amazon launched Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), a commercial website that allows companies and individuals to rent computers on which they can run their own computer applications. Further, Vouk (2008) observes that the cloud computing term became popular in 2007 when IBM and Google announced their collaboration. These advancements coupled with the introduction of netbooks in 2007 further increased the popularity of the term (Vouk 2008). In 2008, another important event was the launching of Eucalyptus which was the first AWS API compatible platform for deploying private clouds. The most important breakthrough was in 2009 when Web 2.0 hit its stride and Google and others started offering browser based enterprise applications through services such as Google Apps. Following in the footsteps of Google, Microsoft, which has long history of selling desktop software, launched Microsoft Azure in 2010. Similar to Google, Azure provided a development and hosting environment on Microsoft datacenters (Microsoft 2011). To keep pace with the trend, traditional IT service firms IBM and HP launched “Smart Cloud” and “HP Hybrid delivery solution” in 2011 and made their stand in the cloud computing market (IBM 2011; HP 2011).

1.8 Cloud Computing Enabling Technologies There are various layers of technologies that drive the cloud computing services. Cloud computing cannot be seen as a stand-alone application or service, as there are an array of technologies that drive its functioning.

1.8.1 Virtualization Virtualization involves the separation of software which was installed on the hardware in traditional computing. Hurwitz, Halper, and Kaufman (2012) argue that virtualization is critical to cloud computing because it simplifies the delivery

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of services by providing a platform for optimizing complex IT resources in a scalable manner, which is what makes cloud computing so cost effective. It creates the perception that one or more entities exist, although the entities in actuality are not physically present. Virtualization is a key enabler of cloud computing infrastructure, which gives the impression of many servers working together that act as a single server and shows the availability of vast amount of disk space. There are many types of virtualization, and most are useful to cloud service providers, be they public or private. In addition to virtualization of servers, network resources, storage, and desktops, it is also possible to virtualize clusters of machines.

1.8.2 Provisioning Provisioning processes define workflows and processes through which a cloud provider’s services are deployed to the end user. Provisioning processes exist for adding a new customer, adding a new service for an existing customer or removing a service from an existing customer (de-provisioning) (Francis 2011). There are three ways through the cloud that services can be provisioned: advance provisioning, dynamic provisioning, and user self-provisioning. In advance provisioning, after the contract between the user and cloud service provider has been signed the service provider prepares the resources to be delivered in advance and the users are billed annually or monthly. On the other hand, in dynamic provisioning resources more than required are deployed by the service provider and the users are charged on pay per use basis. Lastly, in the user self-provisioning method the service provider gives the user a login account where they can access the services delivered on the Web. Users pay for the resources that are used through credit card.

1.8.3 Web Services Cloud computing services in general are Web based. To provide these services there exists a group of protocols and standards designed for information exchange between different applications, no matter in which language they are written or on which operating system they are running. These protocols or standards have been put forth by organizations like OAIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) and W3C (World Wide Web

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consortium). Different technologies that are used for information exchange in the cloud are: 1.8.3.1 XML (Extensible Markup Language) XML is a meta language that defines a single, fixed type of document with markups that lets a user describe a common class of a simple office style report (Alnaqeib et al. 2010). It provides users with the ability to design their own markup language unlike HTML. XML tags are used in identification of data rather than specifying how the data has to be displayed. 1.8.3.2 SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP is protocol that specifies the guideline for information exchange through XML messages between two objects carrying different processes. An extension of SOAP is WS-Security (Web services security) which is used for applying security to the Web services. The extensible XML-based nature of SOAP has enabled many organizations to expose some of their legacy and disparate systems as Web services in order to achieve total integration of their systems (Clark 2007; Flinders 2007; Mohamed 2007). 1.8.3.3 WSDL (Web Services Description Language) WSDL is the public interface in the world of Web services. It is based on XML which is used to describe the way of interaction of cloud based services that exist in a location.

1.9 Characteristics of Cloud Computing Cloud computing inhibits some characteristics which makes it a viable computing solution. According to the World Economic Forum report (2010), in addition to reducing operational costs, cloud technologies due to their characteristics have become the basis for radical innovations and new models and for significant improvements in the effectiveness of anyone using information technology – which, these days, increasingly means most of the world. NIST offers a list of characteristics that comprise cloud computing (Mell and Grance 2009): – On-demand self-service A consumer can unilaterally access computing capabilities such as server time and network storage as needed automatically, without requiring human interaction with a service provider.

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– 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, laptops, and PDAs) as well as other traditional or cloud based software services. – 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. There is a degree of location independence in that the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources, but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). Examples of resources include storage, processing, memory, network bandwidth, and virtual machines. Even private clouds tend to pool resources between different parts of the same organization. – Rapid elasticity Capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned in some cases automatically to quickly scale out as well as rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time. – Measured service Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource usage by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth or active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the service. In addition to essential characteristics identified by NIST, there are other cloud computing characteristics (Miller 2008; Luis et al. 2008; Vouk 2008; Mell and Grance 2009). These characteristics include: massive scale availability of computing and storage capabilities, homogeneity, use of virtualization technology, resilient computing, and pay as you go model, low or no upfront IT infrastructure costs, geographical distribution of clouds, low overhead costs for IT, and administration personnel. Jadhwani et al. (2011) argue that the client (user) strives for characteristics like scalability, flexibility, elasticity, interoperability, and reliability of on-demand services, which makes it a feasible technology. Some scholars feel that without having virtualization the cloud could not exist in its present form with unlimited scalability (Kondo et al. 2009; Zhang and Zhang 2009; Idziorek 2010; Jadhwani, MacKinnon, and Elrefai 2011). Increased

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virtualization of the resources has decreased the expenses of capital (Kondo et al. 2009; Nandi, Garrawal, and Mantri 2010) and the service delivery has ensured optimal resource utilization and availability (Chahal et al. 2010). Apart from cost reduction, cloud computing characteristics have leant it efficiency to save time (Ramani 2011), energy consumption (Berl et al. 2010; Richards, McGreal, and Stewart 2010; Ferzli and Khalife 2011), and platform for building infrastructure (Basak et al. 2010). According to Veni and Masillamani (2010), cloud computing infrastructure along with the remote management offers the ability to communicate, collaborate, and share resources with other institutions. These characteristics make cloud computing attractive to business organizations and government agencies.

1.10 Cloud Computing and Libraries There is an intellectual contestation regarding the application of cloud computing in libraries. Sadeh (2007) feels that the widespread adoption of Web search engines and other Internet tools and services and the emergence of players such as Google Scholar and Windows Live Academic in the scholarly information-retrieval arena have reduced users’ dependence on library support to fulfill their information needs. The Web has also expanded the scope of services provided by librarians. Vaquero et al. (2009) opine that cloud computing and Web collaboration are two major concepts that underlie new and innovative developments in library automation. Cloud services allow for more optimal resource utilization, easier access, and more effective cost reduction. The growing Internet usage among library users plus the time users spend on the Internet has made it imperative for the libraries to offer their services online. Today’s information consumers have more alternative and attractive ways of finding information than the traditional libraries. The change in users’ perceptions and their preference for Internet tools and services such as Web search engines, e-mail, blogs, and RSS feeds need to be studied and library services should be redesigned. Yang (2012) asserts that the cloud based new generation of ILS allows many libraries to share their useful data of full-text journal titles from electronic databases. It has been noticed that many libraries subscribe to the same database. Historically, libraries have turned to huge capital investment on IT infrastructure for various online as well as subscription based services. With these successes, libraries are motivated to use subscription based IT infrastructure in the cloud. In the field of library automation there are several commercial suppliers already offering various adaptions of their products which make the use of the cloud possible to a lesser or greater extent (Romero 2012). According to Tomer and Alman

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23

(2011), cloud computing is important in the context of LIS as “the embrace of Cloud computing by many organizations, including OCLC, OhioLink, SirsiDynix, and the Library of Congress suggest that this mode of computing will have a significant impact on the configuration, the economics, and perhaps the personal requirements of library computing in years to come” (59–60). Moreover, libraries are in a unique position to experiment with cloud computing given their service oriented mission and need to find appropriate solutions using limited resources. Fox (2009) observes that the goals of the organization have an impact on their use of cloud solutions. On the other hand, Yang (2012) observes that “as Resource Description and Access, our new cataloging rule, will replace AACR2 and be implemented in the future; the new Cloud-based ILS will provide a unified approach to bibliographic data” (7). Cloud computing is also going to change the practice of traditional reprographic services offered in the libraries. Khater (2010) argues that “With the development of cloud computing and the digitization of human knowledge, translation has begun to see major breakthroughs by moving from rule to statistical based translation algorithms. Any individual, application or device is now enabled to translate content in endless languages, facilitating communication and breaking a major barrier – language.” There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm around cloud based solutions and services (filtering, sorting, categorization, and analytics to help users manage the vast repositories of both structured and unstructured information) as well as the cost savings and flexibility that they can provide (Rhoton 2009). With the alliance of cloud computing with library and information centers, it is important to look for the factors that are shaping the cloud computing based cloud libraries.

1.10.1 Transition to Cloud Libraries The changes in libraries are largely the product of the evolution of information technology that led to revolutions from which libraries could not prevent themselves. Modern libraries to a large extent are built on technology. Post-1950 information technology became an integral part of library operations. The changes in the libraries ran side by side along with technology. The path-breaking change however to library services came with the use of Internet services (networking). This paved the way for services being accessed and delivered via the Web. This concept matured into cloud services. By hosting the data stored in a database in the cloud, these services are offered. The development of technology that had a significant effect on the libraries is presented in Figure 1.2. “Richard West and Peter Lyman have suggested a three-phase procession of the effects of information technology on organizations: modernization (doing what

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Chapter 1 Origin and Development of Cloud Computing

Figure 1.2: Development of technology (source: author’s research).

you are already doing though more efficiently); innovation (experimenting with new capabilities that the technology makes possible) and transformation (fundamentally altering the nature of the organization through these capabilities)” (Lynch 2000, 60). In order to flesh out the genesis of cloud computing based cloud libraries there is a need to gauge the development of cloud libraries on these three lines. 1.10.1.1 Modernization of Libraries No value is much more satisfying than a commitment of library and information professionals to help people complete their quest for information. To do so, libraries have increasingly used technology. Initially libraries were reluctant to incorporate information technology but the changes in information seeking behavior of library users precipitated its need. Information technology in libraries led to automation of library operations and a rise of electronic resources and databases, followed by digital libraries. Almost all of these services are based in the cloud which librarians, though often unfamiliar with these, as well as library users, are already using: “Users who had the experience of using web 2.0 services like Wikipedia, Blogger, and Flickr etc. have already experienced cloud computing, maybe unknowingly” (Abidi and Abidi 2012, 79). “Furthermore, cloud computing remarkably boosts the learning ability of the students. With this technology, learning approaches and strategies unheard

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of before, or, at the very least, thought to be undoable, are now being used on a large scale” (Cenon 2012). The quick development of cloud libraries has been brought about by the emerging computing technologies that are offering reasonably priced metered usage of computing infrastructures and massive storage capacity. 1.10.1.2 Innovation in Libraries Libraries are constantly in search of solutions as well as viable means to meet users’ expectations. With the dawn of the Internet era, library users were gripped with Google fever, with users preferring to seek information from the luxury of their home and offices rather than coming to libraries. Henceforth, libraries rejuvenated and retooled themselves with globally networked institutional repositories, digital libraries, and databases to meet user needs. Pervasiveness of information technology brought about by the device-independent nature of cloud computing provides the perfect platform for cloud libraries: “Provided that it has an Internet connection and a web browser, it really does not matter if the computer is a traditional desktop or laptop PC, or even a netbook, tablet, smartphone, e-book reader, surface computer, ambient device or any of the other new computing appliances” (Barnatt 2010, 12). However, with the provision of proxy based access to electronic resources there was misuse of library resources. Most of the libraries used user IDs and passwords as their access control to cloud resources, which were shared and sometimes forgotten. Libraries thus used digitized handwriting, voice prints, fingerprints, and access token networks as alternatives to passwords. 1.10.1.3 Transformation of Libraries Modern libraries are largely driven by the technologies. Chowdhury et al. (2008) argue that “Prior to the Internet library networking was limited to cross-linking services between libraries. Post Internet, library networking has taken on a much more fundamental service role, as it is becoming the library service itself, as physical services becomes virtualized” (175). The connection of libraries and information technology led to library automation, digital preservation, and digital libraries. Further, cloud computing technology allows libraries much to offer to their users as they unconsciously move from ground to cloud. Commenting on the future of cloud computing in libraries, Carl Grant at the ALA annual conference in Anaheim opined that “These new Cloud-computing platforms are the technological foundations of that great age of librarianship. They’re going to let us define new and better librarianship based services that will truly give us the capability to differentiate ourselves from other information end-user services” (Grant 2012).

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To understand the nature and characteristics of cloud computing driven cloud libraries, there is a need to demarcate the boundary between traditional bricks and mortar libraries and cloud libraries. A comparative take on both of them is presented in table 1.1. Table 1.1: Bricks and mortar vs. cloud library. S.No

Bricks and mortar library

Cloud library

.

Information resources are available inhouse.

Information resources are available over the Internet.

.

Network connectivity is desirable to access the resources of this library.

Network connectivity is essential to access the resources of this library.

.

They are available to a local population, a They are available to a larger population specific group of users. irrespective of geographical location

.

They are dependent on software and hardware.

.

They involve a large extent of physical They do not require any physical maintenance including dusting, fumigation, maintenance. binding, chemical treatment etc.

.

They contain print as well as digital documents

They contain only digital documents.

.

In this library, the librarian has to focus on library services as well as computer based services such as library automation and the digital library.

In this library, the librarian has to only focus on services, not on any aspects of IT.

.

There is no loss of data.

There is a risk of data loss so data backup is necessary.

.

There is always growth of library documents, which requires expansion of the library building.

They do not require physical storage or a library building but need database storage capacity.

.

To avail of the services the user has to come to the library.

They bring the information to the user which can be accessed by any device which has a Web browser via the Internet.

.

In this library the staff interact face to face with the library user.

They use virtual interaction with the library user through social networks and blogs.

.

The services of this library can be accessed by the devices available in the library only.

Their services can be accessed by any device that has a Web browser and a network connection.

They are independent of software dependency but are hardware dependent.

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Chapter 2 Cloud Computing: Models, Process, and Components Cloud computing has now become a reality and is being delivered to end users as a commercial solution. Although the concept emerged some time previously, several years of remodeling and renovation researches were involved for its implementation. Different stakeholders have different approaches towards cloud computing. For any technology to be easily understood, a uniform standard model is needed. In order to make cloud computing feasible and provide easy access to users, various service and deployment models work in the background. The chapter discusses in detail various working models for cloud computing.

2.1 Service Models Service models theoretically are reference models on which the cloud computing system works. The term services in cloud computing is the concept of being able to use the reusable, fine-grained components across a vendor’s network, which is widely known as “as a service” (Velte, Velte, and Elsenpeter 2010). The contours of cloud computing are mapped into three service models by NIST: IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and SaaS (Software as a Service). These service models are divided according to the provided capabilities. Their basic functions can be summarized in the phrases “Host”, “Build”, and “Consume”. Despite the presence of different cloud computing models, what remains common to all is the fact that, at its basic level, “cloud [computing] is the keeping of one’s information on another entity’s server” (Baker 2011, 57).

2.1.1 Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Infrastructure as Service (IaaS) allows the users to use their own hardware capabilities (such as storage, network, compute) to deploy a complete IT offering. IaaS was earlier referred to as Hardware as a Service. Users can access infrastructure (server, network, operating system) through IaaS. It is also referred as “Internet as an on-demand service”. IaaS offers libraries necessary infrastructure

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Chapter 2 Cloud Computing: Models, Process, and Components

(electronic storage) that compliments open source software (DSpace, Eprints, Fedora) or hosted software packages (Digitalcommons, SimpleDL) for running digital library repositories and archives. IaaS vendors include Amazon.com (Elastic Compute Cloud – EC 2) and Simple storage, IBM etc. Figure 2.1 lists key market players in IaaS.

Figure 2.1: Key market players in IaaS (source: author’s research).

The following are the benefits of IaaS (Gupta 2018): – Users can dynamically opt and configure devices such as CPU and the storage drive as per their requirements – Users can easily access the vast cloud computing power available on the IaaS cloud platform – Flexible and efficient renting of IT infrastructures, i.e. IaaS resources, are available to the customer to rent; customer only needs to pay for what they are using – Full control of computer resources along with portability, i.e. customer owns the provided VM they have created and can perform multiple actions such

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as running their legacy application on the owned VM and issuing administrative tasks, such as starting the Web server or installing any specific software etc. The following are the risks involved in using IaaS (Gupta 2018): – IaaS cloud computing services are totally dependent on Internet availability. If your Internet is down, you are not able to access any of your resources – IaaS depends on virtualization (virtualization will be explored later) – The customer is totally dependent on the cloud provider for their data loaded or saved in the VM to not be accessed or seen by any other users; VM is nothing but a split of one physical machine into multiple VMs and uses common disks

2.1.2 Platform as a Service (PaaS) Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a complete computing and programming platform (operating systems, tools, applications) in the cloud. It enables users to develop, test, deploy, update, and host services in the cloud landscape. PaaS provides a runtime environment where system developers can write and deploy applications in the PaaS layer directly. For example, integrated library systems (Koha, Greenstone), Google Docs, WorldCat, and subject catalogues are some of the library platforms in the cloud. Well known PaaS providers are Microsoft’s Azure, Google Maps, ADP Payroll processing, and Postal Service offerings. Figure 2.2 provides an overview of key companies in PaaS space. The following are the benefits of PaaS (Gupta 2018): – Lowers the infrastructure overhead, as developers only need to focus on IT development and innovation works. Infrastructure is taken care of by the cloud provider. – Customers don’t need to purchase expensive hardware, servers, power, and data storage. All they need is a simple PC and good Internet connection. – Application deployed can easily be scaled up or scale down as per the requirement. Customers don’t need to worry about any changes in the application. – Some of the PaaS vendors provide pre-defined business functionality for users to directly start the project. – PaaS providers facilitate user providing online communities where a developer can get new ideas and share their experience and advice. – PaaS provides an ease to integration with the different applications deployed at the same platform and allows the Web service interfaces to interact with the application hosted or deployed at some other location outside of the platform.

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Figure 2.2: Key companies in PaaS space (source: author’s research).

The following are the risks involved is using PaaS (Gupta 2018): – Vendor Lock In – using PaaS as your application running environment locks you into one specific cloud provider. There will be much more complexity if you want to migrate from one cloud vendor to another, which may impose application changes to some extent and cost as well. – There might be some risk to the security of organization data if the customer is not using the private cloud for storage. Whether the data is critical or not, if the data is not under the organization’s boundary it may hamper the data integrity. – There may be issues because of integration, as in an organization some of the application might be in the cloud and some might be locally deployed, which increases the application complexity over data or networking.

2.1.3 Software as a Service (SaaS) Software as a Service (SaaS) offers users the capability to use the software which is running on the cloud infrastructure. Users access this software through Web browsers. Social networking services, Web based conferencing, and Web analytics are best examples of SaaS. It is also referred to as “on-demand software”. In

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37

libraries, commonly used SaaS are EBSCO Discovery Services, citation management software, and LibGuides. Other high profile examples are Salesforce.com, Google Apps, VoIP from Vonage, and Skype. Figure 2.3 provides an overview of key companies in the SaaS space.

SaaS

CMS

SpringCM, crownpick

Collaboration

Huddle, Dropbox

CRM Backup/ Recovery HR Financial

SpringCM, Crownpick Dell Datasafe, EMC Mozy, CA Arcserver Salesforce, Taleo NetSuite, Ouickbooks, Freshbooks

Legal

Dell Certifi, Advologix, Fios

Social

Jobvite, Zembly, Ning

Security

Qualys, AppRiver, Barracuda

ERP

Plex, Activant, Epicor

Figure 2.3: Key companies in SaaS space (source: author’s research).

The following are the benefits of SaaS (Gupta 2018): – Easy to buy: SaaS pricing based on monthly or annual usage allows new organizations to access the world of business at a low cost, at least less than licensed applications – Since all the SaaS applications are hosted on the cloud, there will be no cost involved in the hardware for an organization – SaaS reduces IT support costs by outsourcing hardware and software maintenance as well as support to the IaaS provider

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The following are the risks involved is using SaaS (Gupta 2018): – Vendor Lock In: switching from one cloud provider to another, transferring data over the Internet, will be a difficult and slow task, as will importing the changes as per new cloud provider – Client based risk if the user’s fat client has been affected by any malware virus that may compromise the application integrity – Totally dependent on the Internet – Latency due to a variable distance of data between the cloud and the enduser, which may arise while interacting with an application

2.2 Relationship between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS Cloud computing service models are usually represented as pyramids to represent the progression from fundamental to low level service categories. Figure 2.4 shows the relationship between the three models: SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS.

Figure 2.4: Relationship between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS (source: author’s research).

IaaS is most fundamental level of cloud computing that includes traditional computing elements such as networking and storage etc. PaaS is the next level of cloud computing where cloud applications are hosted. SaaS is the level designed for cloud computing users to consume applications. It also includes components of both platform and infrastructure services. Figure 2.5 reveals the various cloud service models and consumers using same model layering.

2.3 Other Cloud Computing Service Models JISC (2010) has further divided IaaS according to different types of resources offered in three sub-categories: Computing as a Service (CaaS), Storage as a Service (SaaS), and Database as a Service (DaaS).

2.3 Other Cloud Computing Service Models

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Figure 2.5: Cloud service models and consumers (source: author’s research).

2.3.1 Computing as a Service (CaaS) Computing as a Service (CaaS) offers customers access to raw computing power on virtual servers or virtual machine instances. CaaS provides self-service interfaces for on-demand provisioning and management (i.e. start, stop, reboot, and destroy) of virtual machine instances. A CaaS provider may also provide self-management interfaces for auto-scaling and other automatable management facilities (JISC 2010). Some examples of CaaS services include Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud and Elastic Host.

2.3.2 Storage as a Service (SaaS) Storage as a Service (SaaS) provides users with the capability to store online on the third party storage space. It is a form of online hard disk which can be accessed from any location and anytime on demand. Some heavily used SaaS services are Dropbox, Google Drive etc.

2.3.3 Database as a Service (DaaS) Database as a service (DaaS) includes standardized processes for accessing and manipulating (i.e. write, update, delete) data through database management systems (DBMS) that are hosted in the cloud (JISC 2010). The available DaaS services are Amazon Simple DB and Azure SQL.

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2.3.4 Identity as a Service (IDaaS) IDaaS offers organization and institution of an authentication infrastructure for identity and access management of users or staff. It is built and hosted by third party servers which include services such as single sign-on (SSO), profile management, registration information, and multi factor authentication (MFA).

2.4 Deployment Models There are various ways to deploy cloud services in organizations. Deployment models outline the access boundary and represent the utility of cloud. According to requirements, an organization in the cloud environment can select firstly the services they want to access and secondly the level of control they want to have. As per the selections, organizations can have a customized cloud environment. The NIST definition mentions four different cloud deployment models: public, private, community, and hybrid.

2.4.1 Public Cloud As the name suggests, the public cloud is available to the public at large. In this model necessary infrastructure (system and resources) for providing the services is located in the service provider`s premises and controlled by the provider. It is also referred to as the external cloud as it remains off premises and users access the service remotely. It offers flexibility, scalability, and easy resource management. However, due to sharing of computing infrastructure among various organizations, security and compliance issues are a major concern. It also reduces carbon footprints or power consumption of organization or library information technology infrastructure and services previously managed in-house in isolated local data centers. Examples of a public cloud service include Microsoft Office 365, Amazon EC2, Google Print, Google Docs, and Amazon Cloud Player, among others. Figure 2.6 uses Google Software as a Service (SaaS) to illustrate a public cloud.

2.4.2 Private Cloud In private cloud deployment, computing infrastructure is not available as open access to all but is restricted for exclusive use by a single organization. It is also

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41

Figure 2.6: Public cloud (source: author’s research).

referred to as the internal cloud as it is built to serve the internal purpose of organizations or libraries. In this model, cloud resources are more secure and computing infrastructure may be owned or maintained by an organization, outsourced to a third party or feature a combination of the two. The private cloud is usually accessible through local LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network). For example, public libraries can interconnect their computing facilities to create a private cloud or hire a cloud infrastructure provider to design and maintain cloud services for exclusive use by the libraries. Figure 2.7 uses dedicated Software as a Service (SaaS) to illustrate a private cloud.

