Case Study on Cloud Based Library Software as a Service: Evaluating EZproxy / دراسة حالة حول برامج المكتبات السحابية كخدمة: تقييم EZproxy

Case Study on Cloud Based Library Software as a Service: Evaluating EZproxy

There is a growing relationship between academic libraries and cloud computing.

Therefore, understanding the beginnings and the current use of cloud base services in libraries is important.

This will help understand the factors that libraries should consider in the future.

The purpose of this paper is to better understand the future implementation of the cloud based software in academic settings.

Using cloud based, web based, and other remote services may bring both advantages and disadvantages, some of which this paper will bring out.

First, a brief literature review of the academic literature, and a review of available general-purpose cloud-based library products are conducted.

Next, a real-life scenario for a mid-sized New Zealand institution of higher education is evaluated.

This case involves moving from a locally hosted version of EZproxy to a cloud based version with support from the vendor. As this information system decision is an important one, this paper makes a contribution to the available literature and can be informative for librarians.

In conclusion, academic libraries will gradually involve more pervasive use of cloud based systems. The examples of important factors to be considered in future decisions include timing and staffing.

Keywords: Cloud Computing, SaaS, Library Systems

INTRODUCTION

Cloud computing is a technology delivery model that provides ubiquitous and on-demand applications and services, by utilizing online and remote resources that can be provisioned with minimal management or service provider interaction.

One example of this is Software as a Service (SaaS), in which the software is hosted by a service provider and accessed by the client online, for example, through a web browser.

The paper first discusses the early history of the access to cloud hosted or based environments along with the current state of affairs.

Next, it moves onto looking at how this may expand in the future. The first part of this research is based on the academic and professional literature along with a survey of the library software vendors and their websites.

The second part of this research involves a brief case study that pertains to a mid-sized New Zealand institution of higher education.

The main academic library at the institution uses EZproxy, which comes in two versions.

One version is cloud hosted and operated by the vendor, while the other version is locally installed and maintained.

It is important to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each version.

This analysis leads to implications and decisions for this institution as well as others in a similar situation that are contemplating how much of their library services need to be cloud based.