Cloud based service in library: Boon or Curse?

Abstract

Cloud computing is a new form of computing technology and functions on web server, managed remotely and focuses on service. This technology is mainly responsible for providing infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software asa service (SaaS) to others and ensures all infrastructure and software applications are flexible, dynamic and usable for others. The cloud may deal with different services and applications such as web hosting, institutional repository, email, mail server,data storage, online meetings & web conferences, and many more. Libraries throughout the world has also started using cloud computing for managing e-resources access, web application hosting, online public access catalogue, managing digital libraries, hosting different statistical software and data sets etc. This technology may help to reduce the involvement of huge cost, save manpower efforts, provide platform to library users to browse resources with ease and utilize different library services online. This study has been carried out to analyzethe impact of cloud based services in library and to understand whether cloud computing is being considered as a curse or boon. This study will help to know about cloud computing and it is relevant to libraries in order to implement the cloud technology and benefit the institutions.