2.4.3 Community Cloud These are semi-public clouds which are shared between the members of a selected group of organizations which have common goals or scope. Computing infrastructure in this model is owned and operated either in-house or outsourced. As public clouds are open to everyone, most organizations will prefer not to use them. A community cloud offers more privacy than a public cloud. For example, university libraries can interconnect their computing infrastructure and create a community cloud accessible to all. Figure 2.8 uses dedicated Software as a Service (SaaS) to illustrate a Private Cloud.

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Chapter 2 Cloud Computing: Models, Process, and Components

Figure 2.7: Private cloud (source: author’s research).

2.4.4 Hybrid Cloud In a hybrid cloud model computing infrastructure is a combination of two or more other cloud models. Each cloud remains separate in the model: clouds are only linked and bound together using standard protocols to permit data and application portability. For example, libraries can decide to keep applications which they consider as sensitive in the private cloud, while less sensitive applications can be moved to the public cloud.

2.5 Cloud Computing Components The cloud computing environment has brought about an abrupt shift from the local data center, which had single data entry and exit points, to a global network with large datacenters and thousands of data entry exit nodes. It is essential to understand the fundamental components that run cloud computing infrastructure. Cloud computing infrastructure essentially comprises of three components: clients, data center, and distributed servers. Each element has a designated function that plays a specific role in delivering functional cloud based services to the end user.

2.5 Cloud Computing Components

43

Figure 2.8: Community cloud (source: author’s research).

2.5.1 Client These are the devices through which users interact with the available cloud services to seek information on the cloud. There are three types: a) Thick Clients: the regular computers that use Web browsers to access the information in the cloud. Users can even store their information on their hard disks or memory.

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b) Thin Clients: do not have internal hard drives but rather let the servers do all the work to seek information from the cloud. c) Mobile Clients: include mobile devices such as PDA, smartphones, Windows mobile phones or iPhones to seek information from the cloud.

2.5.2 Data Centers These comprise of collections of servers which house the applications or resources to be subscribed to by the end users. There are two types of data centers: private or enterprise data centers and public or Internet data centers. A private data center is owned by the organization and provides the Web-hosting, applications, and storage functions needed to maintain full operations. On the other hand, public data centers are managed and shared by the public. Through public data centers, applications and data are typically accessed through the Internet. They vary with each other in terms of bandwidth type, use of layers in the traffic control, extent of server virtualization, and the number of servers.

2.5.3 Distributed Server Not all the servers need to be housed in the same location. The existence of servers depends on the size, speed of physical server, and the applications that are supposed to run on a virtual server. However, users feel that all the servers are working next to each other.

2.6 Cloud Computing Players There are four categories of players that have an important role in the cloud library paradigm.

2.6.1 Cloud Infrastructure Consumers Any individuals who prefer to use cloud computing infrastructures are the consumers. A library can purchase the cloud infrastructure and host its databases on any cloud service provider’s server. Users can access this infrastructure through any Web-browser enabled device which will be metered.

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2.6.2 Cloud Infrastructure Providers A cloud infrastructure provider owns and controls cloud computing systems to deliver services (software, platform or infrastructure) to users. Currently there are plenty of big and small players in the cloud dominated by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. However, there is ample space for outsiders also. The cloud market offers an opportunity to collaborate and partner among the service providers.

2.6.3 Cloud Infrastructure Brokers The role of cloud infrastructure brokers is to collaborate with the big infrastructure holding cloud provider to bring their services to users. They act as an intermediary between cloud users and providers facilitating the procedures related to management, performance, and service delivery. They especially benefit a larger section of smaller, lesser experienced entrants to cloud markets that have not achieved expertise in these areas. They can have the following capabilities: 2.6.3.1 Intermediation of Services Cloud infrastructure brokers act as intermediaries which connect users to the service providers. They manage the access to cloud based services, and monitor the security and management of identity in the cloud. 2.6.3.2 Aggregation of Services A cloud infrastructure broker aggregates several services into one or more services and ensures secured data transfer between the service provider and the user.

2.6.4 Cloud Infrastructure Regulators Lillard et al. (2010) state that “Cloud computing comes with its own set of standards, terminology and best practises that can be difficult to manage within the traditional information security context”. Although the cloud computing industry does not have any committed regulatory body, it is governed by Internet regulations. However, as cloud computing operations face problems such as data security, ownership, location, privacy, and intellectual property, there is a pressing need for a regulatory body.

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2.7 Migration from Traditional Platform to Cloud Platform There are various approaches, processes, and methodologies for migration to a cloud computing platform. These processes are explored in the next section.

2.7.1 Cloud Migration Cloud migration involves processes in moving data, applications, and other elements from the library’s premises into the cloud. A library has to be agile and flexible to quickly adapt according to the user’s requirement: the cloud offers such efficiency. Compared to traditional computing infrastructure there are enormous benefits with cloud computing infrastructure, such as: – Scalability – Mobility – Cost reduction – Security – Disaster recovery – Access control and management – Competitive advantage 2.7.1.1 Migration Strategies Selection of cloud provider Libraries have various options for cloud service providers, which have different features and pricing structures. Amazon Web Services was the first to launch cloud computing services and is a popular cloud services provider; other companies include Google, Microsoft Azure, and IBM. Each service provider has its own strengths and weaknesses. A cloud environment must then be sourced which helps reach the migration purpose or goals. The selection of a suitable cloud is important for running the applications. After the selection of the cloud the next step is to determine the architecture for migration. All applications to be migrated have to be listed and the cloud environment should be examined to determine the needed components. Using these criteria, a cloud provider can be selected. Besides these factors, SLA (service level agreement) and customer service should also be evaluated during selection of the service provider.

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47

Planning Proper planning is most important factor in migration to a cloud platform. It should first be decided what is to be moved first into the platform: the easiest and least critical data and applications should be moved into the cloud first, to become familiarized with the platform and overcome unforeseeable problems; the data and applications which are more suited to the cloud environment should also be moved. As the cloud environment is different to the traditional system, the servers, network, and data services operate differently, making it imperative to ensure that the updated system works properly. A proper library cloud migration plan should include: a) Minimal disruption time b) Order of migration and applications c) Defining of deadlines d) Tracking of key metrics to define successful migration strategy e) Executing of cloud migration Before executing the migration, backup of data and applications on the existing server should be taken. Libraries may select any of tools below for migrating to the cloud. Open source tools: libraries can consider using open source tools as they are free and easily customizable as per need. However, experienced staff are needed to carry out these customizations. Batch processing: the perfect option for libraries which have to move large data and applications at scheduled times. Cloud based tool: uses connectors to tie data and the tool sets designed for that specific purpose. 1) Selection of appropriate service model Here libraries need to decide and select the type of service model required for different operations. These service models are Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service, which have been discussed in detail in earlier sections. 2) Setting up the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) This includes the parameters such as applications or software experience, infrastructure parameters, and user experience for evaluating the performance of cloud services. 3) Reviewing the process This is cross-checking or verification of data and applications migrated in the cloud.

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Figure 2.9 presents an overview of migration strategies from legacy to cloud environment.

Figure 2.9: Overview of cloud migration strategies (source: author’s research).

Popular cloud migration tools and services include: a) AWS Cloud Adoption Readiness Tool (CART) b) Cloud Endure c) Turbonomic d) Dynatrace e) Attunity CloudBeam f) BMC Discovery g) New Relic Software Analytics h) AppDynamics Application Intelligence Platform

2.7.2 Cloud Hosting The term cloud is deep in nature. Cloud hosting is the modern name for Web hosting or application hosting. It includes broader networking of Web technology. It uses multiple servers for load balancing and maximizes uptime. During server failure, there is another server available to run the applications. Cloud hosting in principle is a server and network infrastructure which uses software to divide a single physical server into multiple virtual servers (Atlantic 2020).

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Compared to Web hosting where certain space on a single server is provided, cloud hosting offers cloud clusters where data or application is spread across a number of machines. In the cloud environment only a hosting server exists, which is referred as the cloud. Traditionally, hosting was carried out through two means: (a) Shared hosting – in shared hosting, the same server is shared between the users for hosting the content. (b) Dedicated hosting – in dedicated hosting, a dedicated server is purchased for hosting the content. It is not shared with others. As per requirement, cloud hosting makes use of both hosting types through dynamic and virtual servers created through the cloud of servers. It is quite interesting to look at differences between cloud and traditional servers. Table 2.1 lists some of these differences.

Table 2.1: Cloud servers versus traditional servers. Cloud servers

Traditional servers

They are based on concepts such as server virtualization and networking concepts.

They include networking concepts only.

They are scalable and dynamic in nature.

Although they are scalable they are not able to handle huge traffic.

They are resilient and redundant in nature.

They are not redundant in nature.

They have unlimited disk space.

Disk space is limited.

Servers are available as a service to users or organizations.

Servers are dedicated and owned by users or organizations.

They do not require hardware maintenance or sever configuration.

Maintenance and server configuration is inevitable.

They are based on a pay per use model.

Due to dedicated servers for computing needs they are costly.

Cloud servers can also be run on hypervisor or virtual machines. Wikipedia (2020) defines hypervisor or virtual machine monitors as software or hardware that creates and runs virtual machines. The architecture of cloud hosting completely differs from regular Web hosting. There are two approaches to hosting in the cloud environment. Firstly, there is the centralized approach where a single server hosts several websites.

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Secondly, there is the distributed approach where each hosted website is distributed across servers in multiple locations. The top five cloud hosting service providers are A2 Hosting, SiteGround, InMotion, HostGator, and DreamHost. A comparison is shown in Table 2.2 to identify the best service provider. Table 2.2: Comparative study of cloud hosting providers. Hosting provider

RAM size

Max CPU

Max Bandwidth

Root Access

Max Storage Size

Uptime (in%)

Price per month

A Hosting

GB



TB

Yes

GB

.

$

SiteGround

GB



TB

No

GB

.

$

InMotion

GB

Unmetered

TB

Yes

GB

.

$

HostGator

GB



Unmetered

No

Unmetered

.

$

DreamHost

GB



Unmetered

Yes

GB

.

$

Some important factors should also be considered while selecting a service provider, such as: 1. Budget 2. Real-time customer support 3. Root access for having control over the server’s environment 4. Uptime 5. Money back guarantee

2.7.3 Virtual Data Center Data centers are pools or collections of computer hardware to serve user needs. Virtual data centers are an extension of data centers which virtually house processors (CPU), memory (RAM), storage (disk space), and networking (bandwidth) in virtual space. Virtual data centers fall within the IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) category of service offerings which enables them to access cloud infrastructure offered by the service provider. In the cloud computing environment, connecting these data centers together virtualizes the network. A virtual data center comprises the following centers or equipment: a) Networking Operations Center b) Core Routing equipment

References

c) d) e) f) g)

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Standby diesel generators Redundant UPS systems Electronic security systems Geothermal heat pumps Racks and edge routing

2.8 Cloud Computing Usage Scenario It is crucial to identify clearly when to use a technology and where to avoid it. Without being familiar to a platform, implementing it may create problematic situations in libraries. Some appropriate cloud computing approaches by libraries include: – Independent processes, applications, and data of libraries so that the services may work independently in the cloud environment. – Well defined integration with library software or applications like cloud based ILMS. – Run Rich Internet Applications (RIA) or browser supported applications. – Clear cost benefits of working in the cloud environment over traditional IT environment in libraries. – Deploying new applications or software which is designed to work effectively in the cloud environment. Some inappropriate cloud computing approaches by libraries include: – When applications, processes, and library data are interdependent. – When control over data and applications are critical for libraries and a high level of security is required. – When native APIs such as Win32 need to be leveraged. – When applications to run in the cloud environment are legacy in nature. – When high cost is involved for complex projects.

References Atlantic. What is cloud hosting? An explanation by Atlantic.net. 2020. Retrieved from https:// www.atlantic.net/what-is-cloud-hosting/. Baker, J. “Flying in the clouds: practicing law by cloud computing.” Florida Bar Journal 85, no. 9 (2011): 57–59. Gupta, H. Cloud computing – working model. Medium. 2018. Retrieved from https://medium. com/@himanshugupta0007/cloud-computing-working-model-2ab1b6887b4c.

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JISC. Cloud computing – a US perspective. 2010. Retrieved from https://www.jisc.ac.uk/pod casts/cloud-computing-a-us-perspective-30-jun–2010. Lillard, T.V., C.P. Garrison, C.A. Schiller, and J. Steele. Digital forensics for network, Internet and cloud computing: a forensic evidence guide for moving targets and data. Burlington, USA: Elsevier, 2010. Velte, A.T., T.J. Velte, and R. Elsenpeter. Cloud computing: a practical approach. New York: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2010. Wikipedia. Hypervisor. 2020. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervisor.

Chapter 3 Cloud Computing Resources and Tools With the migration of the traditional on-premises computing model to the computing in the cloud model, various resources, services, and tools are evolving daily. This chapter is intended to provide basic exposure to the current state of the art from the perspective of the technology. Remote management of computing infrastructure by the third parties has now become possible due to enhanced technologies, networking, and infrastructure. According to Rittinghouse and Ransome (2013), “computing resources that are maintained on a user’s site are becoming fewer and fewer, while those made available by a service provider are on the rise”. This rise in adoption of cloud computing technologies has been made possible due to evolution of powerful resources and tools in the cloud. In order to understand the resources and tools they will be explored from the perspectives of various cloud computing services: compute, storage, database, application, content delivery, analytics, deployment, and management, as well as identity and access management.

3.1 Compute Services Compute services supply scalable computing power in the cloud. In the form of virtual machines, compute resources are provisioned on demand. Virtual machines simulate hardware functionality and create an emulated virtual computer system to run or try out apps in a safer sandboxed environment which can be modified or created easily, keeping the host computer unaffected. Cloud based virtual machines are often referred to as cloud instances. Some popular resources or tools for compute services are Parallel Desktop, Microsoft Hyper-V Manager, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Windows Azure Virtual Machine, and Google Compute Engine.

3.1.1 Google Compute Engine According to Wikipedia (2019), Google Compute Engine is the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) component of Google Cloud Platform, which is built on the global infrastructure that runs Google’s search engine, Gmail, YouTube, and https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-004

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other services. Google Compute Engine is accessible through the Developer console, RESTful API or command-line interface which empowers users to launch virtual machines. Figure 3.1 shows a screenshot of the Google Compute Engine (GCE) console.

3.1.2 Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud Figure 3.2 shows a screenshot of the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud console. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud is a compute service created by Amazon, designed for developers to provide control over computing resources and Web-scaling.

3.2 Storage Services Storage services provide data storage and retrieval capacity in the cloud at any moment, from any geographic location, and through any Internet connected device. Data in the cloud are stored in buckets or containers. The storage capacity in the cloud can be increased or decreased as per demand. Popular storage resources or tools are Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon Simple Storage, Media Fire, pCloud, One Drive, iCloud, and Box.

3.2.1 Google Cloud Storage Based on the same technology of Google solutions and products around the globe, Google cloud storage (GCS) provides a storage platform to store, access, manage, and protect any amount of data. Figure 3.3 shows a screenshot of the Google Cloud Storage console. Data storage on Google Cloud is an economical and time-saving solution for maintenance of data servers, storage disks, firewalls, backup, and disaster recovery provisions. Objects in GCS are organized into buckets which can be used to share data with authorized colleagues and partners through Access Control Lists (ACL). Also, access of data on the GCS platform is fast and reliable as it hosts the data in multiple, redundant, and high-availability data centers (Google 2012). Figure 3.4 shows a screenshot of the features of the Google Cloud Storage platform. Google offers features to store data as well as transfer data from Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), HTTP/HTTPS servers or other buckets. Data above 20 TB can also be quickly and securely transferred to the Google datacenter through the transfer appliance feature.

Figure 3.1: Screenshot of Google Compute Engine (source: Google Cloud Platform).

3.2 Storage Services

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Figure 3.2: Screenshot of Amazon EC2 console (source: Amazon AWS).

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Figure 3.3: Screenshot of Google Cloud Storage (source: Google Cloud Platform).

3.2 Storage Services

57

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Figure 3.4: Screenshot of features of Google Cloud Storage platform (source: Google Cloud Platform).

3.2.2 Amazon Simple Storage Service Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) is a cloud based data storage infrastructure that provides scalable and highly durable object storage in the cloud (Amazon AWS 2016). Figure 3.5 shows a screenshot of the S3 console where data can be organized in the form of buckets. In order to store data on S3 a bucket needs to be created. Figure 3.6 shows a bucket created on S3 for storing data. In the bucket any kind of file can be uploaded; while uploading the file encryption options, permission access and redundancy options need to be specified.

3.3 Database Services Database services allow users to set up and operate relational or non-relational databases in the cloud. Using cloud database services relieves application developers from database administration tasks which are highly time consuming. Popular database services include Amazon Relation Data Store, Amazon DynamoDB, Google Cloud SQL, Google Cloud datastore, Windows Azure SQL database, and Windows Azure Table Service.

3.3.1 Google Cloud SQL Google SQL is the relational database service offered by Google which makes it easier to set up, maintain, manage, and administer data. Apart from maintaining

Figure 3.5: Screenshot of features of Amazon Simple Storage Service platform (source: Amazon AWS).

3.3 Database Services

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Figure 3.6: Screenshot of bucket on S3 console (source: Amazon AWS).

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3.4 Application Services

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the old instances, new database instances can be created from the console and databases can also be easily imported/ exported. Figure 3.7 shows a screenshot of Google Cloud console.

3.3.2 Google Cloud Datastore Google Cloud Datastore is a non-relational database offered by Google. It offers ACID transactions and high availability of reads and writes (Bahga and Madisetti 2014). The cloud datastore handles sharing and replication, and provides a highly available and durable database which automatically handles applications’ load (Google Cloud n.d.). Figure 3.8 shows a screenshot of the Google Cloud datastore.

3.3.3 Amazon Relational Data Store Amazon Relational Database Store is a cloud based service through which a relational database can be easily set up, operated, and scaled. Figure 3.9 shows a screenshot of the Amazon Relational Data store. The console offers an instance launch wizard by means of which database type, size, allocated storage, instance identifier, username, and password can be created.

3.3.4 Amazon DynamoDB Amazon DynamoDB is a non-relational (NoSQL) variant of database offered by Amazon which includes tables, items, and attributes. Figure 3.10 shows a screenshot of the Amazon Relational Data store console. Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed, multiregion, multimaster, durable database with built-in security, backup, and restoring, as well as in-memory caching for Internet-scale applications (Amazon AWS 2020a).

3.4 Application Services Cloud application services or cloud apps are software programs where both cloud and local components work together. Remote servers are used in this model for processing logic which is accessible through a Web browser, with Internet connectivity inevitable. Cloud application servers are maintained and operated by a third party cloud services infrastructure provider. Cloud application services include

Figure 3.7: Screenshot of Google Cloud console (source: Google Cloud Platform).

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Figure 3.8: Screenshot of Google Cloud datastore (source: Google Cloud Platform).

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Figure 3.9: Screenshot of Amazon Relational Data store console (source: Amazon AWS).

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Figure 3.10: Screenshot of Amazon Relational Data store console (source: Amazon AWS).

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application runtimes and frameworks, queuing services, email services, notification services, and media services. Popular application services include Google App Engine, Amazon Simple Queue Service, and Google email service.

3.4.1 Google App Engine Google App Engine is a Platform as a Service offering from Google for developing and hosting Web applications. Applications on Google App Engine are sandboxed and run across multiple servers. It primarily supports programming languages such as Go, PHP, Java, Python, Node.js, .NET, and Ruby applications. Figure 3.11 shows a screenshot of the Google App Engine console.

3.4.2 Amazon Simple Queue Service Amazon Simple Queue Service is a queuing service offered by Amazon. It is a pay per use Web service for storing messages in transit between computers. To ensure high availability for delivering messages, Amazon Simple Queue Service trades off on the first in, first out capability and does not guarantee that messages will be delivered in FIFO order (Bahga and Madisetti 2014). Figure 3.12 shows a snapshot of the Amazon Simple Queue Service.

3.5 Content Delivery Services Cloud based content delivery services include content delivery networks (CDNs). A CDN comprises a distributed network of servers which replicates the binary files so they are served from multiple geographic locations. They are useful in serving static content such as text, graphics, and streaming media. Cloud computing in principle is designed to remove geo-location from computing to a larger extent and to permit the use of computing resources remotely on a shared basis. CDN are applications hosted in the cloud. Popular content delivery services include Amazon CloudFront and Windows Azure content delivery network.

Figure 3.11: Screenshot of Google App Engine console (source: Google Cloud Platform).

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Figure 3.12: Screenshot of Amazon Simple Queue Service (source: Amazon AWS).

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3.5.1 Amazon CloudFront Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery network offered by Amazon Web services. It is mostly used to transfer dynamic, static, and streaming content through a global network of edge locations. Content in general in Amazon CloudFront is organized into distributions. Figure 3.13 shows a screenshot of the Amazon CloudFront console.

3.6 Analytics Services Cloud based analytics services are used to analyze massive data sets stored in the cloud databases or for storage using programming models. These services help to perform data intensive tasks such as data mining, log file analysis, machine learning, and Web indexing. Popular analytics services include Amazon Elastic MapReduce, Google BigQuery, Google MapReduce service, and Windows Azure HDInsight.

3.6.1 Amazon Elastic MapReduce Amazon Elastic MapReduce is the MapReduce service from Amazon used to process vast amounts of data quickly and cost effectively. Using open source tools such as Apache Spark, Apache Hive, Apache HBase, Apache Flink, Apache Hudi (Incubating), and Presto, coupled with the dynamic scalability of Amazon EC2 and scalable storage of Amazon S3, EMR gives analytical teams the engines and elasticity to run petabyte-scale analysis for a fraction of the cost of traditional onpremises clusters (Amazon AWS 2020). Figure 3.14 shows a screenshot of Amazon Elastic MapReduce.

3.6.2 Google BigQuery Google BigQuery is a service for querying massive datasets in the cloud. BigQuery provides the feature to query datasets using SQL-like queries. Figure 3.15 shows a screenshot of the Google BigQuery platform.

Figure 3.13: Screenshot of Amazon CloudFront (source: Amazon AWS).

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Figure 3.14: Screenshot of Amazon Elastic MapReduce (source: Amazon AWS).

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Figure 3.15: Screenshot of Google BigQuery (source: Google Cloud Platform).

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3.7 Deployment and Management Services Cloud deployment and management services allow easy management and deployment of applications in the cloud. These services handle deployment tasks such as capacity provisioning, load balancing, auto scaling, and application health monitoring. Popular deployment and management services include Amazon CloudFormation and Amazon Elastic Beanstalk.

3.7.1 Amazon CloudFormation AWS CloudFormation provides a common language to model and provision AWS and third party application resources in the cloud environment. AWS CloudFormation allows programming languages or a simple text file to be used to model and provision, in an automated and secure manner, all the resources needed for applications across all regions and accounts (Amazon AWS 2020b). Figure 3.16 shows a screenshot of Amazon CloudFormation.

3.7.2 Amazon Elastic Beanstalk AWS Elastic Beanstalk is an easy to use service for deploying and scaling Web applications and services developed with Java, .NET, PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, and Docker on familiar servers such as Apache, Nginx, Passenger, and IIS (Amazon AWS 2020c). Figure 3.17 shows a screenshot of Amazon Elastic Beanstalk.

3.8 Identity and Access Management Services Identity and Access Management (IDAM) services are used to manage the authentication and authorization of users to provide access to cloud based resources securely. IDAM services are used to manage user identifiers, user permissions, security credentials, and access keys. IDAM services are Open ID, Amazon Identity and Access Management, and Windows Azure Active Directory.

Figure 3.16: Screenshot of Amazon CloudFormation (source: Amazon AWS).

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Figure 3.17: Screenshot of Amazon Elastic Beanstalk (source: Amazon AWS).

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Figure 3.18: Screenshot of Amazon Identity and Access Management (source: Amazon AWS).

