For a short and simple introduction to cloud computing, watch this 3-minute video from Common Craft.
Cloud computing has several meanings depending on the context. For the purposes of discussing a library context, I use cloud computing to mean building services delivered via the Web based on massively aggregated data and users, with an open architecture to allow local extensions of the services.
Businesses around the world have successfully employed cloud computing solutions to increase efficiency in their workflows and reduce their costs. There are many excellent examples, ranging from contact management to human resources and e-commerce. Amazon has set forth the proposition that businesses spend up to 70% of the time and money just maintaining local infrastructures necessary to deliver their services and 30% on innovation to drive their businesses forward. By moving these services into cloud computing solutions they are able to able to reverse this ratio, so that 30% is spent on local infrastructure while 70% is freed to drive innovation.
Library systems evolved over the last 30 years and are based on pre-Web technologies. These systems have become increasingly expensive to maintain. We have already seen the movement of discovery services for library patrons into cloud computing solutions over the last few years, but systems for library staff have remained separated—with integration to these new services often difficult to achieve. It is time to look at how library staff can benefit from moving the routine tasks required for acquisition of all types of material, whether physical or electronic, circulation functions and analysis of collections to cloud-based solutions. It can be demonstrated that this will save libraries money and free up staff involved with maintaining systems that perform routine functions to work on innovative services to meet local needs.
Patrons will also benefit from such a move. By placing routine library functions on the same platforms as discovery and delivery services, integration between services becomes simpler to accomplish. This means patrons have less frustration moving between systems to find and access physical, electronic and digital collections of libraries.
