Inherent Conceptions of Cloud Computing among Library and Information Science Professionals

IntroductionLibraries continue to be not only early adopters of new technologies, but also early users of cutting-edge technologies they see as being effective to their mission of providing information for all. In recent years, cloud computing has clearly proven to be a lasting technological innovation that will continue its rise in usage and not just a fad that will fade away or be replaced by the next innovation. The present paper is an attempt to explore the concepts prevalent among the librarians and in the existing literature on cloud computing and its association with the libraries.ObjectivesThe study was carried out with following objectives:1) To examine the concepts of cloud computing among library professionals.2) To determine the scope of cloud computing in LIS profession.3) To examine the opportunities and threats for LIS professionals as emerged from the origin of cloud computing platforms.4) To identify the requirement of competencies among LIS professionals for their involvement in cloud computing environment.MethodologyAs the present study was targeted towards the analysis of the concepts of cloud computing among LIS professionals, literature survey method was found suitable. 65 articles related to cloud computing and librarianship were identified from various databases, including Web of Science, Emerald, Science Direct, Library, Information Science and Technology Abstract (LISTA), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar and J-Stor, using the combination of keywords cloud computing and libraries. As the study only included the results obtained through the keywords, the literature review was narrow to a great extent.For convenience of interpretation and discussion the review study has been based on a conceptual framework that has been divided into various sections. The conceptual map that follows (Figure 1) was designed as an attempt to link the diversifying concepts that appears in the related literature. The intention was to map the current research in the topic and discover the potential research gaps which need to be worked out. Implementation of cloud computing in the academic libraries is a relatively new phenomenon where the research is at nascent stage the conceptual framework may not be complete but rather a work in progress. New topics can be added as branches in the conceptual map.Extracting the idea that underlie within the available literature of cloud computing the conceptual framework approaches the steps of cloud adoption in the academic libraries. Henceforth, the associated benefits, challenges of cloud computing in libraries, case studies, focus on the library services in the cloud have been considered as the first stage of cloud adoption that examines the suitability of cloud computing in libraries. Specialized frameworks, Use cases and SWOT analysis has been considered as the part of migration strategy library services to the cloud. The proposed security measures and standards are part of the cloud architecture for academic libraries. The arrows appearing as link of different groups are indicative of the dependency relationship among them.The paper is organized into five sections. The first section is devoted to the concept of cloud computing. The second describes the concepts of cloud computing and its relationship with librarianship and information science. The third examines the scope of cloud computing in the LIS profession. The fourth discusses the opportunities and threats emerged from the origin of cloud computing environment. In the final section, a discussion on the requirements of competencies for LIS professionals in order to work in a cloud computing environment is presented.Concept of "Cloud" in cloud computingThe usage of the word "cloud" has been mystery for the scholars. In order to understand cloud computing it is essential to understand the concept of cloud. Defining the cloud element of cloud computing and tracing its roots has witnessed divulging viewpoints. …