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3.8.1 Amazon Identity and Access Management AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) enables secure control access to AWS services and resources. Using IAM, users can create and manage AWS users and groups and use permissions to allow and deny permission to AWS resources (Amazon AWS 2020d). Figure 3.18 shows a screenshot of the Amazon Identity and Access Management console.

References Amazon AWS. Storage Services Overview: a look at storage services offered by AWS. 2016. https://d0.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/AWS%20Storage%20Services%20Whitepaperv9.pdf. Amazon AWS. Amazon DynamoDB: fast and flexible NoSql database service for any scale. 2020a. Retrieved from https://aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/. Amazon AWS. AWS CloudFormation: model and provision all your cloud infrastructure resources. 2020b. Retrieved from https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/. Amazon AWS. AWS Elastic Beanstalk: easy to begin, impossible to outgrow. 2020c. Retrieved from https://aws.amazon.com/elasticbeanstalk/. Amazon AWS. AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): configurable AWS Access controls. 2020d. Retrieved from https://www.amazonaws.cn/en/iam/. Bahga, A., and V. Madisetti. Cloud computing: a hands-on approach. Hyderabad: Universities Press, 2014. 454p. Google. Google Cloud Storage – a simple way to store, protect, and share data. 2012. Retrieved from https://cloud.google.com/files/CloudStorage.pdf. Google Cloud. Cloud datastore. n.d. https://cloud.google.com/datastore. Rittinghouse, J.W., and J.F. Ransome. Cloud computing: implementation, management and security. New York: CRC Press, 2013. Wikipedia. Google Compute Engine. 2019. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Google_Compute_Engine.

Chapter 4 Cloud Computing: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Success Cloud computing is here to stay. It has been considered as the biggest development of the last decade in computing. Cloud services have ballooned in recent years. Cloud computing services have been introduced in various libraries for storage, hosting, searching, and so forth (Shen et al. 2017; Tzoc and Millard 2017; Shaw and Sarkar 2019). Every organization including libraries should have a cloud strategy to make best use of cloud computing facilities. It is henceforth imperative for organizations to look at advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing services to draft cloud computing adoption strategies.

4.1 Benefits of Cloud Computing in Libraries In the available literature cloud computing has been discussed as a new technology that can provide several advantages, both strategic and operational, to its adopters; however, the cloud computing adoption rate is not growing as fast as expected (Banerjee 2011; Buyya et al. 2009; Goscinski and Brock 2010). One of the primary benefits of clouds is cost reduction (Sobel et al. 2008; Powel 2009; Pocatilu, Alecu, and Vetrici 2010; Cubillo, Marten, and Castro 2011). Cloud computing reduces the cost involved in IT-based services for organizations, freeing them from the expense and hassle of having to install and maintain applications locally (Leavitt 2009). Apart from these benefits, cloud computing has the potential to: decrease the expense of capital through the virtualization of computing infrastructure and the resources (Kondo et al. 2009; Nandi et al. 2010); increase the optimal resources’ availability and utilization (Chahal et al. 2010); save time (Ekanayake and Fox 2009; Ramani 2011); save energy consumption (Berl et al. 2010; Richards, McGreal, and Stewart 2010; Ferzli and Khalife 2011); increase infrastructure building (Basak et al. 2010). Moreover, the use of mobile devices to access the cloud resources can save the mobile’s battery power (Gember and Akella 2010; Miettinen and Nurminen 2010; Zhu 2010), with the needed solution easily accessed. Pyke (2009) has put forth several benefits of cloud computing such as scalability, ease of implementation, and freeing up of internal resources, as well as quality of service. Due to the benefits such as availability, scalability, agility, https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-005

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elasticity, and on demand services, cloud computing can be efficiently used to enhance the learning environment (Rajaei and Aldakheel 2012). They further add that cloud based education also known as blended e-learning builds the learning environment through the cloud services where the platform has dynamic and scalable capabilities and can be customized through the IaaS and PaaS services. In addition, some scholars highlight the significance of data processing and the availability of complex applications that can be proved useful to a wide range of the scientific disciplines such as e-science (Mustafee 2010; Fox 2011; Truong and Dustdar 2011) and climate research. Further, Veni and Masillamani (2010) argue that cloud computing with its remote management ability has lent efficiency for effective collaboration, communication, and resource sharing. The available cloud based collaboration tools and applications can be used in the course of information sharing and imitating the works of others (Richards et al. 2010). Moreover, some scholars argue that economic simplification and convenience of the way computing-related services are delivered seem to be among the main drivers of cloud computing (Erdogmus 2009). A further viewpoint on the advantages of computing from the perspectives of cloud users has been put forth by Endo et al. (2010) who argue that in addition to cost reduction, cloud computing offers an attractive solution since it allows resources to be provisioned according to the enterprise’s needs. Cloud users can hence rent resources as they become necessary, in a much more scalable and elastic way, which can transfer the operational risks to cloud providers. Yixin (2010) asserts that the greatest benefit of cloud computing lies in deviating the user from being attached to a single machine to the Internet, which frees the user from thinking about the file’s physical location and shifts their focus on the availability of Internet connectivity. The major benefit for any end user is of course that cloud computing can be used simply whenever it is needed (Kunze et al. 2008). Furthermore, within a cloud computing system, there are no maintenance costs on the hardware (Velte 2009). Vecchiola, Pandey, and Buyya (2009) opine that the cloud is filled with applications that are ready to use, and more importantly the data used in this application is always accessible from anywhere in the world. According to Bakker (2011), cloud computing provides a combination of economic and performance benefits, namely in the costs whenever an organization needs additional IT services, which in turn relates to the performance benefits. Further, the extra performance can be acquired whenever necessary, which can directly improve the performance of an organization. Apart from cost benefits, cloud computing provides users with a power of choice among less expensive (or free) competing services that are user friendly, accessible from any location, and more reliable (Bristow et al. 2010).

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Some scholars are of the opinion that cloud computing service providers are incentivized by the profits made from charging consumers for accessing cloud based services. Firms are attracted by the opportunity for reducing or eliminating costs associated with “in-house” provision of these services and changing their focus to daily mission and services. IT research firm Forrester published the first industry report that offered a sizing of the cloud computing market, which predicted the cloud market to reach $241 billion in 2020, compared to $40.7 billion in 2010 (Buyya et al. 2009). Lin et al. (2009) asserted that providing IT services in the cloud shifts much of the expense to a pay as you go model and consequently offers significant cost advantages. Moreover, the energy requirement of the whole datacenter (for illumination, power supply, cooling, and so on) is a significant fraction of the total operating costs (Barroso and Hoelzle 2009). Thus, reducing the energy consumption is becoming an important issue, both for economic reasons (reducing costs) and for making IT services environmentally sustainable. Nearly a decade ago, scholars perceived that cloud computing applications were meant for everyone that could benefit, stakeholders, business leaders, and academicians, reducing the potential cost, increasing revenue, and enhancing customers’ overall experience (Anderson and Rainie 2010). To illustrate the diversity of cloud computing services, a number of trends projected integrated public and private infrastructure maturation in 2012, which would be advantageous to many (Monell 2012). This came alongside projections that cloud computing would facilitate collaboration for projects or engagements across enterprises and enable conference calls including temporary, controlled access to internal information systems, knowledge bases or information distribution systems, which usually are only accessible to employees (Erbes et al. 2012). Other expected benefits of embedded cloud computing services are faster speed of business communications, efficient coordination among firms, better customer communications, and effective access to market information mobilization (Armbrust et al. 2010). However, firms may not have confidence in a cloud computing system because it is relatively new to them (Buyya et al. 2009). It may take users a long time to understand and implement the new system. On the other hand, Moulasion and Corrado (2011) argue that if librarians can save on buying and maintaining servers, they can save their parent institution money. Depending on the service, they can also rely on the software provider to carry out all updates, thereby allowing their own employees to take care of other obligations in lieu of monitoring version changes and upgrades. Furthermore, quite a few cloud based software platforms are available for free, meaning that librarians can make use of services without incurring any cost for their libraries. According to Hall-Coates (2013), organizations such as libraries which amass

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large volumes of information may also benefit from the relative security of cloud computing storage, given the ease at which physical documents, hard drives/ thumb drives, and digital devices can be misplaced, lost, or stolen. Voorsluys, Broberg, and Buyya (2011) add that cloud computing storage and delivery services significantly reduce costs, which presented a valuable solution during the 2010 current financial crisis, and enabled institutions to maintain the quality of services (Mircea 2010). Another line of thought presented by scholars depicts the green IT benefits of the use of cloud computing applications. For instance, Issa, Chang and Issa (2010) opine that with cloud computing, organizations are bound to save hardware and maintenance costs, reduce CO2 emission, and promote Green IT for a smarter business and smarter planet. Further, the elastic aspect of cloud computing allows applications to scale and grow without needing traditional “fork lift” upgrades. According to Wolf (2010), with cloud computing libraries are getting closer to the reality of purchasing computer power which will free them from the shackles of IT management and allow librarians to focus on services and resources, just like they did before the digital age. Cloud computing also has enormous potential that can give even the smallest organization the ability to use the power of network computing within a minimal infrastructure. Emphasizing the benefits of cloud computing in the libraries, Tomer and Alman (2011) argue that cloud computing is particularly important as “the embrace of cloud computing by many organizations, including OCLC, OhioLink, SirsiDynix, and the Library of congress suggests that this mode of computing will have a significant impact on the configuration, the economics, and perhaps the personnel requirements of library computing in years to come” (59–60). Hayes (2008) asserts that the future of computing lies in cloud computing, whose major goal is reducing the cost of IT services while increasing processing throughout, reliability, availability, and flexibility, while also decreasing processing time, which will bring an end to the ILS server (Wolf 2010).

4.2 Risk and Challenges of Cloud Computing in Libraries Although the available literature highlights many benefits, cloud computing suffers from many risks and challenges during the course of its implementation. Like every technological concept, cloud computing is not an exception in terms of trust and security issues. Most of the risks associated with cloud computing are from the customer’s point of view as the data is owned, controlled, and processed outside of the organization, which brings a certain amount of risk, because in a sense it is a form of outsourcing (Ahmed and Othman 2013). Data processing

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causes a shift in any form of security from the organization to the outsourced organization (Lacity and Hirschheim 1993), which mandates the acquaintances with risk procedures beforehand. On the other hand, Brodkin (2008) presumes that within a cloud computing environment what remains important is that most cloud users (clients) are usually not aware of the complete policy and thus do not know very well what risks they are exposed to when entering their data into the cloud. Shen and Tong (2010) feel that during the course of adoption of cloud computing security is a big concern due to the availability of different systems that may be working in a multiple environment. Additionally, with the proliferation of mobile and personal devices like smartphones and tablets there has been an increase in cloud based storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox or Microsoft Dropbox, which has raised the issues of data privacy and confidentiality, putting the user at a legal risk (Catteddu and Hogben 2009). Once data are outsourced to a third party cloud provider, several concerns arise about security, availability, and reliability of data. Dogo, Salami, and Salman (2013) also feel that data integrity, trust, privacy, expectations, control, regulations, intellectual property management, audit trails, service-metering, and performance are some of the critical concerns associated with cloud computing. Catteddu (2009) has put forth three issues that are critical for implementation of cloud computing: technical, legal, and organizational policy. Another important form of risk for a cloud is a so-called flooding attack (Yaar, Perrig, and Song 2004). In general, flooding attacks cause a huge amount of requests for a service. A “hacker” sends many requests to a server which the cloud hosts. All these requests are in fact fake and have the goal of getting the cloud offline. The “hacker” tries to make so many requests for a particular service that the server cannot cope with the amount of requests and goes down. McIntosh and Austel (2005) see these attacks as common in a cloud computing environment as cloud computing can also be Web based which hence could be exposed to this problem. These forms of hacking are usually used to obtain data without having the rights to access them. Further, Nathuji, Kansal, and Ghaffarkhah (2010) observe that the performance of an application hosted in a cloud environment can be heavily affected by the existence of other virtual machines hosting other applications on a shared server. Miller (2008), Jeffrey and Neidecker-Lutz (2009), and Ristenpart et al. (2009) have listed a number of challenges in the cloud computing arena such as: a constant Internet connection; slow Internet connections; limited features offered; security; danger of data loss or cloud vendor filing for bankruptcy. Moulasion and Corrado (2011) supplement these arguments and claim that “the services that libraries can acquire through the use of cloud computing platforms may indeed be

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valuable, but the cost of Internet access, even if bandwidth is not currently at a premium, can become a considerable hurdle to effective provision of services”. However, commenting on the challenges associated with cloud computing, Carr (2005) remarks that the biggest impediment to cloud computing will not be technological but attitudinal. Complexity of an innovation can act as a barrier to implementation of new technology; the complexity factor is usually negatively affected. Ramgovind, Eloff, and Smith (2010) feel that as computer manufacturers, employers, and universities deploy cloud based tools on desktops, many users may fail to realize that they are in fact using an Internet based service. This risk of confusion will likely increase when cloud based applications lack any recognizable browser branding, and continue when the user is not connected to the Internet. Armbrust et al. (2009) focus on many areas where the cloud may impinge on education. They advocate that because companies might be storing documents which should not be made public, there are reasons for concern about what can happen to the information. Potential cloud organizations and vendors need to be aware that it may become easier for attackers to threaten clouds by moving towards a single cloud interface. Despite the potential benefits and revenues that could be gained from the cloud computing model, the model still has a lot of open issues that could impact its credibility and pervasiveness. Vendor lock-in, multi-tenancy and isolation, data management, service portability, elasticity engines, SLA management, and cloud security are well known open research problems in the cloud computing model (Morsy, Grundy, and Muller 2010).

4.3 Managing Disadvantages of Cloud Computing Despite risks and challenges associated with cloud computing, there are some suggestions which can help to draw benefits from the platform and offer protection from the downsides: – Don’t become over-enthusiastic and rush into the cloud. Many researchers have expressed that most computing capabilities will be based in the cloud in a decade or two, but proper testing of working in the cloud environment at its full strength needs to be done. – Watch costs and cost possibilities precisely. – As the services provided externally or internally are likely to be in the cloud in the near future, managing cloud based services will be an important aspect. The library should work in this area to have their IT staff become expert on managing clouds.

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– Since cloud computing is a huge contributor to green computing, focus on the service provider which consumes less power, less resource use, and has a positive impact on society. – Develop good negotiation skills for negotiating SLA terms. – Keep data backups to avoid any loss of data.

4.4 Success Stories of Cloud Adoption Cloud computing has been an innovation which has brought about significant changes for non-profit organizations around the globe. According to Forbes, artificial intelligence and machine learning are core drivers of speeding up cloud computing adoption in 2020 (Columbus 2018). Various studies have highlighted the adoption of cloud computing technology in libraries. Sudhier and Seena (2018), in their study on Kerala University library, found that Web OPAC and journal discovery services are familiar areas for the respondents in applying cloud computing technologies in libraries. In fact, various ILMS products have been launched in SaaS form to embrace the cloud potential. OLIB Web launched by OCLC, CR2’s Cybrarian, Ex Libri’s Alma (supports entire suit of library operations), and Kuali’s OLE are designed by academic and research libraries to manage scholarly information. Research work carried by Gabridge (2009), Gold (2007), and Jones (2009) have stressed that in order to meet the objectives of university libraries, research data services for which cloud based storage and research management software can be used are inevitable.

4.5 Practical Cloud Computing Success Stories/ Platform in Libraries 4.5.1 Librarika Librarika is a SaaS based Integrated Library Management System (ILMS) in the cloud launched in 2011. The core features available in Librarika are built-in OPAC; smart add (instantly adding books using ISBN from the Internet); unlimited registrations of members; patron login; check-ins/checkouts, reviews, ratings, online reservation, and access history; barcode reader-friendly; data exporting and importing; as well as an easy integration widget for websites (Yuvaraj 2016). It is developed by Raynux enterprises, which are dedicated to developing Web applications, Web services, e-commerce, mobile services, etc. Google Analytics

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reveals that on an average there are 498 unique visitors and 996 page views of Librarika per day. Librarika is a straightforward and easy to use library management system in the cloud which does not involve any expertise to deploy the software, as well as no installation and maintenance burdens. It is available for free for 2,000 titles or records which have acquisition, circulation, cataloging, report generation, and user management modules. It offers a Web based platform for administration and management of library records. It has an automated datahandling technique which locates book covers as well as bibliographic data from sources across the globe. Figure 4.1 shows a snapshot of the Librarika interface.

4.5.2 Best Book Buddies Best Book Buddies (BBB) is a SaaS platform of globally connected automated libraries, with an easily affordable automation for libraries. Interconnecting libraries on a single platform facilitates easy organization, resource sharing, and access of books. For an annual charge of USD145, BBB offers free implementation, hosting, and upgrades of KOHA-FLOSS on cloud servers. Figure 4.2 shows a snapshot of BBB. Figure 4.3 shows a snapshot of Web OPAC of Central Library Government Polytechnic College. Web OPAC offers a search feature called “Search in BBB catalog” for global searching of resources across the Web OPAC hosted by BBB.

4.5.3 TinyCat TinyCat is another SaaS solution for libraries powered by LibraryThing. LibraryThing is a social cataloging Web application launched in 2005 for storing and sharing book catalogs and various types of book metadata (Wikipedia 2020). Libraries having a small collection of up to 20,000 items can use TinyCat as library OPAC and ILS and serve their patrons. Figure 4.4 presents a snapshot of the TinyCat OPAC interface.

4.5.4 Enquire OCLC Enquire is a browser based, collaborative, real time digital reference subscription service in the cloud managed by OCLC since 2007. Figure 4.5 gives a snapshot of

Figure 4.1: User interface of Librarika (source: Librarika).

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Figure 4.2: Snapshot of BBB Website (source: bestbookbuddies.com).

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Figure 4.3: Snapshot of cloud hosted Web OPAC (source: bestbookbuddies.com).

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Figure 4.4: Snapshot of TinyCat OPAC interface (source: Stone School Library OPAC).

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Figure 4.5: Snapshot of OCLC’s Enquire interface (source: oclc.org).

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the Enquire OCLC interface. Some other similar tools specifically designed for library and information enquiries include: Eos.Web Enterprise Reference Tracking (Eos International): www.eosintl. com/Products/Enterprise/Enterprise_RefTrack.aspx. KnowAll Enquiry Tracking (Bailey Solutions): www.baileysolutions.co.uk/ enquiry-tracking. RefTracker (Altarama): www.altarama.com.au/reftrack.htm. Text a Librarian (Mosio): www.textalibrarian.com. Tools designed for other applications (frequently IT helpdesks) but which can be adapted include: BMC Remedy (BMC): www.bmc.com/products/product-listing/22735072106757-2391.html. Footprints (Numara): www.numarasoftware.com/footprints.asp. Lagan (Lagan): http://www.kana.com/lagan/online-government-software/ stack.php. OpenScape (Siemens Enterprise Communications): www.siemens-enterprise. com/uk/products/contact-center-solutions.aspx. RightNow Contact Center Experience (RightNow Technologies): www.right now.com/cx-suite-contact-center-experience.php.

4.5.5 Mendeley Mendeley is a free reference management and academic social networking tool based in the cloud. Although a desktop version is also available, data can be added and archived in the cloud also using Mendeley cloud. Figure 4.6 presents a snapshot of the Mendeley OPAC interface.

4.5.6 Google Forms Google Forms is a cloud based tool for creating forms and obtaining feedback from the users. Libraries can deploy Google Forms to obtain feedback from patrons. It generates visual reports and data is collected in Excel sheets which can be easily analyzed. Figure 4.7 shows a snapshot of the registration form designed for alumni feedback at Central University of South Bihar, and Figure 4.8 presents the report generated automatically in Google Forms.

Figure 4.6: Snapshot of Mendeley cloud interface (source: Mendeley).

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Figure 4.7: Snapshot of Google Forms developed at Central University of South Bihar (source: cusb.ac.in).

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Figure 4.8: Snapshot of responses collected from Google Forms at Central University of South Bihar (source: cusb.ac.in).

References Ahmed, D.T., and M. Othman. “Perception study on cloud computing in SME’s Baghdad, Iraq.” Journal of computing and organizational dynamics 1, no. 1 (2013): 1–7. Anderson, J., and L. Rainie. The future of cloud computing – Pew Internet & American Life Project. 2010. Retrieved from http://pewInternet.org/Reports/2010/The-future-of-cloudcomputing.aspx. Armbrust, M., A. Fox, R. Griffith, A.D. Joseph, R. Katz, A. Konwinski, F. Lee, D. Patterson, A. Rabkin, I. Stoica, and M. Zaharia. Above the clouds: a Berkeley view of cloud computing. UC Berkeley EECS, February 10, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.eecs.berkeley. edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2009/EECS-2009-28.pdf. Bakker, J. The benefits of cloud computing in IT intensive organizations (Master thesis, Erasmus School of Economics). 2011. Retrieved from http://oaithesis.eur.nl/ir/repub/ asset/10935/10935-Bakker.doc.

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Banerjee, U. Cloud computing – important events till 2010. Technology Trend analysis. 2011. Retrieved from https://setandbma.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/cloud-computingimportant-events-till-2010/. Barroso, L.A., and U. Hoelzle. The Datacenter as a Computer: An Introduction to the Design of Warehouse-Scale Machines. California: Morgan and Claypool Publishers, 2009. Basak, D., R. Toshniwal, S. Maskalik, and A. Sequeira. “Virtualizing networking and security in the Cloud”. Newsletter ACM SIGOPS Operating Systems Review 44, no. 4 (2010). ACM New York, NY, USA. Berl, A., E. Gelenbe, M. Girolamo, G. Giuliani, H. Meer, M.Q. Dang, and K. Pentikousis. “Energy-Efficient Cloud Computing”. Computer Journal 53, no. 7 (2010): 1045–1051. Retrieved from comjnl.oxfordjournals.org. Bristow, R., T. Dodds, R. Northam, and L. Plugge. “Cloud computing and the power to choose”. EDUCAUSE Review 45, no. 3 (2010): 14–30. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/ library/pdf/ERM1030.pdf. Brodkin, J. Gartner: Seven cloud-computing security risks. Networkworld. 2008. Retrieved from http://folk.ntnu.no/oztarman/tdt60/cloud%20computing/3%20Cloud_Computing_ Security_Risk.pdf. Buyya, R., C.S. Yeo, S. Venugopal, J. Broberg, and I. Brandic. “Cloud computing and emerging IT platforms: Vision, hype, and reality for delivering computing as the 5th utility”. Future Generation Computer Systems 25 (2009): 599–616. Carr, N.G. “The end of corporate computing”. MIT Sloan Management Review 46, no. 3 (2005): 67–73. Catteddu, D., and G. Hogben. “Cloud Computing. Benefits, Risks and Recommendations for Information Security”. The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). 2009. Chahal, S., J.H. Steichen, D. Kamhout, R. Kraemer, H. Li, and C. Peters. An Enterprise Private Cloud Architecture and Implementation Roadmap, IT@Intel White Paper, Intel Information Technology Business Solutions. 2010. www.intel.com/IT. Columbus, L. 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020. Forbes Magazine. 2018. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2018/01/07/83-ofenterprise-workloads-will-be-in-the-cloud-by-2020/#67cec67b6261. Cubillo, J., S. Marten, and M. Castro. “New Technologies Applied in the Educational Process”. IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) – Learning Environments and Ecosystems in Engineering Education, April 4–6, 2010, 575–584. Amman, Jordan, 2011. Dogo, E.M., A. Salami, and S.I. Salman. “Feasibility analysis of critical factors affecting cloud computing in Nigeria”. International Journal of Cloud Computing and Services Science (IJ-CLOSER) 2, no. 4 (2013): 276–287. Ekanayake, J., and G. Fox. “High Performance Parallel Computing with Clouds and Cloud Technologies”. First International Conference CloudComp on Cloud Computing, 20–38. 2009. Endo, P.T., G.E. Goncalves, J. Kelner, and D. Sadok. “A survey on open-source cloud computing solutions”. In Proceedings of VIII Workshop on Clouds, Grids and Applications, 3–16. 2010. Retrieved from http://sbrc2010.inf.ufrgs.br/anais/data/pdf/wcga.pdf. Erbes, J., H. Reza, M. Nezhad, and S. Graupner. “From IT Providers to IT Service Brokers: The Future of Enterprise IT in the Cloud World”. Computer 99, no. 2 (2012): 66–72. Erdogmous, H. “Cloud Computing: Does nirvana hide behind the Nebula?” IEEE Software 26 (2009).

