Hello! I just wanted to post this article that I found: The Library Cloud Pros and Cons by Edward M. Corrado and Heather Lea Moulaison.
The article contains a lot of information specific to libraries and I thought that it may be a good resource when responding to the posts made in our blog. It defines cloud computing, provides a list of pros and cons, two case examples of libraries and their experiences, and even lists many of its uses.
Reference:
Corrrado, E. M., & Moulaison, H. L. (2012). The library cloud pros and cons.The Digital Shift. Retrieved from http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/03/software/the-library-cloud-pros-and-cons/
Reference:
Corrrado, E. M., & Moulaison, H. L. (2012). The library cloud pros and cons.The Digital Shift. Retrieved from http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/03/software/the-library-cloud-pros-and-cons/
This article is such a good explanation of the applicability of cloud computing for libraries.It offers guidance in the decision-making process which one of the librarians with whom I visited for our assignment has made. The High School LRC has implemented cloud-management from LIBRARY WORLD which she stated is cheaper than OCLC and with which she is very happy. Now that so many more options are becoming available for libraries it is astute that Vanderbilt U's Director has predicted the demise of integrated library systems. Technology is empowering and this might well be the future of libraries in the virtual world or is that the future of virtual libraries worldwide?
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is a great article for explaining the cloud. In answer to your questions, I don't think that the virtual libraries are going to be worldwide. One of our guiding principles in libraries is anti-censorship, and there are many countries world-wide who censor information to their citizens. There is also much of the world that does not have as much access to technology as we in America do.
DeleteLauren brings forward a very good point. There are many countries around the world, whose governments prevent their citizens from accessing information (especially via the Internet). Just recently, Turkey has banned Twitter and YouTube.
DeleteDid they really? I didn't know/hear that. So interesting.
DeleteI agree, though, that this is a great article for explaining the cloud. To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure of what it was before exploring your blog and this really helped.
I also agree that virtual libraries are not going to be a worldwide thing. I can see how it will become more prevalent in forward thinking countries around the world like in the Europe. But, countries on the Asia continent may not be. I have seen several articles recently about Japanese libraries trying to model themselves more after American libraries, so this maybe something we see there.
I'm glad that you both enjoyed the article!
ReplyDeleteSince politics and technology access change and grow at such a rapid pace - human society is not stagnant, after all - do you believe that the virtual library will one day be a more achievable vision worldwide? Also, how do physical libraries function in societies which censor information; are the restrictions placed on those libraries comparable to restrictions placed on the public and the internet? That might be a topic for a paper in the future! :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I believe that the fight against censorship in libaries as it applies to virtual information is also relevant in the United States. As we move to more virtual worlds the attempts of government, lobbyists and corporations to restrict access (see: the death of Net Neutrality, this is a huge example) will continue to be an issue in all cultures.
Thanks for this great post!
-Heather
"As we move to more virtual worlds the attempts of government, lobbyists and corporations to restrict access (see: the death of Net Neutrality, this is a huge example) will continue to be an issue in all cultures."
DeleteThis concerns me with cloud computing, if the information is physically stored in a different country, I wonder how these restrictions will play out. Someone will still control the flow of information that is accessed.
I also wonder, what happens to the information (privacy being an issue, as well as sensitive details such as financial or medical), if a contract expires? Where did the information go when the one company was bought out? Did it get deleted, or is it still *somewhere*?
M Lenox
This article went a long way to clearing up the confusion behind cloud computing and its relevance in the library world. Most recently our libraries have made the shift to Bibliocommons, and much of the positive response from patrons has been in response to some of the features mentioned that relate to the discovery experience where patrons can view tags and recommendations within and outside of the community. This feature is great for those wanting to interact within the library community all serviced through this cloud provider.
ReplyDeleteSarah J
Thanks for sharing this article. Sometimes it is difficult to explain what the cloud is to others because they cannot grasp their head around this idea of storage in the "cloud". This is a great article for exploring the basic premise of cloud computing.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to my mind when talking about moving files to the cloud is security. The files are out there, and privacy and security are a common concern. I have heard that cloud storage companies spend a great deal of time and effort to ensure the security of their storage, after all, this is how they make money. Cloud storage must be very secure if a hospital is willing to store patient files this way. It was interesting to read that some cloud companies have storage designed to adhere to HIPPA regulations. Thank you for sharing this great article.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated this article. I work as a computer page at my local public library and I had a patron ask me to explain the Cloud to them the other day and I just had to look it up for them and show them because I didn't know how to just describe it to them at all. I knew that it was really useful to use when it came to things such as my documents being accessed online kind-of but this article brought to light a lot of different things that could specifically used for librarians. The most important thing I took away were the concerns about security and how risks can be minimized. It seems like lately a lot of patrons have been having trouble with their e-mails getting hacked and passwords being changed so I can only hope that that has been happening outside of our library.
ReplyDelete