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Ferzli, R., and I. Khalife. “Mobile Cloud Computing Educational Tool for Image/Video Processing Algorithms”. Digital Signal Processing Workshop and IEEE Signal Processing Education Workshop (DSP/SPE), 2011 IEEE, 529–533. Fox, A. “Cloud Computing – What’s in it for me as a Scientist?” Science 331, no. 6016 (2011). Retrieved from http://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6016/406.full?ijkey= O3dG1uenzzKYQ&keytype=ref&siteid=sci. Gabridge, T. “The last mile: The liaison role in curating science and engineering research data”. Research Library Issues. A Bimonthly Report from ARL, CNI, and SPARC 265 (2009): 15–21. Gember, A., and A. Akella. Mobile Device Offloading Using Enterprise Network and Cloud Resources. Technical Report, University of Wisconsin Madison. 2010. Gold, A. “Cyberinfrastructure, data, and libraries. Part 2: Libraries and the data challenge: Roles and actions for libraries”. D-Lib Magazine 13, no. 9/10 (2007). Goscinski, A., and M. Brock. “Toward Dynamic and Attribute Based Publication, Discovery and Selection for Cloud Computing”. Future Generation Computer Systems 26 (2010): 947–970. Hall-Coates, S. “Controlling the clouds: privacy law and cloud computing in Canada’s legal sector”. Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management 9 (2013): 1–13. Retrieved from doi:10.5931/djim.v9i1.3341. Hayes, B. “Cloud Computing”. Communication of the ACM 51, no. 7 (2008): 9–11. Issa, T., V.S. Chang, and T. Issa. “Sustainable business strategies and PESTEL framework”. 2010. Jeffrey, K., and B. Neidecker-Lutz. The future of cloud computing: opportunities for European cloud computing beyond 2010. 2009. Jones, E. “Reinventing science librarianship: Themes from the ARLCNI forum”. Research Library Issues: A bimonthly report from ARL, CNI, and SPARC 262 (2009): 12–17. Kondo, D., B. Javadi, P. Malecot, F. Cappello, and D.P. Anderson. “Cost-Benefit Analysis of Cloud Computing Versus Desktop Grids”. Parallel and Distributed Processing. IPDPS 2009. IEEE International Symposium on May 23–29, 2009, Rome, 1–12. Kunze, M., L. Wang, G. Laszewski, A. Younge, X. He, J. Tao, and C. Fu. “Cloud computing: a Perspective study”. New Generation Computing 28, no. 2 (2008): 137–146. Lacity, M.C., and R. Hirschheim. “The Information Systems Outsourcing Bandwagon”. Sloan Management Review 35, no. 1 (1993): 73–86. Leavitt, N. “Is Cloud Computing Really Ready for Prime Time?” Computer 42, no. 1 (2009): 15–20. Lin, G., D. Fu, J. Zhu, and G. Dasmalchi. “Cloud computing: IT as a Service”. IT Professional 11, no. 2 (2009): 10–13. McIntosh, M., and P. Austel. XML signature element wrapping attacks and countermeasures. In Proceedings of the 2005 workshop on Secure Web services, 20–27. 2005. Miettinen, A.P., and J.K. Nurminen. “Energy Efficiency of Mobile Clients in Cloud Computing”. HotCloud 2nd USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Cloud Computing. 2010. Miller, M. Cloud computing: Web-based applications that change the way you work and collaborate online. Indianpolis: Que Publishing, 2008. Mircea, M. SOA, BPM and Cloud Computing: Connected for Innovation in Higher Education. 2010 International Conference on Education and Management Technology, ICEMT, 456–460. 2010.

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Monell, M. Tech Talk: Predicting the future of the cloud. 2012. Retrieved from http://www. exemplifygroup.com/news/tech-talk. Morsy M.A., J. Grundy, and I. Müller. “An analysis of the Cloud Computing Security problem”. In Proceedings of APSEC 2010 Cloud Workshop. APSEC, Sydney, Australia, 2010. Moulasion, H.L., and E.M. Corrado. “Perspectives on cloud computing in Libraries”. In Getting started with Cloud Computing, edited by E.M. Corrado and H.L. Moulasion, 3–11. London, Facet, 2011. Mustafee, N. “Exploiting Grid Computing, Desktop Grids and Cloud Computing for E-Science Future Directions”. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy 4, no. 4 (2010): 288–298. Nandi, S.K., B.R.S. Garrawal, and A. Mantri. Dynamic Higher Education and Research Cloud. ASE 9th Global Colloquium on Engineering Education. Singapore, October 2010. Nathuji, R., A. Kansal, and A. Ghaffarkhah. “Q-clouds: managing performance interference effects for qos-aware clouds”. In Proceedings of the 5th European Conference on Computer Systems, EuroSys 2010, 237–250. ACM, New York, 2010. Pocatilu, P., F. Alecu, and M. Vetrici. “Measuring the Efficiency of Cloud Computing for E-Learning Systems”. WSEAS Transactions on Computers 9, no. 1 (2010): 42–51. Powell, J. Cloud computing – what is it and what does it mean for education? 2009. Retrieved from erevolution.jiscinvolve.org/wp/files/2009/08/Clouds-johnpowell.doc. Pyke, J. Now Is the Time to Take the Cloud Seriously. White Paper. 2009. Retrieved fromhttp:// www.cordys.com/cordyscms_sites/objects/bb1a0bd7f47b1c91ddf36ba7db88241d/time_ to_take_the_cloud_seroiusly_online_1_.pdf. Rajaei, H., and E.A. Aldakheel. Cloud computing in computer science and engineering education. In Proceedings ASEE Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas, 1–15. 2012. Retrieved from http://www.asee.org/file_server/papers/attachment/file/0002/3004/ 4956_ASEE12-Rajaei-CC-EDU-CSE-final.pdf. Ramani, R. Learning in the Cloud, Chief Learning Officer. March 2011. Retrieved from https:// www.chieflearningofficer.com/2011/03/10/learning-in-the-cloud/. Ramgovind, S., M.M. Eloff, and E. Smith. The Management of Cloud Computing Security. ISSA. 2010. Retrieved from https://digifors.cs.up.ac.za/issa/2010/Proceedings/Full/27_Paper.pdf. Richards, G., R. McGreal, and B. Stewart. Cloud Computing, and Adult Literacy: How Cloud Computing Can Sustain the Promise of Adult Learning. A report on emerging technology for the alpha plus project, 31 December. Cloud Computing and Adult Literacy, December 31, 2010. http://auspace.athabascau.ca. Ristenpart, T., E. Trommer, H. Shacham, and S. Savage. Hey, You, Get off of My Cloud: Exploring Information Leakage in Third-Party Compute Clouds. CCS’09. Chicago, Illinois, USA, ACM, 2009. Shaw, J.N., and T.D. Sarkar. “Model architecture for cloud-computing based library management”. New Review of Information Networking 24, no. 1 (2019): 17–30. Shen, Z., and Q. Tong. “The Security of Cloud Computing System Enabled by Trusted Computing Technology”. 2010 2nd International Conference on Signal Processing Systems (ICSPS), 11–15. IEEE 2010. Shen, Z., Q. Jia, S. Gur-Eyal, W. Song, H. Weatherspoon, and R.V. Renesse. “Supercloud: a library cloud for exploiting cloud diversity”. ACM Transactions on Computer Systems 35, no. 2 (2017). Sobel, W., S. Subramanyam, A. Sucharitakul, J. Nguyen, H. Wong, A. Klepchukov, S. Patil, O. Fox, and O. Patterson. Cloudstone: Multi-Platform, Multi-Language Benchmark and Measurement

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Tools for Web 2.0. Software Engineering Approaches for Offshore & Outsourced Development. 2008. Retrieved from http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary. Sudhier, K.G., and S.T. Seena. “Library Professionals’ adoption of cloud computing technologies: a case study on Kerala University Library”. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 2018. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325650926_ Library_Professionals’_Adoption_of_Cloud_Computing_Technologies_A_Case_Study_on_ Kerala_University_Library_India. Tomer, C.R., and S.W. Alman. “Cloud computing for LIS education”. In Getting started with Cloud computing, edited by E.M. Corrado and H.L. Moulasion, 59–68. London: Facet, 2011. Truong, H., and S. Dustdar. “Cloud Computing for Small Research Groups in Computational Science and Engineering: Current Status and Outlook”. Journal Computing – Cloud Computing 91, no. 1 (2011): 75–91. Tzoc, E., and J. Millard. “An On-demand and cloud-based digital scholarship applications dashboard”. Journal of Library Administration 57, no. 5 (2017): 563–576. Vecchiola, C., S. Pandey, and R.R. Buyya. High-Performance Cloud Computing: a view of scientific applications. In Proceedings of 10th International Symposium on Pervasive Systems, Algorithms, and Networks (ISPAN), 4–16. 2009. Retrieved from http://arxiv. org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0910/0910.1979.pdf. Velte, A.T., T.J. Velte, and R. Elsenpeter. Cloud Computing: A Practical Approach. United States: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Veni, P., and R. Massillamani. Resource sharing cloud for University clusters. In Proceedings 2010 IEEE/ACM Int’l Conference on Green Computing and Communications & Int’l Conference on Cyber, Physical and Social Computing. 2010. Retrieved from https:// ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5724934. Voorsluys, W., J. Broberg, and R. Buyya. “Introduction to cloud computing”. In Cloud computing: principles and paradigm, edited by R. Buyya, J. Broberg, and A. Goscinski, 1–41. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011. Wikipedia. LibraryThing. 2020. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibraryThing. Wolf, G. The data driven life. The New York Times Magazine. 2010. Retrieved from https:// www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/magazine/02self-measurement-t.html. Yaar, A., A. Perrig, and D. Song. SIFF: A Stateless Internet Flow Filter to Mitigate DDoS Flooding Attacks. Security and Privacy. Proceedings, 130–143. 2004. Yixin, Z. “A New Online Trading Platform Based on Cloud Computing”. 2010 Second IITA International Conference on Geoscience & Remote Sensing, 85–88. 2010. Yuvaraj, M. “Library automation with cloud based ILMS Librarika: case study of Central University of South Bihar”. Library HiTech News 33, no. 7 (2016): 13–17. Zhu, J. “Cloud computing technologies and applications”. In Handbook of Cloud Computing, edited by B. Furht and A. Escalante. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2010.

Chapter 5 Cloud Computing and Librarianship Libraries of today are not the same as they were 100 or even five years ago. They are constantly changing to serve users in an effective way. Libraries have to serve a generation that thinks, learns, reads, and solves problems differently. The next generation library is potentially a place for individual productivity and collaboration, and a creative space for audio and visuals, hackerspaces, and makerspaces for app development. In the prevalent Information Society, libraries have plenty of scope for improving their services and relevance. Cloud computing is one pathway to bring about significant benefits and create a better future. Cloud based services offer libraries new ways to serve users by adapting to work in a digital focused world. Libraries can take joint initiatives for deploying computing resources (hardware, data, and services) instead of hosting them separately for each library and managing the library collections and services separately. Various studies have stressed the problems associated with conventional ILS/ LMS which have been easily solved through the cloud computing capabilities of LSP. Sharing the computing resources and library data will save the library financially and prevent duplication of efforts: “The cloud computing model will encourage libraries and their users to participate in a network and community of libraries by enabling them to reuse information and socialize around information” (Kamila 2013). Library users across the world will also benefit by connecting and accessing through a single search point. Searching has taken place in the cloud for a long time. Cloud based infrastructure facilitates searching online collections and expanding the reach and accessibility of digitized collections around the world. Cloud computing has also provided the foundation for Web service based ILS. New library automation products are now being built to be deployed through cloud technologies. All library related software and products are moving into the cloud: “Many of the open source databases, digital archives, and subject catalogs provided to patrons run off Software-as-Service and Platform-as-Service infrastructures which allows libraries to gain the benefits of these applications without having to worry about IT maintenance or local hosting” (Gedetsis 2020). According to Marshall Breeding (2009), “Higher-profile projects in which the use of cloud computing seems particularly apparent include the infrastructure surrounding OCLC WorldCat and the DuraCloud repository platform”. Various universities are using the cloud-powered DaaS (Desktop as a Service) to stream applications to client devices from a central location. Libraries provide

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easy access to the patron without downloading and paying for the software separately in each machine. DaaS has provided the framework for developing a bookless library. Various cloud approaches and relevant library systems, to illustrate cloud computing application in libraries, can be seen in the table below. Table 5.1: Cloud approaches and relevant library systems. Cloud approaches

Relevant library systems

Software

OpenURL resolver Stats manager Research guides Online reference Citation managers E-journal portals StackMap

Platforms

Integrated library system Interlibrary loan Copyright compliance systems

Infrastructure

Discovery Digital repository Archives management Website Digital Storage Institutional repository

Cloud computing has affected computing needs and practices in many ways. The technology has been described and commented on at length in available literature. However, very few researches have been carried out on the impact of cloud computing on libraries.

5.1 Cloud Computing and Library Users Likes, reviews, ratings, and comments on cloud platforms like YouTube, Google, Facebook, Instagram, Ola, and Zomato are testimony of people’s interaction in the virtual world. Library patrons have evolved over a period of time. Now users have access to data from anywhere and anytime. In order to remain relevant in the scheme of things, libraries should be proactive to re-strategize and restructure the modes of information delivery to meet user needs. They should

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acknowledge technology trends and re-invent their services. Matthews (2011) has grouped library users into three categories: a) Digital fugitive: patrons who have not accepted the digital technology and prefer the “good old library” are digital fugitive. b) Digital migrant: patrons who have not grown up with digital technology but have integrated it as an obligation are digital migrants. c) Digital native: patrons who have grown up learning digital technology which has become an integral part of their life are digital natives. These three categories of users prefer to use applications and services over software. In order to hide the complexities of technology and let an inexperienced user focus on using applications or software, cloud computing technology is offered “as a service”. Library users in the cloud environment can be divided into two groups based on different levels of involvement with the computing infrastructure. On the basis of accessibility to the cloud library there are: – Prominent Users: these users possess necessary infrastructure and tools to access the library resources and services available in the cloud – Laggards: these users do not possess necessary infrastructure and tools to access the library resources and services available in the cloud On the basis of design of the cloud library there are: – Front end users: the ones who access the cloud resources and services through their devices – Back end users: the programmers and developers who create programmes or applications according to the user requirements

5.2 Cloud Computing and Libraries In the age of cloud computing, libraries have now emerged as community centers and bookless libraries to serve user needs. According to Guion (2017), libraries long ago ceased to be primarily a collection of books, and librarians ceased to be custodians of books. The nature of the library collection has also changed in the cloud. As access to information through Internet in the cloud has become easy, many categories of books have become redundant. New book types are online phone books, digital books, interactive maps etc. Academic libraries which were once warehouses of books, storing and disseminating old and outdated texts, are giving way to

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bookless libraries. In a bookless library, library space is used for public computers, digital devices, and other media to access and disseminate digital content. BiblioTech library is the first bookless library to be established. Bookless libraries are widely considered a potential model for future libraries, with modernization, increased availability of space, and lower costs cited as potential benefits (Wikipedia 2020). Both traditional computing and cloud computing environments can be examined to explore the differences of working in each setting. Figure 5.1 explores libraries working in the traditional computing environment.

Figure 5.1: Traditional IT library environments (source: author’s research).

Figure 5.2 shows the situation of libraries working in the cloud computing environment. It is clear from the figures that the computing infrastructure managed by library staff in the traditional computing environment has shifted into the cloud environment. In this environment libraries can focus on their mission and services

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Figure 5.2: Cloud computing environment (source: author’s research).

instead of looking after typical IT infrastructure management works. Renowned library technologist and veteran Marshall Breeding coined the term “Library Services Platform” in 2011 for the next generation of integrated library management systems which are designed to handle collections of all formats. According to Mohammed Ali (2018), “Library Services Platforms take advantage of cloud computing & Web technologies to provide capabilities to manage physical, digital & electronic materials in a single unified system”. Major Library Services Platforms providers include BLUECloud/ Bluecloud campus (SirsiDynix product), Intota (Serials Solutions, ProQuest product), Alma (ExLibris, ProQuest product), Sierra (Innovative Interfaces product), Bibliovation (LibLime, PTFS product), WorldShare Management Services (OCLC product), and Open source projects such as Kuali OLE and FOLIO. Goldner (2010) has justified the move of libraries into the cloud computing environment and pointed out various avenues where libraries were already using the cloud: – Most library computer systems are built on pre-Web technology.

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– Systems distributed across the Net using pre-Web technology are harder and more costly to integrate. – Libraries store and maintain much of the same data hundreds and thousands of times. – With library data scattered across distributed systems, the library’s Web presence is weakened. – With libraries running independent systems, collaboration between libraries is difficult and expensive. – 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. Some features of a library in the cloud are listed below (Yuvaraj 2015b): – It contains a variety of information resources stored and accessed in the cloud, ranging from text to graphics and audio-video. – These resources do not require installation of any software for its readability or viewability, except for broadband connectivity and a Web browser. – Users and services are distributed across the world. – It links the resources of many libraries. – Painless IT solutions mean the user rarely has to install or update the application or software being delivered. – The cloud library services are offered on pay per use basis. – The cloud library is independent of time, space, language, and technology barriers. – It enables an effective and efficient interaction among the different users and library professionals through blogs and social networking. – It offers more advanced and dedicated applications. – It creates a digital world in the cloud where data, computing capabilities (Virtual CPU), and servers are stored and protected. – It offers a platform to design innovative applications for the library users. There are no fixed principles or guidelines for migrating library data into the cloud or services which can be offered in the cloud. However, to understand cloud computing applications in libraries, constructive research methods can be used, based on the construction of new knowledge through drawing ideas from existing knowledge used in new ways, while possibly adding a few missing links. Using the constructive research method, four categories of libraries in the cloud can be identified:

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5.2.1 Open Cloud Library Model In an open cloud library model the library data, application, and services are hosted in the public cloud.

5.2.2 Closed Cloud Library Model In a closed library model the library data, application, and services are hosted in the private cloud with access limitations managed by the library or the service provider. These services stay within a firewall.

5.2.3 Integrated Cloud Library Model Libraries having the same mission and user groups may collaborate to create a common cloud. For example, IITs in India have collaborated to create NPTEL – an e-learning cloud platform for sharing learning materials for engineering students.

5.2.4 Publisher’s Cloud Library Model In this model publishers create a private cloud to host the e-content (e-books, e-journals, e-zines, e-thesis, e-prints) in the cloud. Libraries can pay the subscription fee to publishers and provide access to the users. Most of the e-journals and e-databases are provided by the publishers on this model. Most of the remote login software for providing access to e-content off university premises is offered on SaaS on a cloud platform.

5.3 Library Services in Cloud Environment Libraries can offer a range of services in the cloud computing environment, such as: – Cloud based access to library collections through the OPAC – Just in time during need on demand library services – Cloud based recommender system to offer a user friendly retrieval strategy, for example BiblioCommons – Cloud based discovery layers to make the special collections of the library which are not catalogued accessible to users

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– Cloud based citation management tools for sharing content, forming communities, managing citations, and recommending resources – Cloud based efficient management and organization of scholarly communications – Cloud based library apps allowing the user to access the library data – Cloud based StackMap, shelf-mapping software enabling users to locate the physical location of a book – Real-time CAS and SDI services through emails, RSS feeds or Web feeds, social networking websites, and blogs – Global Cooperation in maintaining bibliographic and authority records – Global collaboration in preservation and digitization – Collaborative management of user generated contents in the cloud

5.4 Cloud Service Providers for Libraries For creating a cloud library, any library, be it public, academic or special, has to depend on computing resources and service providers available in the cloud. There are many cloud service providers offering a range of services, which have been grouped here according to their type of offering.

5.4.1 On the Basis of Service Layer Offerings The cloud computing platform is available as three service offerings: Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. We have already discussed this in detail in Chapter 2. Table 5.2 lists the key vendors that libraries may view as viable solutions as per their functional requirements. Table 5.2: Cloud vendors and service offerings (source: author’s research). Service Layers

Functions

Cloud vendors

IaaS

Backup

Backupify Jungle Disk Mozy Online Backup SpiderOak Zmanda Cloud Backup

5.4 Cloud Service Providers for Libraries

Table 5.2 (continued ) Service Layers

Functions

Cloud vendors

IaaS

Computation

Amazon EC AT & T Synaptic Cloud Cloud Servers CloudSigma GoGrid Layered Tech Navisite Verizon CaaS Rackspace Cloud Servers

IaaS

Content delivery

Amazon CloudFront

IaaS

Cloud management

New Relic RightScale Standing Cloud

IaaS

Services management

CloudWatch Scalr Ylastic

IaaS

Storage

Amazon EBS Amazon S AT&T Synaptic EMC Atmos Online Rackspace Cloud Files Zetta

PaaS

Database

Amazon RDS Amazon SimpleDB Cloudant Database/ MS Azure Rackspace Drizzle

PaaS

Development and testing

BrowserMob CollabNet Keynote Systems LoadStorm Rational Software Delivery Services RhoHub Skytap SOASTA WhiteHat Sentinel

109

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Table 5.2 (continued ) Service Layers

Functions

Cloud vendors

PaaS

Integration

Amazon SNS Amazon SQS Apigee Appian Anywhere Boomi IBM Cast Iron Informatica Cloud SnapLogic

PaaS

General purpose

Caspio Engine Yard Etelos Force.com Google App Engine Heroku.com InfoDome LongJump MS Azure services Orangescape Qrimp Rollbase Smart Platform Vmforce.com

SaaS

Billing

Aria systems eVapt Redi Zuora

SaaS

Collaboration

Acrobat.com Box.net ExpanDrive IBM LotusLive MindQuilt MS Office Live NetDocuments Socialtext

SaaS

Content management

Clickability Crownpeak Mosaic NetDocuments SpringCM

SaaS

Productivity

Google Docs MS Office 

5.4 Cloud Service Providers for Libraries

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5.4.2 On the Basis of Features and Purpose 5.4.2.1 Cloud Storage Providers A cloud storage provider offers an organization and users with an infrastructure to store and save their data on online hard drives. The data in these hard drives are stored in faraway data centers. The stored data can be accessed from anywhere, depending on network connectivity. The fifth law of library science states that the library is a growing organism. The biggest threat that a traditional library faces is the space crisis. Physically, libraries cannot expand to accommodate a growing collection that becomes larger every year. But, with cloud based storage facility libraries can store significant amount of data with the cloud service provider and serve user needs instead of removing part of the collection to accommodate new books. Table 5.3 presents a comparative view of cloud based storage service providers. The study shows mixed results. There is no any clear service provider which justifies itself for the storage needs of the libraries. Google Drive and SkyDrive offer larger storing capacity but they are lacking in compatibility. They can only run on Windows or Android operating systems. On the other hand, Dropbox is the best storage solution in terms of compatibility but it lacks storage volume. For selecting a cloud storage provider librarians should be responsible for the following: a) While selecting the cloud storage provider librarians should not choose providers simply as they offer services at a cheap rate. The librarian should comparatively analyze features such as storage space, data uploading downloading speeds, and reliability. They should ascertain that there is a money back guarantee in case of dissatisfaction. b) The cloud computing paradigm is independent of location and can be accessed on any media with network connectivity. Under such circumstances, the library data stored in the cloud should be compatible with PCs, mobile devices, tablets, Android apps, iPads, and iPhone apps. c) Availability of features such as backups (automated or scheduled), file and folder sharing facilities as well as data restoration should be confirmed. d) Lastly, the cloud storage infrastructure should be easy to use and supplemented by phone, email, chatting supports, and video tutorials. 5.4.2.2 Cloud Operating Systems Providers Cloud based operating services are Web based applications that imitate the application capabilities of traditional operating systems such as Windows or Linux. They have a virtual desktop interface with Web based productivity, communication, and

GB

–

GB

GB

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

Windows, Android

Free storage

File size limit

Media streaming

Bandwidth throttling

Password protection

File sharing

File and folder collaboration

PP sharing

OS compatibility

Windows, Linux, Android, BlackBerry

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Drop Box

Google Drive

Features

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

GB

GB

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

–

GB

SkyDrive Mozy

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

–

GB

SpiderOak

Windows Windows Windows Windows, Android

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

–

GB

iCloud

Windows, Linux, Android

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

MB

GB

Box

Cloud based storage service providers

Table 5.3: Cloud based storage service providers (source: author’s research).

Windows, Android

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

–

GB

Cubby

Windows, Android

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

–

GB

Live Drive

112 Chapter 5 Cloud Computing and Librarianship

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application tools. In traditional computing the library’s IT staff had to engage in configuring, installing, and updating the operating system. But in cloud based operating systems users need to create a login ID and password to use the resources. Table 5.4 presents a comparative study of various cloud based operating system providers. The study shows that Glide is the best operating system solution for libraries in the cloud. It has more storage as well as features that can be the best alternative to traditional operating systems. For selecting a cloud operating system provider librarians should do the following: a) Firstly, comparatively evaluate the price of the operating systems in terms of subscription (either on use basis or any subscription plan), inbound and outbound bandwidth prices, plan costs per hour and relevant details, and the additional IP costs. b) Weigh the features in terms of paid basis and offered freely. Auto scaling, load balancing, monitoring, root accessibility along with file and Web hosting services should be given principal importance. c) Focus on and evaluate compatibility of operating system, processor speed, and the programming languages (Java, PHP, Ruby and others) support. d) Finally, examine the support services offered by the provider. 5.4.2.3 Cloud Infrastructure Providers A cloud infrastructure provider offers the user infrastructure to work in the cloud environment: private (private cloud), public (public cloud), and hybrid (public + private) networks. These providers offer service components of cloud computing, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS) to individuals or organizations. Some cloud operating system providers are: – StratoGen: offers a one stop solution of necessary infrastructure to leverage the cloud for the organization. It allows the end user to cost effectively scale out hosted infrastructure from a single VMware workstation to multisite environments. It allows the facility to run multiple virtual machines along with the actual machines. – Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2): a Web service that provides the end user with resizable computing capacity in the cloud. It provides complete control over computing resources and allows the user to work in an environment verified by Amazon.

– GB

Spam filters Free from spam and ads

Online hard disk Free from spam

Limited disk storage

Office suite, media player, photo editor, webmail, address book





Launched

Applications Office suite, media player, photo-editor, calendar, webmail, address book, blogging, publishing and Internet searching

Jolicloud

TransMedia Corporation

Developer

http://www.jolicloud. com/jolios

Joli

http://www.glideos.com/

Glide

Completely free

– GB

Application manager, text editors, audio player (champ), calendar and weather widget and RSS reader

Hakan Bilgin, System Architect

http://cloudo.com/

Cloudo

Cloud based operating service providers

URL

Features

Table 5.4: Cloud based operating system providers (source: author’s research).

Free from spam

– GB

Office suite, toolkit for new apps creation, text editing facility, remote storage



eyeOS forum

http://www.eyeos.com/

Eye

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5.4.2.4 Cloud based Productivity Suites Cloud based productivity suites are integrated and packaged tools for communication, collaboration, and document management tools exclusively designed for the office needs of an organization. They are a cloud based alternative to traditional office suites. Use of cloud based productivity suites in libraries saves cost as well as improves accessibility and resiliency over on-premises solutions. Table 5.5 presents a comparative take of two major cloud based productivity suites suitable for libraries. Table 5.5: Cloud based productivity suites (source: author’s research). Features

Cloud based productivity suite provider Google Docs

MS Office 

URL

http://docs.google.com/

http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/

Owner

Google

Microsoft

Launched





Office suite:

Google Apps

Office  Apps

(a) Word processing

Document

Word

(b) Presentation

Presentation

PowerPoint

(c) Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet

Excel

(d) Other

Form and drawing

OneNote

System requirements

Simply a Web browser

Software plug-ins and the .NET framework

Offline editing

Document and spreadsheet Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote

Document searching and navigation

Google Drive

Microsoft SkyDrive

Import and export option

Document, Presentation, and Spreadsheet

Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote

Cost

$ a month

$ per month or $ per year

Storage

GB-SharePoint online, GB mailbox

GB storage, GB email inboxes.

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The study clearly points out that although Google is the leading player in cloud computing it cannot replace Microsoft. MS Office 365 offers high functionality and office solutions for the library sector. 5.4.2.5 Cloud based Mailing Services Many libraries and users use cloud based email solutions which are either developed on-premises or licensed to a third-party service such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Hotmail. They are an excellent means of communication through which one can send email and attachments anywhere in the world, which are stored on the server of the cloud service provider. Table 5.6 presents a comparative study of various cloud based email solutions for libraries. The study shows that Outlook and Gmail are the best mailing solutions for libraries. They are multilingual, offer larger data storage capacity, and can run on various media as needed in libraries. 5.4.2.6 Cloud based Cataloging Suites Cloud based cataloging suites are Web applications that store and share book catalogues, meant for use by individuals, authors, libraries, and publishers. They avoid data redundancy and ensure uniformity. Some cloud based catalogue suite providers are compared in Table 5.7. It is evident from the study that Biblios has all the features to suit a library’s cataloging needs. It is free of cost and has larger functionality, unlike other suites. 5.4.2.7 Cloud based Calendar Services The library deals with a number of events and literacy programmes, meaning the role of the calendar is highly important. In the traditional environment the library did not have enough tools to reach out to all its users or staff. However, cloud based calendar services have been extremely useful for libraries in this regard. Table 5.8 compares three leading cloud based calendar service providers. The study reveals that Google Calendar surpasses all other calendars. It has many features that libraries have been desperate for. Although many features of Zoho Calendar are similar to Google Calendar they appear to be a clone of Google Calendar for the large part. 5.4.2.8 Cloud Security Providers Library works involve large data, meaning perceptions of security are still the biggest obstacle to wider cloud adoption by libraries. Cloud security providers attempt to keep the cloud infrastructure secure, safe, and protected. The cloud

Unlimited

 GB

Inbox storage



Gmail mobile

Gmail search, Gmail chat and money transfer through Google Wallet

Languages supported

Mobile apps

Additional features

SMS messaging, Yahoo messenger integration and Yahoo applications (Flickr, WordPress)

Yahoo mobile



 MB

October 

April 

Launched

Max  MB Attachment size

Yahoo Inc.

Google Inc.

Owner

www.mail.yahoo.com

Yahoo Mail

www.mail. google.com

Gmail

URL

Features



 MB

Unlimited



Rediff, India

www.mail. rediff.com

Rediffmail



 MB

Unlimited

March 

AOL

www.webmail.aol. com

AOL



 MB

Unlimited

July 

Microsoft

www.outlook.com

Outlook

Customized domain name selection

Mobile Unlimited storage, accessibility, spam and virus email alerts protection, customized domain name selection

Complete privacy, Office Web apps integration, conversation threading, Skype integration, feature to create alias emails, single-use code for passwords

Available on Rediff mobile Available on Android Available on Windows Phone Android and iOS.



 MB

Unlimited



United Internet

www.mail. com/int/

Mail

Cloud mailing service providers

Table 5.6: Cloud mailing service providers (source: author’s research).

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Table 5.7: Cloud based cataloging suite providers (source: author’s research). Features

Cloud based cataloging suites providers LibraryThing

Biblios

BookWhere

Connexion

http://www. librarything. com/

www.biblios.net

http://www.book where.net/login. html

http://connexion. oclc.org/

Originated 







Owner

Tim Spalding

LibLime

WebClarity software Inc.

OCLC

Cost

Free for cataloging  books, $ per year and $ for lifetime

No charges, completely free

$. for Australian customers and $ for New Zealand and overseas customers

Available on subscription to institutional members

Features

Searching, sorting, tagging, and organization of books using LC and DDC

Explore any database, Z. support, metadata editing tools, data sharing and transferring, realtime embedded chats, built-in forums, and email integration

Resource sharing, copy cataloging, batch searching, record rating, and data exporting

Create, view, update, export records, copy and original cataloging, authority linking, extraction of metadata, and online documentation

URL

security providers at their level try to best protect the assets of an organization in the cloud from various threats. Some cloud security providers are: – Firehost Secure Cloud hosting: provides secure, powerful, and flexible hosting for applications of various sizes. It offers a powerful and secured portal with no setup fees or contracts. – Cloudmark: a cloud based email security solution. It can be deployed quickly and easily and does not require any setup costs or management resources.

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Table 5.8: Cloud based calendar service providers (source: author’s research). Features

Cloud based calendar service providers Google Calendar

Yahoo Calendar

Zoho

URL

www.google.com/ calendar

www.calendar.yahoo.com

https://www.zoho.com/ calendar/

Developer

Google

Yahoo

Zoho

Originated







Reminders Event add function No Multiple calendar Yes No and events

Yes Yes

Event control

Auto-decline option

No

No

View

Complete one year No view

No

Rescheduling

Feature available

Feature available

Complete customization

Privacy

No

Information sharing and disclosure control

No

Notification

SMS, email, subscription, RSS

email

SMS, email

Event attachment

Feature available

No such feature

Yes

Alarm

Feature available

Feature available

Yes

Compatibility

Windows, Android

Windows, Linux, Android

Windows, Android

For selecting a cloud security provider librarians should take care of the following: a) Firstly, check out the range of scalability and control offered by the cloud security provider. b) Give preference to processing speed, disk space allocations, availability of SSD storage, and bandwidth. c) Explore the level of security provided. Cloud security should include unlimited firewall zones, Web application protection, network isolation, and secured access to Virtual Private Network (VPN). d) Confirm that the provider offers data backups and third party application support.

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5.4.2.9 Cloud Network Providers The true potential of a library based in the cloud environment can only be realized with universal, high-speed network connectivity. Attempts have been undertaken in this regard in other sectors, such as airlines starting satellite based Wi-Fi flights and downtown areas being wired with hotspots (Yuvaraj 2015a). Cloud network providers are still evolving. The cloud is a popular public access Wi-Fi provider that has thousands of hotspots. It provides simpler, faster, and the most reliable broadband connectivity for the people wherever they go. Through the cloud anyone can be entertained at any place, work anywhere, and chat on Skype and FaceTime at any moment. Accessibility to computing resources in the cloud are provided with WiFi connectivity.

5.5 Libraries Based in Cloud in Context of Five Laws of Library Science There has been a shift by library users towards using the cloud. Users have developed a tendency to remain connected to the Web through cloud services such as Webmail (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Sify Mail) and online storage systems (SkyDrive, IDrive, Box.net). There has been sharp increase in the usage of Web based office tools (Google Docs and Zoho) in recent times. Further, to keep themselves abreast of recent developments, users are using Web based RSS readers (Bloglines, Google Reader). All these activities are performed in the cloud which can be used through a Web browser with Internet connectivity. The cloud has evolved as a place for global entertainment (YouTube, Flickr, Hulu) as well as social networking (Twitter, Facebook, Hi5). Various platforms in the cloud are offering Web based useful applications: Pando (sharing large files), Adobe Photoshop Express (online photo editors), and Jumpcut (edit videos online). The cloud is also being used as an open source development network to share source codes (Drupal). With the orientation of library users towards the cloud, libraries need to reengineer themselves in the cloud ecosystem. Since time immemorial, Ranganathan’s five laws have been the soul of library professional practises. These laws can be adapted in the cloud to justify the shift from bricks and mortar libraries to cloud libraries. They are the foundation for any cloud based library services.

5.5.1 First Law: Books are for use It stresses that the centrality of the existence of the libraries lies in providing unrestrained and unfettered accessibility to documents. Libraries are the nodal

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center for serving people with information. As such, the virtualization trend brought about by cloud computing demands for a cloud based library that can be accessed from the luxury of one’s home at any time. A library can host its database in the cloud backed by a search engine through which users can search for and gain access to documents through a Web OPAC or library services platform (LSP). Moreover, library staff should maintain virtual profiles (blogs, social networks) to interact with users and redesign the library services.

5.5.2 Second Law: Every Reader his or her Book It argues that library users have manifold information needs and there is always knowledge to satisfy these. It attempts to eradicate the monopoly of people over the recorded knowledge. It demands the nurturing of open avenues of available knowledge. Cloud libraries can develop integrated search mechanisms and global tagging to discover resources. It is the obligation of library authorities, states, library staff, and readers to realize such a vision. Moreover, it is the responsibility of librarians to judge the genuineness of information which can be freely generated in the cloud.

5.5.3 Third Law: Every Book its Reader This law focuses on user literacy to promote documents which are unknown to users, so as to monitor the wastage of library resources. With the 2.0 universe in the picture there is a need to redesign and redevelop library services. The future demands for collaborative, customized, and seamless services which can be realized by a cloud library. Employing cloud based tools such as blogs, folksonomies, podcasts, social media, RSS feeds, and multi format references (IM, MMS, and SMS) can allow librarians to reach users.

5.5.4 Fourth Law: Save the Time of the User/ Staff With the continuous expansion of print and electronic resources, library users often feel like they are drowning in a sea of information. New channels and tributaries of information generation and dissemination have made the water perilous and polluted the cloud. The law henceforth encourages organized and helpful library tools to navigate resources in the cloud. It also demands for usage of reference 2.0 services in the libraries.

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5.5.5 Fifth Law: Library is a Growing Organism In the analogue world spaciousness was an elemental issue, which has been a significantly inescapable phenomenon in the cloud also. The future of cloud libraries includes demands for higher database size and platforms to adopt in the cloud. The five laws of library science necessitate the cloud library services and resources, with the change in trend brought about by cloud computing strategies. With the change in library user behaviour the existence of libraries at stake can reinvigorate themselves through cloud based library solutions and services. In the context of libraries working in the cloud environment, new laws/ principles of LIS with modifications in Ranganathan’s laws, as quoted by notable LIS veteran Professor Shali Urs, are noteworthy, where the prime focus is on content generation and dissemination in the cloud. The modified laws are as follows (Sawant 2020): 1. Content is for all (content is inclusive and exhaustive) 2. Curate content for all users (every user defines their content and the kind and level of curating) 3. Curate content for usability (the prime function of libraries is curating) 4. Accessibility, accuracy, and efficacy of content defines usability (measures of usability) 5. Content is unbounded and dynamically changing (content is like a flowing river; one cannot step into the same river again)

5.6 Key Cloud Players for Libraries in Cloud Environment There are four key players (Figure 5.3) that play an important role in the cloud computing paradigm for libraries.

5.6.1 Cloud Infrastructure Consumers Any library or individual who prefers to use cloud computing infrastructures are the consumers. The library purchases the cloud infrastructure and hosts its databases on any cloud service provider’s server. Users can access this infrastructure through any Web-browser enabled device which will be metered.

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Consumers Providers Regulators Integrators

CLOUD LIBRARY

Figure 5.3: Players in cloud library environment (source: author’s research).

5.6.2 Cloud Infrastructure Providers A cloud infrastructure provider owns and controls cloud computing systems to deliver services (software, platform or infrastructure) to libraries. Currently there is a plentifulness of big and small players in the cloud dominated by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. However, there is ample space for outsiders also. The cloud market offers the opportunity to collaborate and partner with service providers.

5.6.3 Cloud Infrastructure Integrators The role of cloud infrastructure integrators is to collaborate with big infrastructure holding cloud providers to bring their services to customers. They especially benefit a larger section of smaller, less experienced entrants to cloud markets that have not achieved expertise in these areas.

5.6.4 Cloud Infrastructure Regulators Lillard et al. (2010) state that “Cloud computing comes with its own set of standards, terminology and best practises that can be difficult to manage within the traditional information security context” (9). Although the cloud computing industry does not yet have any committed regulatory body, it is governed by Internet regulations. However, as the cloud computing operations face problems

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such as data security, ownership, location, privacy, and intellectual property, there is an utmost need for a regulatory body.

5.7 Libraries in Cloud Computing Platform – SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT is an acronym that stands for four crucial nuts and bolts (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) which are used to judge the feasibility of any phenomenon. It is a highly effectual tool for identifying existing conditions as well as predicting possible future conditions. Here is an attempt to use this method with regards to cloud libraries.

5.7.1 Strengths – – – – – – – – –

Shared library resources and computing resources delivered via Web Cost savings on maintaining and delivering services No hardware and software maintenance in the libraries Focus on library goals and services Subscription based services monitor the waste of resources Data and services mobility Ubiquitous availability of the libraries Contiguous digital library environment in the cloud No significant effort required

5.7.2 Weaknesses – – – – – –

Reliance on network connectivity Unclear cloud regulations and legislations Huge dependency on cloud resources for computing works Opaque data location in the cloud and privacy restrictions Trust over storing data in the database of cloud library service provider Lack of planning co-ordination

5.7.3 Opportunities – Interoperability of library services in the cloud – Agility and flexibility of cloud library services

5.8 Initiatives of Libraries in Cloud Computing Platform

– – – –

125

Growth in cloud services Dependence of users on the Web Preference of library users for electronic information rather than print media Use of wireless technologies

5.7.4 Threats – – – – – –

Abuse and nefarious use of cloud libraries Insecure interfaces and APIs Malicious insiders Shared technology issues Data loss or leakage Account or service hijacking in the cloud

5.8 Initiatives of Libraries in Cloud Computing Platform Cloud computing has been recognized as a legitimate area of research and application. Its implications are scattered across a wide range of disciplines. Some of the notable initiatives exclusive to libraries include:

5.8.1 OCLC’s Webscale OCLC’s Webscale is an exemplary cloud computing solution for libraries. OCLC for a long time has been offering libraries global access to its readymade database of catalogues stored in the cloud. They have started world share management services that aim to move library routine activities including acquisitions, circulation, subscription, and license management to the Web, powered by a cloud database. It aims to save time, money, and resources, as well as streamline library operations.

5.8.2 Ex-Libris Cloud It is a leading provider of library automation solutions of print, electronic, and digital documents that cater to the library’s needs of resource description, management, and distribution. Some of products of Ex-libris offered in the cloud are:

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– Primo discovery and delivery: a one-stop solution for the libraries to provide their resources in the cloud that can be accessed by users remotely. – Integrated library system (Aleph and Voyager): an integrated library solution providing a variety of different library modules in the cloud. It is Web based and can be used by any institutions and consortia. – SFX scholarly linking: an OpenURL link resolver that can be hosted locally or managed by Ex Libris. It contains menu driven links to full text or other scholarly services for users and librarians, backed by a powerful knowledge base. It also contains tools for user statistics, managing collections, and report analysis. – MetaLib metasearching: enables users to search multiple, diverse remote resources at the same time. – Verde e-resource management: a single point tool for libraries to manage electronic products and collections. – Digital asset management tools (Digitool and Rosetta): an important tool to create, manage, and provide access to databases of digital collections. – Alma: a next generation library management service designed to consolidate, optimize, and extend the range of library services in the cloud. It offers unified resource management, collaborative metadata management, intelligent collection development, and cloud based services to reduce the investment of libraries on ownership of cloud infrastructure and provide accessibility to shared services and data.

5.8.3 OSS Labs OSS Labs are exploiting Amazon’s elastic cloud computing platform to provide Koha (Open Source Integrated Library System) and DSpace (open access scholarly or published repository software) hosting and maintenance services to subscribing libraries. It has offered painless IT solutions for librarians independent of obligations to update and maintain services and who are focused on library missions. In the near future it is expected that OSS Labs in India will be providing cloud based solutions to library users also.

5.8.4 DuraSpace’s DuraCloud It is an open source platform that offers on-demand storage and services in the cloud to library users and staff. It claims to be the only service through which

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one can move copies of their content into the cloud. A user can view, manage, stream, and transform the stored data from anywhere at any time.

5.8.5 Shared Academic Knowledge Base plus or KB+ It is a part of JISC (Joint Information System Committee, UK)’s digital library infrastructure which offers services over the cloud, with libraries or users accessing it through their desktop PC or devices with Web browsers across the Internet. It includes databases covering all subscribed resources from a UK higher education perspective. The database covers publication information, holdings, subscription management, organizations, licences, usage statistics, and financial data in an online catalogue across all UK academic libraries. This is not an attempt to develop a new electronic resource management system; the focus is on creating a global database and developing a community of library practises. This aims to simplify the challenge of collating accurate, quality, and timely data across UK universities. It keeps a check on inconsistency of delivery of data to the libraries.

5.8.6 3M Library Systems The 3M Cloud library offers a user friendly flexible e-book lending system. Users can browse, read, and issue titles that are of interest. It uses the latest mobile technology to offer users the facilities to explore and borrow e-books from anywhere at any time. Users can make personal accounts to access these services. They are also provided with bookmarking facilities.

5.9 Role of Librarians in Cloud Computing Environment Cloud librarians are a new genus of librarians having lineage from cybrarians (librarians engaged in cyberspace). They are a group of highly skilled and competent librarians who can work in a cloud landscape and nurture cloud libraries. The role of these librarians includes: 1. A cloud library involves librarians dealing with cloud resources and finding the best solutions at the least cost with quality service, ensuring optimal satisfaction. 2. A cloud librarian should maintain their virtual profile by creating his or her blog or social network profile to interact with the user. The same platform

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can be used for providing reference services and educating users on cloud resources or how to use the cloud infrastructure. 3. A cloud librarian should use his or her strategic planning and decisionmaking ability at different stages of developing a cloud library. 4. A cloud librarian should have command over managing each and every aspect of cloud library services irrespective of their place of work in a library section. 5. A cloud librarian should have troubleshooting abilities. 6. A cloud librarian should be well equipped and have sound knowledge of the devices used in the cloud.

5.10 Limitations of Libraries Although cloud computing is a low cost solution for organizations such as libraries it suffers from a number of limitations: – Cloud libraries’ demands for globally integrated cloud infrastructure are difficult for multilingual information resources. – Non-availability of library intermediaries in the cloud environment affects the information competency of users. – Cloud libraries largely depend on high-speed network connectivity, which cannot always be guaranteed. – Limited transparency offered by the cloud service provider to the cloud libraries may be a barrier for its adoption. – There is always a concern over putting proprietary data into the hands of a cloud service provider. – Most cloud service providers offer the same terms and conditions for every user and will not negotiate with individual users or libraries. – Uncertainty and doubt surrounding the ownership of data in the cloud. – Data retention or permanence in the cloud.

5.11 Future Scope The future of cloud libraries is uncertain but it appears as though cloud computing will move users away from the bricks and mortar libraries. To the unconscious library users and staff it appears harmless but cloud computing poses a substantial storm to the practise of librarianship. As discussed earlier there has been a drastic change in user behaviour with a preference for accessing information in the cloud

References

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from home. Some of the central issues for cloud libraries which need to be worked out in future are: – Framing “Canon of Cloud Libraries” that should be the guiding principle for alliance of libraries with cloud computing. – Addressing the problem of cloud library legislations. – Addressing the expenses and justifying the issues over cloud library budget. – Defining the scope and boundaries of the library services in the cloud. – Resolving data trust, privacy, migration, and backups. – Identifying competencies for the new role of cloud librarians.

References Breeding, M. “The advance of computing from the ground to the cloud”. Computers in Libraries 29, no. 10 (2009). http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/nov09/Breeding.shtml. Gedetsis, J. Libraries turn to cloud computing for storage needs. The Forecast. 2020. Retrieved from https://www.nutanix.com/theforecastbynutanix/industry/libraries-turn-to-cloudcomputing-for-storage-needs. Goldner, M. Winds of change: Libraries and cloud computing. 2010. Retrieved from https:// www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/events/2011/files/IFLA-winds-of-change-paper.pdf. Guion, D. What’s a library without books? Some bookless libraries. Reading, Writing, Research. 2017. Retrieved from https://www.allpurposeguru.com/2017/05/whats-librarywithout-books/. Kamila, K. “Role of Cloud Computing in modern libraries: a critical approach”. International Journal of Information, Library and Society 2, no. 1 (2013): 6–14. Lillard, T.V., C.P. Garrison, C.A. Schiller, and J. Steele. Digital forensics for network, Internet and cloud computing: a forensic evidence guide for moving targets and data. Burlington, USA: Elsevier, 2010. Mohammed Ali, S. Library services platform: A platform for innovation. LAS-NLB Professional Sharing Session: Innovation. Research Collection Library. 2018. Retrieved from http:// ink.library.smu.edu.sg/library_research/114. Sawant, S. Shalini Urs: The emergent field of information science continues to search for identity and a suitable paradigm. Open interview: answers worth knowing. 2020. Retrieved from https://openinterview.org/2020/02/28/shalini-urs-the-emergent-field-ofinformation-science-continues-to-search-for-identity-and-a-suitable-paradigm/. Wikipedia. Bookless library. 2020. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookless_ library. Yuvaraj, M. “Cloud Computing Software and Solutions for Libraries: A Comparative Study.” Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries 12, no. 1 (2015a): 25–41. Yuvaraj, M. “Cloud libraries”. Library HiTech News 32, no. 8 (2015b): 19–23.

Chapter 6 Cloud Computing in LIS Education 6.1 Technology Trends in Education Reviewing the current articles, interviews, papers, reports, and new researches extensively, the following technology trends can be identified in the education sector. Trend 1: Students are being empowered through technology. With the advancement of technologies from Web 1.0 (passive/ one-way communication platform) based on legacy IT infrastructure to Web 2.0 (active/ twoway communication platform based in the cloud), students are empowered to move beyond the classroom for interaction and exploration. Trend 2: Increase in platforms for user collaboration and generating contents in the cloud, leading to enormous information in the cloud. With the rise in several channels for easily generating content online, users now have access to a variety of information in various formats, generated through various sources. It has now become a challenging task to filter authentic information to teach students. Trend 3: The Web is getting participative. The Web is getting intelligent and is trying to understand user behavior in cloud. Based on user behavior, the Internet is providing information. Trend 4: Learning is getting social. Unlike traditional learning where the instructor imparts lessons to the learners, learning is now getting social, where both instructor and learner are generating content and collaborating in the cloud. Examining the four major technology trends carefully shows that it is cloud computing infrastructure in the background which is driving these changes. It is henceforth imperative to study the pedagogical changes brought about by cloud computing in a Library and Information Science scenario.

6.2 Cloud Computing in Pedagogy In higher education cloud computing is a newly emerging technological frontier having applications in pedagogy. Higher education is a strong enabling force to https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-007

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achieve sustainable growth. But in order to impart higher education in an economy, huge funding is required for procuring resources such as books, journals, databases, and educational software (Kim and Bonk 2006). However, in order to maintain the required level of higher education with a reduction in external funding, colleges and universities are switching to cloud computing as a flexible and affordable solution to meet the increasing demand for online courses and learning technologies (Sultan 2010). Many educational institutions have identified the value of cloud computing (Xu and Xu 2013). According to Alam (2013), new virtual machines can be deployed to any university campus in minutes from a central console rather than having to requisition physical servers and send staff to set them up. Use of electronic media or e-learning to facilitate learning is transforming educational experiences at colleges and universities (Bora and Ahmed 2013; Kats 2013, James and Weber 2016). According to Dong et al. (2009), these online tools and learning materials are constantly being integrated into e-learning in a cloud computing environment. E-learning ecosystems are slowly replacing traditional textbooks, while assignments and traditional courses are being replaced by hybrid or online courses (James and Weber 2016). Cloud computing in education helps students, teachers, and administrators alike. Cloud computing allows students access to homework wherever there is an Internet connection, teachers to instantly upload learning materials, and administrators to easily collaborate with one another and save money on data storage (Gottsegen 2019). Various e-learning materials and tools are increasingly being made available and used by learners of Library and Information Science. The integration of teaching resources allows for a more rational and efficient use of these so as to improve teaching quality (Xu and Xu 2013). These resources or courses either in the form of MOOC or OER are being delivered through the cloud which uses the Internet to make education infinitely available to unlimited participants. Cloud computing is so prevalent today that many tech companies are creating devices that work entirely in the cloud such as Google Chromebook (Helge and McKinnon 2013). Various Library and Information Science certificates and degrees are currently being offered online. According to Jalali et al. (2013), “by implementing training programs in cloud, not only the quality of training and supervision does not reduce, instead, due to wide executive capabilities of these systems, all training process from planning and determining the requisites to implementation and supervision and assessment and consequently issuing related certificates can be done properly [sic]”. Examples include SWAYAM courses offered by MHRD India, The Hyperlinked library offered by San Jose University, New Librarianship by Syracuse University, and Copyright by Harvard University etc. These MOOC courses in Library Science are attended by many students at relatively low cost and provide a self-paced learning environment in the cloud. The

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proliferation of online learning and educational technology has motivated universities to adopt Web hosted software packages called Learning Management Systems (LMSs) which link student databases to the online learning content (James and Weber 2016). In LMSs virtual space is provided to the instructor and learner which can be used for providing course materials, assignments, quizzes, and collaboration. EDUCAUSE President and CEO Diana Oblinger, commenting on the application of cloud computing in higher education, stated that Higher education has always been about more than information, no matter how quickly that information can be disseminated or how much of that information can be stored. Our institutions have always been communities driven by connections – connections among faculty, students, research, education, disciplines, communities, and the institutions themselves. In the connected age, it doesn’t matter where the information is, where the student is, or where the faculty member is. What matters is the value that comes from the connection. In the connected age, data, collaboration tools, and communities can come together in ways never before possible. Technology makes the connected age possible. (Kruizinga 2014)

Figure 6.1 gives an outlook of the educational cloud environment and its various components.

6.3 Specific Cloud Computing tools in Pedagogy There are many cloud service providers for library science course instructors. Helge and McKinnon (2013) have pointed out specific uses of cloud based services in the teaching and learning process: a) Dropbox can be used to house course materials and allow student collaboration on documents. b) Google Sites can be used jointly with Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Calendar to create and host a course website where students can collaborate on documents and spreadsheets, access an interactive calendar, and view videos, links, and podcasts. c) SlideShare can be used to provide presentations, webinars, and other documents for access beyond the classroom. Using the Zipcast feature of SlideShare, virtual meetings or appointments can also be hosted. d) Padlet can be used for hosting discussion threads, brainstorming sessions, and embedding videos and blog posts. Below are some of the most used service providers and their features. This part focuses on best practices for course instructors to use these tools effectively.

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Figure 6.1: Education cloud outlook (source: author’s research).

6.3.1 Wiki Wiki is a collaboratively generated and managed knowledge website hosted in the cloud. Wikis have immense potential for use as discussion tools for providing genuine content, sharing class-related links, resources, videos, and images. They can serve as informal repositories for the class content related knowledge. Instructors may develop wikis for sharing informal information away from the classroom. Librarians often use wikis to promote reading (Crane 2012). Library science students may be given assignments to create their own book trailers to

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tempt other students to read the books. Figure 6.2 shows a snapshot of a booklist trailer. Some useful tips for organizing a wiki are mentioned below (Helge and McKinnon 2013): 1. Place links to all pedagogical content on the homepage, e.g. links to the syllabus, student grades, course assignments, discussion areas. 2. Do not place two tools on the same page as this will cause confusion, e.g. placing the discussion board on the same page as an archive link to videos. Place multiple links to items on the homepage, but not multiple items on the homepage. 3. Do not place unnecessary information on a wiki just to fill space, e.g. do not place links to articles on an already crowded discussion board. Instead, if the articles are pertinent, email links or titles to students and have them retrieve the articles. 4. Do not add random content to a wiki, or new wiki pages, as the academic term progresses, without providing detailed explanation to students as to the purpose of this new content and how to access it quickly; give clear and obvious links to the new material. 5. If you are going to use a wiki as the main venue for class activities, try to stick to one wiki, or limit your pedagogy to two Web 2.0 tools. Try not to set up a blog for class discussion as well, or another course forum such as Blackboard where discussion will be held or documents viewed, or a Google Docs page on which other course content will be viewed. Having one site for all content relates back to good organization and student frustration. The more sites a student has to search to locate needed information, the more frustrated he/she is likely to become. Try to pick just one or two Web 2.0 tools (e.g. a wiki and Facebook), and offer all course content at these venues. In other words, do not use technology for technology’s sake; use it for the benefit of students. Here are some free wikis to get started: https://www.editme.com https://www.pbworks.com/education.html https://moodle.org/ https://education.weebly.com/ Some examples of implementations of wikis in the classroom include when Columbia University Lecturer Jutta Schmiers-Heller created two separate wikis for students in the spring and fall semester of an academic year. Similarly, Lou Rossi, Professor at University of Delaware, used wikis to teach Calculus to undergraduate course students.

Figure 6.2: Booklist trailer (source: booklistreader.com).

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6.3.2 Moodle Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. They are open source content management systems for organizing different pages for different content. Course instructors may put links of class calendars, discussion pages, audio lectures links, videos, assignments, and course descriptions on the Moodle homepage. Moodle is developed on pedagogical principles and is used for blended learning, distance education, flipped classroom, and other e-learning projects in schools, universities, workplaces, and other sectors (Wikipedia 2020a). Many institutions use Moodle as their platform to conduct fully online courses; some use it to augment face to face courses (blended learning) or as a way to deliver content to students and assess learning (Crane 2012). A variety of formats such as weekly, topical, social, and SCORM (sharable content object reference model) are offered by Moodle. Figure 6.3 shows the American Library Association’s (ALA) e-learning site on Moodle.

6.3.3 Dropbox Dropbox is a cloud storage solution and offers file sharing tools for storing up to 2GB data free of charge. Course instructors can create a shared course folder for storing course related contents, images, and videos. It can be used to assign tasks beyond class hours. The added advantage with Dropbox is its capability to sync files across all devices. Often, course instructors use PowerPoint presentations to impart lessons to learners which can take up a lot of space, making it difficult for sharing. Figure 6.4 shows a snapshot of the Dropbox interface.

6.4 Cloud Computing in Education: Practical Application Platforms 6.4.1 G Suite for Education Google offers G Suite which includes productivity apps, collaboration tools, software, and products in the cloud. G Suite includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, Hangouts, YouTube, Forms, Google Classroom, Google Cloud Print, and app development platform App Maker. To meet the educational needs in the cloud, Google offers a special suite called G Suite for Education. According to Gottsegen (2019), with the Explore tab, for instance, students

Figure 6.3: ALA’s e-learning Moodle site (source: ecourses.ala.org/course/index.php).

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Figure 6.4: Dropbox interface (source: dropbox.com).

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can use natural language to input formulas in Sheets or get layout suggestions in Slides, while another product, Google Classroom, links Google’s online cloud applications (such as Calendar or Docs) so it is easier to complete or schedule assignments using a central hub. Figure 6.5 shows a snapshot of the G Suite for education interface.

6.4.2 Microsoft Microsoft also offers the exclusive app Office 365 for course instructors and learners. Office 365 is the cloud version of Microsoft Office. Paying the subscription fee, a user can set up Office 365 account and access MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in the cloud without downloading and installing them on their machines. Office 365 Education has apps from the standard version, as well as additional classroom tools. Office 365 Education is free for students and educators (it starts at $70 per year for everyone else) (Gottsegen 2019). Figure 6.6 shows a snapshot of the Office 365 interface.

6.4.3 Knowledge Matters Knowledge Matters is a cloud platform for creating simulations. These computer generated simulations imitate real world situations in a virtual world. The platform can be used by course instructors for giving real world problem-solving lessons to learners. Learners can also develop and enhance their skills by using this platform. Figure 6.7 shows a snapshot of the Knowledge Matters interface.

6.4.4 Coursera Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, specializations, and degrees in a variety of subjects, such as engineering, data science, machine learning, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences, and others (Wikipedia 2020b). For example, a student registered on Coursera can attend computer science classes offered by the University of Pennsylvania to attain a master’s degree in computer science. Figure 6.8 shows a snapshot of the Coursera interface.

Figure 6.5: G Suite for education interface (source: edu.google.com).

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Figure 6.6: Office 365 interface (source: products.office.com/en-in/home?ms.url=office365com&rtc=1).

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Figure 6.7: Knowledge Matters interface (source: knowledgematters.com).

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Figure 6.8: Coursera interface (source: coursera.org).

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6.4.5 Blackboard Learn Blackboard Learn is a cloud based virtual learning environment and learning management system developed by Blackboard Inc. Its main purposes are to add online elements to courses traditionally delivered face to face and to develop completely online courses with few or no face to face meetings (Wikipedia 2020c). It has features such as virtual classroom video conferencing, assignment management, classroom analytics etc. Using the company’s cloud based software, students and educators can access Blackboard’s tools from any computer, smartphone or tablet (Gottsegen 2019). Figure 6.9 shows a snapshot of the Coursera interface.

6.4.6 ClassFlow ClassFlow is a cloud based lesson delivery software useful for course instructors, which can be used to create interactive lesson, quizzes, and activities for learners. Since ClassFlow lessons are cloud based and available as SaaS, they can be accessed by the teachers’ connected displays or by the students’ own devices, making it easy for both parties to access course material (Gottsegen 2019). Figure 6.10 shows a snapshot of the ClassFlow interface.

6.4.7 D2L D2L has developed a cloud based learning management system called Brightspace. The Brightspace platform lets course instructors create and distribute lessons, while students can complete assignments from their portfolio app. There is also a dashboard display that lets teachers track student progress. Figure 6.11 shows a snapshot of the Brightspace learning management system interface.

6.4.8 A Cloud Guru A Cloud Guru is an online database of courses designed to teach and train people in cloud computing. For example, people interested in learning how to use Amazon Web Services for their career can take A Cloud Guru’s course on the topic. The company’s classes also help students study for official certification exams. The database is reportedly used by over 800,000 people in 181 countries (Gottsegen 2019). Figure 6.12 shows a snapshot of the A Cloud Guru interface.

Figure 6.9: Blackboard Learn interface (source: blackboard.com).

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Figure 6.10: ClassFlow interface (source: classflow.com).

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Figure 6.11: Brightspace learning management system interface (source: d2l.com).

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Figure 6.12: Cloud guru interface (source: acloud.guru/?utm_source=BuiltinAustin).

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6.4.9 Viridis Viridis has created a cloud based software that connects community college students to job databases so they are matched to the right career post-graduation. College students use the Viridis platform while still in school to track their progress and what they are studying. Viridis then uses that information to highlight specific skills and list the jobs they are most qualified for (Gottsegen 2019). Figure 6.13 shows a snapshot of the Viridis interface.

6.4.10 Muzzy Lane Muzzy Lane aims to make learning more like playing a game in order to retain students’ attention and increase their engagement. The company’s Muzzy Lane Author platform uses cloud based simulations to put students in specific scenarios (Gottsegen 2019). Figure 6.14 shows a snapshot of the Muzzy Lane interface.

6.4.11 Evernote Evernote lets users take notes on their phones, tablets or computers, then saves everything to the cloud. As it syncs notes across all devices, there is no need for multiple notebooks (Gottsegen 2019). It is very useful for learners in note taking during classes and may be used as digital notebooks which can be easily retrieved anywhere, at any time, in the cloud. Figure 6.15 shows a snapshot of the Evernote interface.

6.5 Cloud Computing Practical Considerations Prior to implementing any of the aforesaid cloud based services there are some issues which need to be taken into consideration by the course instructors, such as: 1. In order to access cloud based applications or data, Internet connectivity is required. Course instructors therefore should make sure that learners have Internet connectivity. 2. Ideally, no additional cost should be involved in providing access to course content or the educational cloud.

Figure 6.13: Viridis interface (source: Viridis).

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Figure 6.14: Muzzy Lane interface (source: muzzylane.com).

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Figure 6.15: Evernote interface (source: evernote.com).

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3.

As data, software, and services are hosted and managed by the service provider, security and privacy breaches are a big concern. Confidential data should not be kept in the cloud. Ghosh et al. (2012) have identified critical and non-critical data and the corresponding cloud deployment model: Private/ Community Cloud can be used for critical data such as: E-resources Student faculty directory Courseweb Financial Programme management Seminars and webinars Competitions Public cloud can be used for non-critical data such as: Book requisition Interlibrary Loan E-resources Discussion forum Courseweb Recruitment Enrolment Recreation Seminars and webinars Competitions 4. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) must be signed with the service provider before using any service in the cloud. Service providers do not all offer the same reliability, so all terms of services should be pre-defined in SLAs. 5. Proper training should be given to all users prior to implementing a cloud based service.

6.6 Cloud Computing Benefits for Education 1.

2. 3.

Cloud computing offerings in the educational sector are nominally priced in comparison to the cost of legacy IT systems such as hardware, software, system support, and maintenance. The scalable nature of the cloud service offering Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) gives the advantage of expansion or adaptation as per user needs. IaaS offering is based in the cloud and does not require hardware maintenance and upgrades, which saves the time and resources of users.

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4. Software based in the cloud can be containerized, which allows it to be run on any operating systems or devices. 5. Since the data and software stored in the cloud are triplicated, the need for maintaining backup is eradicated. 6. Users can access data, software, and services in the cloud from any location and any time where Internet connectivity is available.

6.7 Cloud Computing Challenges for Education 1.

Cloud computing is based on pay per use model which is dynamic in nature. It therefore requires consistent oversight and monitoring. 2. Due to the lack of physical proximity within cloud networks, massive parallel processing can be slowed. 3. Despite cloud services being offered and managed by the service provider, hardware configurations, operating systems, and software have to be managed by the user. 4. As data in the cloud is stored remotely, a sense of insecurity may prevail among the users. 5. A distributed cloud computing environment is subject to dormancy if Internet connectivity is unavailable or unreliable.

References Alam, M.T. “Cloud computing in education”. IEEE Potentials (2013): 20–21. Bora, U.J., and M. Ahmed. “E-learning using cloud computing”. International Journal of Science and Modern Engineering 1, no. 2 (2013): 9–13. Crane, B.E. Using Web 2.0 and social networking tools in the K-12 classroom. Chicago: NealSchuman, 2012. Dong, B., Q. Zheng, J. Yang, H. Li, and M. Qiao. An e-learning ecosystem based on cloud computing infrastructure. In 9th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, Riga, Latvia, 125–127. 2009. Ghosh, A., A. Chakraborty, S. Saha, and A. Mahanti. “Cloud computing in higher education”. IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review 1, no. 2 (2012): 85–95. Gottsegen, G. Cloud computing & education. Builtin. 2019. Retrieved from https://builtin. com/cloud-computing/cloud-computing-and-education. Helge, K., and L.F. McKinnon. The teaching librarian: Web 2.0, technology and legal aspects. London: Chandos, 2013. Jalali, M., A. Bouyer, B. Arasteh, and M. Moloudi. “The effect of cloud computing technology in personalization and education improvements and its challenges.” Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 83 (2013): 655–658.

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James, C.N., and J. Weber. “Cloud Computing in Education”. In Cloud Computing in Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, edited by T.C. Vance, N. Merati, C. Yang, and M. Yuan, 107–119. London: Academic Press, 2016. Kats, Y. Learning management systems and instructional design: best practices in online education. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2013. Kim, K.-J., and C.J. Bonk. The future of online teaching and learning in higher education: the survey says. EDUCAUSE Review. 2006. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/ 2006/1/the-future-of-online-teaching-and-learning-in-higher-education-the-survey-says. Kruizinga, H. Cloud computing in education. Broadcast. 2014. Retrieved from https://www.cru cial.com.au/blog/2014/04/11/whitepaper-cloud-computing-in-education/. Sultan, N. “Cloud computing for education: a new dawn?” International Journal for Information Management 30, no. 2 (2010): 109–116. Wikipedia. Moodle. 2020a. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoodleWikipedia. Coursera. 2020b. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coursera. Wikipedia. Blackboard Learn. 2020c. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Blackboard_Learn. Xu, D., and S. Xu. “On cloud computing and university computing resource integration in lowcarbon education”. Applied Mechanics and Materials 411–414 (2013): 2805–2808.

Chapter 7 Cloud Computing in Libraries: a Global Survey It is quite apparent from the previous chapters that cloud computing posits itself as an uncommon practise within the realm of academic libraries, but that librarians are showing their preparedness to adopt it. The basic purpose of this survey is to determine the factors that catalyze this adoption and to identify the problems and prospects that exist in implementing cloud computing in academic libraries. In order to identify the problems and prospects, opinions through questionnaires were collected from librarians. The following research questions were framed for the study: 1) What perceptions and attitudes exist among librarians regarding the concept of cloud computing and the tentative domain of its application? 2) What are the factors that influence the adoption of cloud computing in academic libraries? 3) What could be the possible services that libraries offer on cloud infrastructure? 4) What is the extent of application of cloud computing in libraries? 5) What factors are critical to the successful implementation of cloud computing in academic libraries? 6) What challenges do librarians perceive in implementing cloud computing in academic libraries? 7) What level of familiarity do librarians have with the available cloud computing services? The presentation of the results does not essentially follow the sequence of the questionnaire. Results drawn from the questionnaire are arranged in sections that address the undertaken research questions.

7.1 Librarians’ Understanding of Cloud Computing 7.1.1 Attitude of Librarians towards Cloud Computing In order to understand the attitude of librarians towards cloud computing, respondents were asked to show their level of familiarity on certain statements related to cloud computing. The statements were drawn from the literature review which was measured using a five-point Likert scale where 1 was “Strongly disagree” and 5 “Strongly agree”. The responses are shown in Table 7.1. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-008

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Table 7.1: Librarians’ attitude towards cloud computing. Statements

Mean Overall Mean

Cloud computing is a form of Internet based computing

.

Agree

Cloud computing is either a marketing strategy or a new technology, or a new revolution, or a new philosophy

.

Undecided

Cloud computing was in practise in the libraries long before the term became preeminent

.

Agree

Cloud computing enables librarians to focus on their daily mission and services rather than being involved in information technology operations

.

Strongly Agree

Cloud computing in particular is highly beneficial to the libraries

.

Agree

The majority of the respondents (66%) agreed that there was nothing new in cloud computing. Cloud computing for them was largely a platform where services are delivered through the Internet. However, about 20% of the respondents dissented from the statement and considered it to be a new term which has emerged from the pre-existing technologies, while 12% remained undecided. Moreover, respondents did not agree over whether cloud computing was a marketing strategy, a new technology, a new revolution or a new philosophy. Most of the scholars are of the opinion that cloud computing was largely a marketing hype created by cloud computing giants such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Most of the respondents (68%) also regarded cloud computing as something that they were already doing by another name, and were unclear about the term. The finding validates the studies of Hoy (2012), Cohn et al. (2002), and Romero (2012) who discovered that cloud computing was already in use in libraries in the form of Gmail, Google Docs, bibliographic management, and integrated library systems. Further, respondents unanimously agreed that cloud computing enables librarians to focus on their daily mission and services rather than being involved in information technology operations. LIS literature shows that the involvement of librarians in IT operations such as installation, configuration, and updating compromises the day to day mission of the libraries (Breeding 2009; Corrado and Moulasion 2011). The adoption of cloud computing removes the IT issue which becomes the concern of the cloud services provider, which enables libraries to concentrate on their services. Above all, a greater number of respondents viewed cloud computing as highly beneficial to the libraries. Not only did librarians regard cloud computing as something that could be beneficial to academic libraries, but they also saw its positive implications for LIS professionals

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in terms of grasping new opportunities and avenues to serve library users efficiently and effectively. They expect that cloud computing will help libraries to improve their overall performance and make them more relevant to their universities through effective library operations and user services, transforming academic libraries into learning organizations and reducing the likelihood of redundancy of data.

7.1.2 Investment and Concerns of Traditional Computing Needs as Drivers to Cloud Computing Traditional computing is completely different from cloud computing. Figure 7.1 illustrates the core areas of investment in traditional computing needs of libraries.

Software cost 26%

Equipment cost 20%

Facility cost 7%

Maintenance cost 16%

Manpower cost 9%

Power cost 10%

Bandwidth cost 12%

Figure 7.1: Investment of libraries on IT based solutions (source: author’s research).

Figure 7.1 shows that in order to operationalize computing solutions, libraries were loaded with various expenses. In order to operationalize IT based solutions libraries spent the largest amount on software (26%), followed by the equipment cost (20%), and maintenance cost (16%). On the other hand, “with cloud computing there is little or nothing to finance” (Gartner Research 2008). “Pay as you go” and “Subscription” methods are two modes of payment in cloud computing. According to Romero (2012), “The amount payable depends on the number of users who use the tool, and user names are not typically intransferable; Functionality – Payment for the use of one feature in particular; Flat rate – Payment of a fixed amount and no limitation on the number of users or use of resources”.

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7.1.3 Willingness of Librarians to Adopt Cloud Computing Analysis reveals that 86.97% of the respondents showed interest in moving library collections and services to the cloud. Figure 7.2 presents the various reasons which are the main drivers of librarians’ interests in cloud computing adoption.

No capital investment 8% Reduced technology obsolence 6%

High Computing Power 6%

Pay-per-use 10% Ubiquitious availability 11% Greener library services 9% Faster deployment and development 5% High Computing Power High Scalability Less indulgence in library IT activities Diverse support Greener library services Pay-per-use No capital investment

Location and Device independency 7% High Scalability 5% Less maintenance 5%

Less indulgence in Library IT activities 16% Unlimited storage capacity 9% Diverse support 3% Location and Device independency Less maintenance Unlimited storage capacity Faster deployment and development Ubiquitious availability Reduced technology obsolence

Figure 7.2: Reasons for adoption of cloud computing in libraries (source: author’s research).

Analysis reveals that “less indulgence in library IT activities”, “Ubiquitous availability”, “Pay per use”, “Unlimited storage capacity”, and “Greener library services” are the core issues that attract the respondents to cloud computing and, driven by these issues, library professionals show their keenness for its adoption. Figure 7.3 presents the level of cloud computing in libraries. It also illustrates the preparedness of respondents to adopt cloud computing solutions in libraries. It is evident from the figure that cloud computing is still in its preliminary stage and the respondents are discussing the issues that revolve around the

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30% In discussion, 22%

Level of Implementation

25% 20% 15% In implementation, 3%

10% Case study, 2% Pilot study, 1%

In use, 2% Do not want, 5%

5% 0% 0

–5%

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Percentage of respondents Figure 7.3: Level of cloud computing adoption (source: author’s research).

area. With few cases of use and pilot studies coming to light, no library professionals claim to have fully utilised the cloud computing based solutions.

7.2 Familiarity with Cloud Computing 7.2.1 Cloud Computing Service Layers When queried about the layers of cloud computing there are various responses from librarians. Figure 7.4 illustrates the different layers of cloud computing that librarians are willing to use. About 48% of respondents are aware of free software as a service. Twentyeight percent of respondents are well acquainted with application as a service. Twelve percent of the respondents are familiar with paid subscription as a service, nine percent with platform as a service, and eight percent with infrastructure as a service.

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42%

45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

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Figure 7.4: Familiarity with service layers (source: author’s research).

7.2.2 Cloud Computing Deployment Models Library services rest on various data and information. Flow of information is perceived as an important asset in libraries which needs to be protected and outsourcing of library data to the cloud service provider demands selecting from the various cloud deployers. Figure 7.5 provides a snapshot of the perception of librarians about cloud computing deployment. It shows that about 44% of the respondents are familiar with the “Private cloud”, 26% with the “Community cloud”, and 15% with the “Public cloud”.

7.2.3 Familiarity with Cloud based Tools To determine the awareness and usage level of cloud computing applications by library professionals, various questions on different aspects were asked. Respondents were asked questions about various tools of cloud computing which were expected to be used by them. Figure 7.6 and Table 7.2 portray the arena of cloud computing being used by library professionals in the Indian libraries. The analysis discloses that respondents are familiar with most available cloud based prominent tools. Respondents were largely using the cloud based mailing tools (17%), followed by cloud based storage and file sharing tools, which account for about 12%. Questions were also asked about the various cloud

7.2 Familiarity with Cloud Computing

Public cloud

Private cloud

Community cloud

Hybrid cloud

163

Others

4% 15%

11%

26% 44%

Figure 7.5: Familiarity with deployment models (source: author’s research).

Cloud-based mailing services 12%

17%

Cloud-based storing services Cloud-based software and applications

8%

Cloud-based video and presentation services 12%

7%

Cloud-based file sharing services Cloud-based information collection services

8%

Cloud-based calendar services 9% Cloud-based social networking

6% 8%

10%

Cloud-based forums

3% Cloud-based operatomg systems

Figure 7.6: Familiarity with cloud based tools (source: author’s research).

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Table 7.2: Level of the use of cloud computing tools and practises. Cloud based tools

Mean

Overall mean

Cloud based email and communication tools

.

Used

Cloud based tools of social group

.

Used

Cloud based social networking tools

.

Used

Cloud based information collection tools

.

Used

Cloud based event management tools

.

Partially Used

Cloud based file sharing services

.

Moderately Used

Cloud based video and presentation tools

.

Moderately Used

Cloud based storage/ backup tools

.

Moderately Used

Cloud based operating systems

.

Moderately Used

Cloud based productivity tools

.

Used

Cloud based library solutions

.

Partially Used

based service providers who were providing the cloud based tools, so as to rank their services and the familiarity of the respondents with these services. These cloud based tools include: 1. Cloud based email and communication tools 2. Cloud based tools of social group 3. Cloud based social networking tools 4. Cloud based information collection tools 5. Cloud based event management tools 6. Cloud based file sharing services 7. Cloud based video and presentation tools 8. Cloud based software and application services 9. Cloud based storage/ backup tools 10. Cloud based operating systems 11. Cloud based productivity tools 12. Cloud based library solutions A closer investigation of the results shows that out of a total 12 indicators five had high mean scores ranging between 3.75 to 4.58. These included cloud based productivity tools, cloud based information collection tools, cloud based social networking tools, cloud based tools of social groups, and cloud based email and communication tools. The remaining indicators are in the range of

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165

2.85 to 3.22 which means that they are moderately used. These are cloud based file sharing services, cloud based video and presentation tools, cloud based operating systems, and cloud based storage and backup tools.

7.2.4 Cloud based Email and Communication Tools Many libraries and users use cloud based email solutions which are either developed on-premises or licensed to a third-party service such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Hotmail. They are an excellent means of communication through which one can send email and attachments anywhere in the world, which are stored on the server of the cloud service provider. Figure 7.7 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based email solutions that are available.

Number of Responses

60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Usage of Mailing Services

Gmail 55

Yahoo 35

India 20

Sify Hotmail Gawab Fastmail Mail 10 8 10 13 12

Care2 9

Lycos 8

Figure 7.7: Usage and awareness of cloud based mailing services (source: author’s research). Note: multiple answers are permitted (n= 312).

Analysis shows that Gmail is popularly used by the respondents, followed by Yahoo Mail and India Mail. The results are also indicative of how cloud computing mailing services are highly used as a means of communication by library professionals.

7.2.5 Cloud based Tools of Social Group Figure 7.8 presents the awareness level of respondents regarding the various cloud based email solutions. The results indicate that respondents are aware of the cloud based social group tools. LIS links and LIS forum are the two prominent cloud based forums heavily used by the respondents.

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25

Number of Responses

20 15 10 5 0

Usage of Forums

Voice thread

Now comment

LIS forum

LIS links

India talks

10

8

17

22

13

Figure 7.8: Usage and awareness of cloud based forums (source: author’s research).

7.2.6 Cloud based Social Networking Tools Figure 7.9 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based social networking tools.

40 35 Number of Responses

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Series1

Facebook 35

Pin interest 11

Twitter 20

Ning 23

Figure 7.9: Usage and awareness of cloud based networking services (source: author’s research).

The results demonstrate that Facebook is the social networking tool that seems to be most popular among the respondents.

7.2 Familiarity with Cloud Computing

167

7.2.7 Cloud based Information Collection Tools Figure 7.10 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based information collection tools.

25

Number of Responses

20 15 10 5 0

Usage of Information Collection Services

Poll Google Survey Qualtric Zoomer Zuhu ProProfs Wu Foo every forms monkey s ang creator where 20

13

8

9

4

7

9

11

Figure 7.10: Usage and awareness of cloud based information collection tools (source: author’s research).

7.2.8 Cloud based Event Management Tools The library deals with a number of events and literacy programmes where the calendar is extremely important. In the traditional environment the library did not have enough tools to reach out to all its users or staff. However, cloud based event management services have been proven as highly useful for the libraries. They have provided many possibilities for libraries. Figure 7.11 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based event management tools. The study reveals that respondents are heavily using Google Calendar rather than any other option.

7.2.9 Cloud based File Sharing Services Figure 7.12 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based file sharing tools.

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Chapter 7 Cloud Computing in Libraries: a Global Survey

45 40 Number of Responses

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Google Calendar

Hotmail Calender

41

20

Usage of Calender Services

Figure 7.11: Usage and awareness level of cloud based event management tools (source: author’s research).

Number of Responses

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Usage of File Sharing Services

Dropbox

Slideshare

Google Drive

Egnyte

7

13

12

5

Figure 7.12: Usage and awareness of cloud based file sharing tools (source: author’s research).

7.2.10 Cloud based Video and Presentation Tools Figure 7.13 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based video and presentation tools. Analysis illustrates that YouTube is the most used cloud based presentation and video tool used by the respondents, followed by Google Slides and Prezi.

169

7.2 Familiarity with Cloud Computing

Number of Responses

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Usage of Video & Presentation Services

You Tube

Vimeo

Screen Cast

Jing

Prezi

24

8

10

9

12

Google Slide Time Spicy Present rocket glider nodes ation 16

17

9

3

Figure 7.13: Usage and awareness of cloud based video and presentation tools (source: author’s research).

7.2.11 Cloud based Software and Application Services Figures 7.14 and 7.15 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based software and applications.

10%

10% 13%

29%

QR Stuffs Google Sites Zotero

17%

Diigo Delicious Bundle Nut

21% Figure 7.14: Percentage of use of cloud based software and applications (source: author’s research).

The study reveals that respondents are fully acquainted with cloud based useful programs and software and are heavily using Google Sites and Zotero.

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30

Number of Responses

25 20 15 10 5 0

Usage of Software & Application Services

QR Stuffs

Google Sites

Zotero

Diigo

Delicious

Bundle Nut

10

28

20

16

13

10

Figure 7.15: Usage and awareness of cloud based software and applications (source: author’s research).

7.2.12 Cloud based Storage/ Backup Tools Cloud based storage facilities allow libraries to store large amounts of data with cloud service providers and serve user needs optimally, instead of having to remove some of the collection to accommodate new books. Figure 7.16 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based storage and backup tools. The study shows mixed results. There is no clear service provider which justifies itself in terms of storage needs. However, 14% of the respondents were familiar with Box, followed by Yousendit (24%).

7.2.13 Cloud based Operating Systems Cloud based operating services are Web based applications that imitate the application capabilities of traditional operating systems such as Windows or Linux. They have a virtual desktop interface that has Web based productivity, communication, and application tools. Figures 7.17 and 7.18 present the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based operating systems.

171

7.2 Familiarity with Cloud Computing

35

Number of Responses

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Usage of Storage Services

Onlin Just Sugar You Dropb Open Carbo e cloud Sync Send ox drive Mozy storag nite Box It e 7

9

22

19

6

9

17

10

31

Figure 7.16: Usage and awareness of cloud based storage and backup tools (source: author’s research).

10%

4%

4%

12% Glide

13% 3%

Amoeba

9%

My Goya Kohive Zimdesk

7%

Joli 18% Ghost Cloudo 9%

Lucid Eye 14%

Figure 7.17: Percentage of use of cloud based operating systems (source: author’s research).

The study shows that respondents are familiar with cloud based operating systems. Kohive is the most popular cloud based operating system among users, followed by Glide and Zimdesk.

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16

Number of Responses

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Usage of Operating System Services

Glide Amoe My Kohiv Zimde Joli ba Goya e sk 3 10 8 15 12 8

Ghost Cloud Lucid o 6 11 3

Eye 8

Figure 7.18: Usage and awareness of cloud based operating systems (source: author’s research).

7.2.14 Cloud based Productivity Tools Cloud based productivity suites are integrated and packaged tools for communication, collaboration, and document management, exclusively designed for the office needs of an organization. They are a cloud based alternative to traditional office suites. Use of cloud based productivity suites in libraries saves cost, improves accessibility, and checks resiliency far more effectively than onpremises solutions. Figures 7.19 and 7.20 present the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based operating systems. The analysis highlights that Google Docs is the most popular cloud based productivity tool used by the respondents. Moreover, there is a high level of awareness of the cloud based productivity tools among the respondents. 15%

43%

18%

Google Docs MS Office Online Cloud-canvas Write

24% Figure 7.19: Percentage of use of cloud based productivity suites (source: author’s research).

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7.3 Possibilities of Cloud Computing in Libraries

Number of Responses

60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Google Docs Usage of Office Applications

56

Ms Office Online 32

Cloud-canvas

Write

24

20

Figure 7.20: Usage and awareness of cloud based productivity suites (source: author’s research).

7.2.15 Cloud based Library Solutions Figure 7.21 presents the awareness level of the respondents regarding the various cloud based operating systems. Analysis reveals that respondents are familiar with the various cloud based library solutions. About 19% of the respondents are familiar with WorldCat and 14% with OCLC Webscale services, while 13% of the respondents claimed to have no familiarity with such solutions.

7.3 Possibilities of Cloud Computing in Libraries 7.3.1 Potential Domains of Cloud Computing in Libraries When asked to identify various areas of the libraries where cloud computing proves to be a useful solution, respondents’ answers varied considerably. Figure 7.22 presents the responses put forth by the respondents. Analysis reveals that about 27% of the respondents show interest in the areas of cataloging and metadata regarding the adoption of cloud computing in libraries. Twenty-two percent view significant possibilities of cloud computing in the areas of cloud based resource sharing, while 21% felt the same about integrated discovery services.

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Chapter 7 Cloud Computing in Libraries: a Global Survey

Do not use 13%

Serials Solutions Summon 9%

3M 9%

OCLC Web-scale 14%

KB+ 11%

TaliPrism 10%

Duraspace 7% WorldCat 19%

Ex-Libris cloud 8%

Figure 7.21: Percentage of use and awareness of cloud based library solutions (source: author’s research).

21%

Integrated discovery services

27%

Cataloging and metadata Budgeting, Payroll and accounting

3% 11%

ILS Systems

22%

Cloud-based resource sharing 9%

Acquisitions

12%

Hosting and distributing library collections 8%

Others 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Figure 7.22: Areas of implementation of cloud computing in libraries (source: author’s research).

7.4 Benefits of Cloud Computing for Academic Libraries Although cloud computing has not yet received the recognition it deserves, its enormous benefits have been highlighted. LIS literature has cited the importance of cloud computing and the rich potential of its technology. To identify the perceptions of librarians on the potential benefits associated with cloud computing,

7.5 Adoption of Cloud Computing Technology in Libraries

175

respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement with five statements on a five-point Likert scale, where 1 was used for “Strongly disagree” and 5 for “Strongly agree”. The responses are presented in Table 7.3. Table 7.3: Perceptions of librarians towards the potential benefits of cloud computing. Statement

Mean

Overall Mean

Implementation of cloud computing will eradicate the requirement of libraries to own infrastructure facilities

.

Strongly Agree

Cloud computing provides a large amount of processing power as well as unlimited storage capacity to the libraries

.

Strongly Agree

Adoption of cloud computing will provide the opportunity of ubiquitous computing to library users

.

Agree

Adoption of cloud computing can minimize capital expenditure and monitor the wastage of library resources as payment is based on the utilization of services

.

Strongly Agree

Cloud computing is easy to deploy, offers the latest functionality, and supports diverse platforms

.

Agree

The respondents showed strong agreement to the statements that “Implementation of cloud computing will eradicate the requirement of libraries to own infrastructure facilities”, “Cloud computing provides a large amount of processing power as well as unlimited storage capacity to the libraries” and “Adoption of cloud computing can minimize the capital expenditure and monitor the wastage of library resources as payment is based on the utilization of services”, with mean scores of 4.50, 4.57 and 4.40 respectively. Further, respondents agreed with the statements “Adoption of cloud computing will provide the opportunity of ubiquitous computing to library users” and “Cloud computing is easy to deploy, offers the latest functionality, and supports diverse platforms”, with mean scores of 4.25 and 4.10. This is indicative of how librarians foresee a new way libraries can serve users through cloud computing.

7.5 Adoption of Cloud Computing Technology in Libraries The extent to which the academic librarians were interested in adopting cloud computing was also examined. A T-test was performed to identify whether the mean of respondents extended to the medium degree of agreement, 4. The results are presented in Table 7.4.

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Table 7.4: Means and test values for the adoption of cloud computing in libraries. No Statement

Mean

Proportional Mean

Test Value

P-value Rank



Cloud computing is an attractive economic option for academic libraries.

.

.

.

.*





Academic libraries constantly focus on new IT projects which aim to increase the efficiency and quality of services.

.

.

.

.*





Cloud computing will help librarians to focus on the library mission and services rather than being involved in IT.

.

.

.

.*





All the academic libraries have high speed Internet lines and uninterrupted services that will serve as a base for cloud computing.

.

.

.

.*





Cloud computing will ensure ubiquitous availability of library services that will increase user satisfaction.

.

.

.

.*





Library services in the cloud environment will facilitate an environment for e-learning initiatives carried out by the academic institutions.

.

.

.

.*



.

.

.

.*

All statements of the field *p ≤ 0.05 = statistically significant.

The mean of statement 3 “Cloud computing will help librarians to focus on the library mission and services rather than being involved in IT” equals 4.93 (88.96%), Test value = 9.68, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Since the sign of the test is positive, the mean of the statement 3 is significantly greater, which gives the impression that most respondents agreed with the statement. Further, the mean of statement 2 “Academic libraries constantly focus on new IT projects which aim to increase the efficiency and quality of services” equals to 3.22 (72.91%), Test value = 7.04, and P-value = 0.000,

7.6 Support and Integration of Library Services with Cloud Computing

177

which was again smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Here also the sign of the test is positive as a result of which the mean of the statement is significantly greater, which gives the impression that the respondents agreed with the statement. Lastly, the mean of the section “adoption of cloud computing in libraries” amounts to 3.94 (79.49%), Test value = 10.26, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. On top of that, the sign of the test is positive, and hence the mean of the test is significantly greater, which gives the inference that the respondents focused on and agree with the adoption of cloud computing in libraries. The analysis reveals that in general about 79.49% of librarians agreed with adoption of cloud computing in the libraries. It can be concluded that library professionals showed their eagerness to the adoption of cloud computing due to its inherent benefits.

7.6 Support and Integration of Library Services with Cloud Computing This field was used to determine the possibilities of support and integration of library services with cloud computing. A T-test was used to determine whether the mean of the respondents reached the medium degree of agreement, 3. The results are presented in Table 7.5 . The mean of statement 5 “The service providers of cloud computing services offer them free of charge, independent of devices, making it a viable solution” equals 5.15 (79.83%), Test-value = 7.52, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Since, the sign of the test is positive, the mean of the statement 3 is significantly greater, which gives the impression that most respondents agreed to the statement. In addition, the mean of statement 1 “Universities continuously update their systems, technological services, and applications to keep pace with the technological development that will provide strong support for adoption of cloud computing” equals to 3.28 (63.72%), Testvalue = 3.11, and P-value = 0.000. Here also the sign of the test is positive as a result of which the mean of the statement is significantly greater, which gives the impression that the respondents agreed with the statement. Finally, the mean of the section “support and integration of library services with cloud computing” amounts to 5.15 (79.83%), Test value = 7.52, and P-value = 0.000 which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Most important is that the sign of the test is positive, and hence the mean of the test is significantly greater, which gives the inference that the respondents focused on and agree with the adoption of cloud computing in libraries. The analysis reveals that about 79.83% agreed about the support and the integration of library services with cloud computing.

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Chapter 7 Cloud Computing in Libraries: a Global Survey

Table 7.5: Means and test values for support and integration of library services with cloud computing. No Statement

Mean

Proportional Mean

Test Value

P-value Rank



Universities continuously update their systems, technological services, and applications to keep pace with the technological development that will provide strong support for adoption of cloud computing.

.

.

.

.*





Adoption of cloud computing technology will help activate new library services.

.

.

.

.*





Adoption of cloud computing in libraries will improve the quality of library services.

.

.

.

.*





IT services and applications provided in libraries can be easily integrated with cloud computing.

.

.

.

.*





The service providers of cloud computing services offer them free of charge, independent of devices, making it a viable solution.

.

.

.

.*





Data and the services in cloud computing can be accessed from anywhere.

.

.

.

.*



.

.

.

.*

All statements of the field *p ≤ 0.05 = statistically significant.

7.7 Skills of Library Staff in Cloud Computing Environment This section deals with the skills of the library professionals engaged in IT operations. A T-test was again used to identify whether the mean of the respondents reached the medium degree of agreement, 3. The results are presented in Table 7.6. The mean of the statement 5 “Technological developments motivate staff to serve the general interest of the parent institution” equals 6.37 (88.67%), Testvalue = 7.91, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance

179

7.7 Skills of Library Staff in Cloud Computing Environment

Table 7.6: Means and test values for skills of library staff in the cloud computing environment. No Statement

Mean

Proportional Mean

Test Value

P-value Rank



Basic knowledge of IT is enough to look forward to adopting cloud computing.

.

.

‒.

.





Cloud computing technology helps in the development of the spirit of creativity and innovation.

.

.

.

.*





With the adoption of cloud computing technology, library staff remove the updating, configuring, and installing of software.

.

.

.

.*





Academic libraries continually look for technological developments to meet the expectations of users.

.

.

.

.*





Technological developments motivate staff to serve the general interest of the parent institution.

.

.

.

.*





Library staff need training, especially in the construction, development, and deployment of the cloud based library services.

.

.

.

.*



.

.

.

.*

All statements of the field *p ≤ 0.05 = statistically significant.

α = 0.05. Since the sign of the test is positive the mean of statement 3 is significantly greater, which gives the impression that most respondents agreed with the statement. In addition, the mean of statement 1 “Basic knowledge of IT is enough to look forward to adopting cloud computing” equals to 2.29 (59.72%), Test-value = ‒0.31, and P-value = 0.371, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Here also the sign of the test is positive, as a result of which the mean of the statement is significantly greater, which gives the impression that the respondents agreed with the statement. Finally, the mean of the section “skills of library staff in cloud computing environment” amounts to 4.66 (77.33%), Test value = 6.21, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Most important is that the sign of the test is positive, so the

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Chapter 7 Cloud Computing in Libraries: a Global Survey

mean of the test is significantly greater, which gives the inference that the respondents focused on and agree with the adoption of cloud computing in libraries. The analysis reveals that about 77.33% agreed with the support and integration of library services with cloud computing.

7.8 Security Effectiveness in Adoption of Cloud Computing Security is a core concern when migrating to cloud computing solutions. This section provided various statements drawn from the available literature to identify the perception of the respondents on the security effectiveness in adoption of cloud computing. A T-test was used to identify whether the mean of the respondents reached the medium degree of agreement, 3. The results are presented in Table 7.7. Table 7.7: Means and test values for security effectiveness in the adoption of cloud computing. No Statement

Mean

Proportional Mean

Test Value

P-value Rank



Data security is the biggest impediment in the adoption of cloud computing.

.

.

.

.*





Transparency in data ownership, management, and location should be maintained to work in a cloud computing environment.

.

.

.

.*





Safety and reliability of the data in the cloud demands for a proper agreement between the university library and the service provider.

.

.

.

.*





Cloud computing services provided by Google, Microsoft, and others are safer than the old system.

.

.

.

.*





The services and applications of cloud computing provided by the service provider companies are difficult to hack and prevent piracy.

.

.

.

.*



7.9 Cost Reduction through the Adoption of Cloud Computing

181

Table 7.7 (continued ) No Statement 

Data in the cloud is safe. Libraries can move their library data and reports from onsite premises to the cloud.

All statements of the field

Mean

Proportional Mean

Test Value

P-value Rank

.

.

.

.*

.

.

.

.*



*p ≤ 0.05 = statistically significant.

The mean of statement 5 “The services and applications of cloud computing provided by the service provider companies are difficult to hack and prevent piracy” equals 4.92 (88.67%), Test-value = 17.91, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Since the sign of the test is positive, the mean of statement 3 is significantly greater, which gives the impression that most respondents agreed with the statement. In addition, the mean of statement 2 “Transparency in data ownership, management, and location should be maintained to work in a cloud computing environment” equals to 3.76 (75.91%), Test-value = 6.47, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Here also the sign of the test is positive as a result of which the mean of the statement is significantly greater, which gives the impression that the respondents agreed with the statement. Finally, the mean of the section “security effectiveness in adoption of cloud computing” amounts to 4.26 (82.16%), Test value = 11.67, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Most important is that the sign of the test is positive, so the mean of the test is significantly greater, which gives the inference that the respondents focused on and agree with the adoption of cloud computing in libraries. The analysis reveals that about 82.16% agreed that security effectiveness is the biggest impediment in adoption of cloud computing in academic libraries.

7.9 Cost Reduction through the Adoption of Cloud Computing The section aimed to examine the pre-established notion that cloud computing will effectively reduce costs. A T-test was used to determine whether the mean of respondents reached the medium degree of agreement, 3. The results are shown in Table 7.8.

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Chapter 7 Cloud Computing in Libraries: a Global Survey

Table 7.8: Means and test values for cost reduction through the adoption of cloud computing. No Statement

Mean

Proportional Mean

Test Value

P-value Rank



The parent academic institution viz. the university always focuses on modern IT systems that aim to reduce costs.

.

.

.

.*





Shifting the operations and library services into the cloud will reduce costs.

.

.

.

.*





Cloud computing services are less expensive than the old systems.

.

.

.

.*





Cloud services are offered free of charge which helps to communicate with other librarians, as well as save and share data.

.

.

.

.*





Cloud computing reduces the expenses of purchasing hardware, servers, software or maintenance.

.

.

.

.*





Cloud computing solutions are beneficial to the libraries due to their ability to control cost by use.

.

.

.

.*





The cloud computing platform can be used to provide innovative services without increasing the cost.

.

.

.

.*





The adoption of cloud computing technology converts the capital expenditure in the IT operations of libraries to ongoing expenses.

.

.

.

.*



.

.

.

.*

All statements of the field *p ≤ 0.05 = statistically significant.

The mean of statement 7 “The cloud computing platform can be used to provide innovative services without increasing the cost” equals 4.28 (83.72%), Test-value = 13.31, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Since the sign of the test is positive, the mean of statement 3

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is significantly greater, which gives the impression that most respondents agreed with the statement. In addition, the mean of statement 4 “Cloud services are offered free of charge which helps to communicate with other librarians, as well as save and share data” equals to 3.07 (72.67%), Test-value = 6.54, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Here also the sign of the test is positive, as a result of which the mean of the statement is significantly greater, which gives the impression that the respondents agreed with the statement. Finally, the mean of the section “cost reduction through the adoption of cloud computing” amounts to 3.68 (78.04%), Test value = 15.62, and P-value = 0.000, which is smaller than the level of significance α = 0.05. Most important is that the sign of the test is positive, so the mean of the test is significantly greater, which gives the inference that the respondents focused on and agree with the adoption of cloud computing in libraries. The analysis reveals that about 78.04% of respondents agreed with the statement that cost reduction can be achieved through the adoption of cloud computing.

7.10 Main Findings Summarized Table 7.9 summarizes the main findings of the study. Table 7.9: Main findings. Hypotheses

Result

Ha: Ease of use will have a positive, direct impact on the attitude of the librarians towards the adoption of cloud technology.

Unconfirmed

Hb: Ease of use will have a positive, indirect impact, arbitrated by perceived usefulness, on the attitude of the librarians towards the adoption of cloud technology.

Confirmed

Ha: Perceived usefulness will have a positive, direct impact on the attitude towards cloud technology.

Confirmed

Hb: Scalability will have a positive effect on the perceived usefulness of cloud technology.

Unconfirmed

Hc: Availability will have a positive effect on the perceived usefulness of cloud Confirmed technology. Ha: Return on time will have a positive effect on the attitude towards cloud technology.

Unconfirmed

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Table 7.9 (continued ) Hypotheses

Result

Hb: Return on time will have a positive, indirect impact, mediated by perceived usefulness, on attitude towards cloud technology.

Confirmed

H: Security risk will have a negative effect on the attitude towards the use of cloud technology.

Confirmed

H: Privacy risk will have a negative effect on the attitude towards the use of cloud technology.

Unconfirmed

H: Attitude towards the use of cloud technology will have a positive effect on consumers’ adoption of cloud technology.

Confirmed

H: Return on time will have a significantly stronger effect on the attitude towards cloud technology in the treatment group.

Unconfirmed

H: Security risk will have a significantly stronger negative effect on the attitude towards cloud technology in the treatment group.

Confirmed

H: Privacy risk will have a significantly stronger negative effect on the attitude towards cloud technology in the treatment group.

Confirmed

7.11 Impediments to the Adoption of Cloud Computing in Academic Libraries: Perception of Librarians Libraries have a prolonged history of technological adoption in order to strive towards their core mission and services. Technological adoption has been a normal phenomenon for libraries to reengineer their services, which is the case with the offering of core services in the changed paradigm created by cloud computing. However, while cloud computing has been proclaimed as the technology of the future and has immense benefits, it suffers from many barriers. Table 7.10 indicates the ranked order of such obstacles, as expressed by the respondents.

Table 7.10: Librarians’ perceived problems of implementing cloud computing. Problems

Rank

Percentage

Security



.

Reliability



.

Regulatory compliance



.

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Table 7.10 (continued ) Problems

Rank

Percentage



.



.



.

Service provider dependence



.

Technology dependence



.

Data management



.

Skills



.

Integration



.

Lock-in (switching costs)



.



.

Cost uncertainty



.

Lack of awareness



.

Lack of suppliers with satisfactory credentials



.

Lack of standards



.

Lack of liability of providers



.

Internet congestion



.

Over subscription of services



.

Unclear scheme in pay per use approach



.



.

Complexity Privacy Connection dependence

Loss of IT control and ownership

Data center location

The highest ranked problems of implementation of cloud computing in the libraries as ranked by the respondents were security, reliability, lack of standards, connection dependence, and loss of IT control and ownership.

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References Breeding, M. “The advance of computing from the ground to the cloud.” Computers in Libraries 29, no. 10 (2009): 22–25. Retrieved from http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/ nov09/Breeding.shtml. Cohn, J.M., A.L. Kelsey, K.M. Fiels, and D. Salter. Planning for integrated systems and technologies: A how-to-do-it-manual for librarians. London: Facet, 2002. Corrado, E.M., and H.L. Moulasion. “Perspectives on cloud computing in libraries”. In Getting started with cloud computing, edited by E.M. Corrado and H.L. Moulasion. London: Facet, 2011. Gartner Research. “Definition of Cloud Computing.” In L. MacVittie, Cloud Computing: It’s the destination, not the journey that is important. DevCentral Weblog, 2008. Retrieved from http://devcentral.f5.com/Weblogs/macvittie/archive/2008/11/03/cloud-computing-itsthe-destination-not-the-journey-that-is.aspx. Hoy, M.B. “Cloud Computing Basics for Librarians”. Medical Reference Services Quarterly 31, no. 1 (2012): 84–91. Romero, N.L. “Cloud computing in library automation: benefits & drawbacks”. The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances 25, no. 3 (2012): 110–114.

Chapter 8 Cloud Computing in Libraries: Tutorials In the previous chapters we learnt about various applications or software available in the cloud computing environment. This chapter introduces tutorials for just a few representative tools that librarians or course instructors can use for getting started in the cloud computing environment. Four areas are covered: a) Setting up KOHA on Google Cloud Platform b) Setting up Oracle VM VirtualBox c) Setting up Wikis d) Setting up Dropbox

8.1 Cloud Practical Implementation: KOHA in Cloud This chapter provides instructions for setting up Web based library SaaS applications, i.e. KOHA ILMS, on Google Cloud. KOHA is an ideal application for libraries for installation and running in the cloud. Public cloud deployment of KOHA eliminates the requirement of in-house hardware support and maintenance. Among the available ILMSs, KOHA is mostly used by libraries and the interfaces (staff and Web OPAC) are completely Web based, which do not require any additional software: “Koha’s core code along with all of its associated modules and software dependencies reside on a single server platform, application related administrative and support activities are reduced to a single location, which is available literally from anywhere in the world where the cloud is accessible” (Nighswonger and Engard 2011). As desktop based library systems are coming to an end in the near future, this chapter will give learners handson experience in deploying KOHA in the cloud.

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Figure 8.1: Google Cloud interface (source: cloud.google.com).

Step 1: Go to Google Cloud platform (Figure 8.1) on your Web browser.

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Figure 8.2: Google Cloud registration form (source: console.cloud.google.com).

Step 2: Create an account (Figure 8.2) by entering your personal details and payment information. You will have to pay र1 for a 12month trial and after this expires you will have to pay according to your usage. During the trial period $300 credit is offered to use Google Cloud resources.

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Figure 8.3: Google Cloud successful registration (source: console.cloud.google.com).

Step 3: After you have created your account (Figure 8.3), you will be directed to a Google Cloud dashboard (Figure 8.4) from where you can maintain the server.

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Figure 8.4: Google Cloud dashboard (source: console.cloud.google.com).

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Figure 8.5: Compute engine option (source: console.cloud.google.com).

Step 4: A VM (virtual machine) instance has to be created to proceed further. Virtual machines are emulations of physical computer systems working on computer architectures. The compute engine (Figure 8.5) feature of Google Cloud lets the user create a virtual machine (Figure 8.6) on the infrastructure of Google. Users have to select the following option to create a VM instance: Home » Compute engine » VM instance » Create compute engine VM instance

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Figure 8.6: Create VM instance (source: console.cloud.google.com).

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Figure 8.7: New VM interface (source: console.cloud.google.com).

Step 5: Enter the name of the VM instance, select region and zone as per your location (Figure 8.7).

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Figure 8.8: Machine type selections (source: console.cloud.google.com).

Step 6: Here you need to select the machine type (cores, memory, GPUs) as per your requirements (Figure 8.8). For running KOHA, 2vCPU is considered as ideal, which is selected here.

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Figure 8.9: Boot disk selections (source: console.cloud.google.com).

Step 7: The boot disk is then selected (Figure 8.9). A user can select either Debian or Ubuntu for running KOHA. Here Ubuntu is selected.

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Figure 8.10: VM instance details (source: console.cloud.google.com).

Step 9: Your VM instance is ready for use and you can see the external IP address in the instance details (Figure 8.10).

Step 8: In the “Allow scopes” option click on allow default access, select both options in “Firewall”, and then click on create.

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Step 10: Click on the external IP which will connect you with the server and after a few seconds you will be logged into the server as an instance user (Figure 8.11).

Figure 8.11: Server login (source: console.cloud.google.com).

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Step 11: Enter the command “sudo su” and log in as root in the system (Figure 8.12).

Figure 8.12: Root login (source: console.cloud.google.com).

Step 12: After logging in as root, KOHA and DSpace can now be installed on the virtual server. Enter the following two commands one by one in the terminal, which will add the KOHA community repository: echo deb http://debian.koha-community.org/koha stable main | sudo tee / etc/apt/sources.list.d/koha.list sudo wget -O- http://debian.koha-community.org/koha/gpg.asc | sudo aptkey add Step 13: Update the software using the following command: sudo apt-get update Step 14: Now you can install KOHA using the following command: sudo apt-get install koha-common

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Step 15: Install any text editor. A text editor is used to edit configuration files during the installation process. Here we will use Leafpad – a lightweight text editor. sudo apt-get install leafpad Step 16: Here some server configuration is required. Network information like domain name and port number has to be changed. Use the following command in the terminal: sudo leafpad /etc/koha/koha-sites.conf In the configuration file change the port number of staff client to 8080. Find INTRAPORT=80” and change the INTRAPORT to “8080”. Save the file and quit. Step 17: Install MariaDB server. Use the following commands in the terminal one by one: sudo apt-get install mariadb-server sudo apt-key adv –recv-keys –keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 0xF1656F24C74CD1D8 sudo add-apt-repository ‘deb [arch=amd64,arm64,ppc64el] http://mirrors.up. pt/pub/mariadb/repo/10.4/ubuntu bionic main’ sudo apt update sudo apt install mariadb-server Step 18: Assign root password for MariaDB using the following command: sudo mysqladmin -u root password newpass Replace “newpass” with your own password. Step 19: Write down the following commands to create KOHA instance: sudo a2enmod rewrite sudo a2enmod cgi sudo service apache2 restart Step 20: Create KOHA instance according to your desired name. Here the name cusblibrary is used. sudo koha-create –create-db cusblibrary Step 21: Use the command below to add a new port: sudo mousepad /etc/apache2/ports.conf Below the line Listen 80 paste the following line: Listen 8080 Step 22: Restart the Apache using the following command in the terminal: sudo service apache2 restart Step 23: Enable module and sites: sudo a2dissite 000-default

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sudo a2enmod deflate sudo a2ensite library sudo service apache2 restart Step 24: Open the Web browser and type http://localhost:8080. You will see the KOHA Web installer. Enter your username and password to proceed. Step 25: Your KOHA is now ready in the cloud to be used. You can type the external IP address generated in Step 9 followed by 8080 to access the interface.

8.2 Setting up Oracle VM Virtual machines are used to experiment or test with new software without damaging or making any changes to the host operating system. Using virtual box, free and open source virtualization software from Oracle, a user can create and run a guest operating system in a window of the host operating system. This tool is especially useful for librarians and course instructors for teaching and training purposes, and who had to install any software or applications for hands-on lessons. Popular virtual machine applications include Xen, VirtualBox, VMware, QEMU, Microsoft Virtual PC, and Parallels. Here we will discuss setting up Ubuntu VM.

Step 2: Here I will be taking Ubuntu LiveCD (which has KOHA, DSpace, and Greenstone) as an example for installing on VirtualBox. ISO images of the LiveCD will also be captured.

Figure 8.13: Oracle VirtualBox (source: VirtualBox.org).

Step 1: Visit the Oracle VirtualBox website (Figure 8.13) and download and install the latest version.

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Figure 8.14: Virtual box (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 3: Run virtual box (Figure 8.14).

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Figure 8.15: Click new symbol in Virtual box (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 4: Click new symbol (Figure 8.15).

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Figure 8.16: Naming virtual OS (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 5: Assign a relevant name to virtual OS (Figure 8.16), select type and version (Figure 8.17). Since Ubuntu will be installed we will enter the relevant details.

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Figure 8.17: Selecting type and version of Ubuntu (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

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Figure 8.18: Memory size allocation (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 6: Allocate RAM to the virtual OS (Figure 8.18). If your system has extra RAM you can assign this to the virtual machine, otherwise proceed with the minimum requirement.

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Figure 8.19: Create virtual disk (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 7: A virtual disk (Figure 8.19) is created which serves as the hard disk for the virtual Ubuntu system.

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Figure 8.20: VDI option (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 8: In this step you will get three options to choose from: VirtualBox disk image (VDI), virtual hard disk (VHD), and virtual machine disk (VMDK). VDI is used when you are creating a new virtual machine with a new disk. VHD is the native format of Microsoft Virtual PC. VMDK is developed by and for VMWare, a widely used format compatible with other virtualization software. Here the VDI option is used (Figure 8.20).

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Figure 8.21: Storage on physical hard disk (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 9: Here you can choose either the “Dynamically allocated” or the “Fixed size” option for creating the virtual hard disk (Figure 8.21).

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Figure 8.22: File location and size of the virtual hard disk (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 10: Select file location and size (Figure 8.22) of the virtual hard disk.

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Figure 8.23: Adding LiveCD (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 11: The ISO can be booted and LiveCD installed as a virtual operating system. Go to settings and then storage option (Figure 8.23).

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Figure 8.24: Changes in controller: IDE (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 12: Click on empty followed by the CD icon (Figure 8.24) and select choose a disk file.

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Step 13: Select the path of ISO file (Figure 8.25).

Figure 8.25: Selection of ISO file (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Figure 8.26: LiveCD file (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 14: After selecting the file, it will show ISO file details under controller: IDE (Figure 8.26).

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Figure 8.27: Start option (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

Step 15: Click on start option (Figure 8.27).

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Step 16: This will start the installation of Ubuntu (Figure 8.28) on VirtualBox.

Figure 8.28: Ubuntu installation on VirtualBox (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

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Step 17: Finally Ubuntu is installed on VirtualBox and KOHA (Figure 8.29). DSpace (Figure 8.30) is also installed.

Figure 8.29: KOHA interface on VirtualBox (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

8.2 Setting up Oracle VM

Figure 8.30: DSpace interface on VirtualBox (source: Oracle VM VirtualBox).

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Figure 8.31: Pbworks interface (source: pbworks.com).

Step 1: Open the website https://www.pbworks.com/ in your Web browser. The browser will take you to this place (Figure 8.31).

8.3 Setting up Wikis

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Figure 8.32: Education tab (source: pbworks.com).

Step 2: Go to the education tab (Figure 8.32) in the website.

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Figure 8.33: Basic plan PB Works (source: pbworks.com).

Step 3: Go to create my account option on the website. Choose basic option and click on select (Figure 8.33).

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Figure 8.34: Registration PB Works (source: pbworks.com).

Step 4: Enter the details (Figure 8.34) and proceed to next. Create a name and type for your wiki. The name for your wiki will form the Internet address of your wiki. Ensure that you select an appropriate, functional, and easily remembered title. Create your account by entering your name, email address, and a password.

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Step 5: You will get a confirmation mail (Figure 8.35) regarding creation of your account and you will need to validate your account.

Figure 8.35: PB Works confirmation mail (source: pbworks.com).

Figure 8.36: PB Works security settings (source: pbworks.com).

Step 6: Click on confirmation link. After clicking on the link your account is validated and you will get the option (Figure 8.36) for further set-up. Select the options and proceed to workspace.

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Figure 8.37: First wiki page on PB Works platform (source: pbworks.com).

Step 7: You will finally see the first wiki page created on PB Works platform (Figure 8.37).

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Figure 8.38: View tab (source: pbworks.com).

Some notable features available on this page are: View Tab (Figure 8.38): This offers the view of the page as it can be seen to the readers of the wiki page.

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Figure 8.39: Edit tab (Source: pbworks.com).

Edit Tab (Figure 8.39): This is used to make changes on the wiki page.

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Figure 8.40: Upload files tab (source: pbworks.com).

Upload Files (Figure 8.40): This provides the option to upload or manage image or text files on the wiki page.

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Assignment: There is an assignment tab (Figure 8.41) in the navigator from where course instructors can be added and managed (Figure 8.42).

Figure 8.41: Side bar options (source: pbworks.com).

Figure 8.42: Adding and managing assignments (source: pbworks.com).

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Figure 8.43: Pages and files option (source: pbworks.com).

Pages and Files: All pages and files are managed from this tab (Figure 8.43). New pages and folders can also be created from this option.

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Figure 8.44: Adding new users (source: pbworks.com).

Users: This is used for adding and managing users (Figure 8.44). New users can be added through email. If any learner does not have email ID then they can also be added by creating classroom accounts (Figure 8.45).

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Figure 8.45: Creating classroom accounts (source: pbworks.com).

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Figure 8.46: User ID and passwords for accessing wiki page (source: pbworks.com).

PB Works automatically generates user IDs and passwords (Figure 8.46) for students who do not have email ID to register on the wiki page.

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Settings: this provides the option (Figure 8.47) for e.g. changing the color of the wiki page, logo, access controls, and developer interface. Notification and RSS settings can also be set up from this tab.

Figure 8.47: Settings tab (source: pbworks.com).

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Workspaces: This option is located at the top of the wiki page (Figure 8.48). It offers the option to join any workspace (Figure 8.49). Notification settings can also be set up from this page. It also lists all the workspaces created by the user.

Figure 8.48: Workspaces tab (source: pbworks.com).

In this way course instructors and librarians can develop a wiki page for their teaching and training purposes. Libraries can develop wikis for providing information literacy lessons to the patrons.

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Figure 8.49: Workspace (source: pbworks.com).

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Figure 8.50: Dropbox interface (source: dropbox.com).

Step 1: Open the Dropbox Website (Figure 8.50) in your Web browser (https://www.dropbox.com/). Enter your details or log in through your Google account.

8.4 Setting up Dropbox

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Figure 8.51: Basic plan Dropbox (source: dropbox.com).

Step 2: Continue with basic plan.

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Figure 8.52: Downloading Dropbox (source: dropbox.com).

Step 3: Here you will get the option for downloading Dropbox (Figure 8.52).

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Step 4: Download Dropbox and complete the installation process. Step 5: Select the synchronization options as per your need (Figure 8.53).

Figure 8.53: Synchronization option (source: dropbox.com).

Figure 8.54: Dropbox homepage (source: dropbox.com).

Step 6: Finally you will see the Dropbox homepage (Figure 8.54).

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Figure 8.55: Create new file in Dropbox (source: dropbox.com).

Step 7: Create new files, work in cloud based MS Office suite in Dropbox.

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Step 8: Try upload features (Figure 8.56) for uploading files and folders in Dropbox.

Figure 8.56: Upload files/ folder option in Dropbox (source: dropbox.com).

Figure 8.57: Share option in Dropbox (source: dropbox.com).

Step 9: You can share the uploaded files (Figure 8.57) and folders and restrict access to the files.

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Enter the email ID to share the document (Figure 8.58). An email invitation is sent to the invited user.

Figure 8.58: Enter email ID for sharing a document (source: dropbox.com).

Figure 8.59: File request feature in Dropbox (source: dropbox.com).

Step 10: Try file request feature (Figure 8.59) to invite a user who does not have an account on Dropbox.

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Figure 8.60: Transfer feature of Dropbox (source: dropbox.com).

Step 11: Try transfer feature (Figure 8.60) for sending files larger than 100 MB.

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Reference Nighswonger, C.R., and N.C. Engard. “Koha in the cloud.” In Getting started with cloud computing, edited by E.M. Corrado and H.L. Moulasion, 87–92. London: Facet, 2011.

Index A Cloud Guru 145 Amazon Cloud formation 73 Amazon Cloud front 69 Amazon DynamoDB 61 Amazon Elastic Beanstalk 73 Amazon elastic compute cloud 54 Amazon Elastic MapReduce 69 Amazon Identity and Access Management 77 Amazon Relational data store 61 Amazon Simple Queue service 66 Amazon Simple Storage service 58

D2L 145 Data centers 44 Database as a Service 39 Deployment models 40 Distributed server 44 Dropbox 137 Dropbox 239

Best Book Buddies 86 Blackboard Learn 145

G Suite for education 137 Google App engine 66 Google BigQuery 69 Google cloud datastore 61 Google cloud SQL 58 Google cloud storage 54 Google Compute engine 53 Google Form 92

Characteristics 20 ClassFlow 145 Client 43 Cloud 12–14 Cloud adoption in libraries 85 Cloud based calendar services 116 Cloud based cataloging suites 116 Cloud based mailing services 116 Cloud based productivity suites 115 Cloud Computing 4, 15 Cloud computing and librarianship 101 Cloud computing and libraries 103 Cloud computing and libraries 22 Cloud computing and library users 102 Cloud Computing enabling technologies 18 Cloud computing in pedagogy 131 Cloud computing players 44 Cloud hosting 48 Cloud infrastructure providers 113 Cloud migration 46 Cloud network providers 120 Cloud operating systems providers 112 Cloud security providers 116 Cloud service providers 108 Cloud storage providers 111 Community Cloud 41 Computing as a Service 39 Coursera 140

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110608915-010

Enquire OCLC 86 Evernote 150 Evolution of Cloud Computing 9

History of Cloud Computing 18 Hybrid Cloud 42 IaaS 33, 38 Identity as a Service 40 Knowledge Matters 140 KOHA 187 Librarika 85 Library initiatives 125 Library services in cloud 107 Mendeley 92 Microsoft 140 Moodle 137 Muzzy Lane 150 Nomenclature of Cloud Computing 12 Oracle VM 201 Origin of Cloud Computing 1

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Index

PaaS 35, 38 Phases of Cloud Computing 10 Principles of Cloud Computing 11 Private cloud 40 Public cloud 40 Resource provisioning 19 SaaS 36, 38 Service models 33 SOAP 20 Storage as a Service 39

TinyCat 86 Viridis 150 Virtual data center 50 Virtualization 18 Web services 19 Wiki 134, 220 WSDL 20 XML 20