4. Library services through
cloud computing
Case studies on services, platforms, and infrastructure
Erik Mitchell, PhD
Assistant Director for Technology Services
Z. Smith Reynolds Library
Wake Forest University
6. Changing Transformative
Core library
+ information + impact of cloud
services
needs computing
=
Evolving view of library
services and operations
7. +
=
+
Library services
Data Services
Library as place, content
bibliographic, digital, access, content creation,
technical, administrative, instruction, research,
license, access, preservation preservation
Content Experience
Collections, subscriptions, Research, study support, peer-
digital, print, publishing based collaboration, IT
exploration
8. +
=
+
Information context
Skype has 521M Users
34% of skype calls use video
Facebook has 471M Users
iPhone /iPod Touch - 85M Users
Facebook - most popular free iPhone app
Mary Meeker - Atmosphere 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1w1FvgdZnE
9. +
=
+
New IT roles
Increasing expectations for social networking
and mobile services
10. +
=
+
Cloud computing
“the IT stack is changing from being data
centric to cloud centric - you cannot do
metadata analytics at scale in a data centric
environment”
Location-based service, transparent pricing, consumer discounts,
immediate gratification, mobile push, branded apps, social
rewards applications
Geoffrey Moore- Atmosphere 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0swJCYLH2Ck
11. +
=
+
Emerging profile
Everyday use of cloud-based
services
Greater diversity: place, context,
and platform
Online experience driving
service expectations
Internet, broadband, mobile, video,
communicative, social
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fofurasfelinas/2774653309/
12. Defining the cloud
pay for what you uset
t
service-focussed
easy to replicate
t
scalable
13. Related concepts
Cloud computing “is a phrase that is being
used today to describe the act of storing,
accessing, and sharing data, applications, and
computing power in cyberspace” - Pew Internet
Trust
A Web service “is a software system designed
to support interoperable machine-to-machine
interaction over a network” - w3c.org
Application programming interface
(API) “is a specification for allowing programs to
14. Granular definitions
“...a model for enabling convenient, on-
demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources...rapidly
provisioned and released...promotes
availability...composed of five essential
characteristics, three service models, and
four deployment models.” - NIST
Service, scalable, shared, metered, Web-
based - Gartner
15. Types of cloud
computing services
Applications that provide ‘end-user’
Software experiences - SerialsSolutions,
Wordpress.com, WorldCat Local
An environment for delivering customized
Platforms
services - Site hosting, DuraSpace,
Open infrastructure that can be used for any
Infrastructure
purpose, Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure
16. Examples
Productivity Google docs, Gmail, write.fm, cloud-canvas.com,
MS Office online
Publishing wordpress.com, twitter, yammer, youtube
File storage flickr, dropbox, Jungle Disk, Google docs
Social networking facebook, flickr, MySpqce, foursquare,
linkedin
Data / Infrastructure Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure,
Rackspace
21. Case studies
Challenge Case study
Finding low-barrier ways to
WFU Google Docs
serve information needs
Producing innovative products
Jason Clark - Montana & video
in complex environments
Solving large-scale library IT
DuraSpace, OCLC APIs
issues
Oregon digtial library, DC
Collaboration and pervasive use
Public
22. Low-barrier solutions
Social Stratification in the Deep South 2009
<< WFU Google Sites
Giz Womack - Wake Forest
http://zsr.wfu.edu
24. Integrated use
A science based video site 10 -
18 year olds - Cloud services,
APIs
Jason Clark - University of
Montana
http://www.lib.montana.edu/~jason/files.php
25. Integrated use
A science based video site 10 -
18 year olds - Cloud services,
APIs
Jason Clark - University of
Montana
http://www.lib.montana.edu/~jason/files.php
26. Solving large-scale
library IT issues
Integrated library systems
Enterprise search
Digital asset management
systems
Electronic resource
management systems
29. Digital access and
preservation
Lots of copies keep stuff safe
Peer-based archive using LOCKSS
Replicated content, administration
Cooperative planning and action
Data visualization
27 Partners, Preservation, Access
Cloud based Dspace, Fedora
30. DuraCloud
Cloud-based
Replicated storage and
application servers
Mediated, simple,
automatically redundant
Open source and cloud-
based
DuraCloud Architecture
https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/duracloud/DuraCloud+Architecture
31. Inter-institutional collaboration
“ For shared development projects and services,
cloud based services offer libraries and their
partners the opportunity to move outside the
organization bureaucracy and into International
waters, where projects are able to function
unencumbered… ”
Terry Reese - Oregon State University
http://oregonstate.edu
32. Pervasive use
“Technology is
everyone’s job – we can
spend more time
training and consulting,
less time supporting
apps!”
DCLibrary.org, Central
Desktop, Digital Image
Archive, Google Docs,
Chris Tonjes - DC Public Library
http://dclibrary.org
33. Case studies
Challenge Case study
Finding low-barrier ways to
WFU Google Docs
serve information needs
Producing innovative products
Jason Clark - Montana & video
in complex environments
Solving large-scale library IT
DuraSpace, OCLC APIs
issues
Oregon digtial library, DC
Collaboration and pervasive use
Public
35. Choose a solution
{
Approach Systems
OpenURL resolver, Stats
SaaS manager, research guides,
online reference
Service catalog Integrated library system,
PaaS Interlibrary loan, copyright
compliance systems
Discovery, digital repository,
archives management,
IaaS
website, digital storage,
institutional repository
36. Hybrid models
Amazon EC2
Infrastructure, Server
images, backup processes,
Amazon S3
monitoring, service
deployment, code Data archiving, system
management backups, file system SaaS
operations Hosted end-point
services, data
Amazon EBS subscriptions, 100%
outsourced options
Server disks, application PaaS
and data storage, platform
for EC2 systems Custom configurations,
single purpose applications
(ILS), proprietary systems
37. Managing complexity install
configure
EC2 services
secure
backup
document
deploy
monitor
Server images administer
upgrade
remove
38. Outcomes
New computing model - mix of IT and end-
user focus
Outsource or crowdsource?
Worldwide, libraries have 5265 transactions per second.
This is manageable on a handful of servers - Andrew Pace, OCLC
http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/13809231/
39. pros / cons
Pro Con
Provider security measures
Privacy, security, license
exceed library needs
Default support for multi-
Bandwidth, accessibility
platform services
Opportunity to migrate IT to
Lack of diversity in market
subscription model
Levels playing field for
New skills, added complexity
creators / contributors
40. Getting started
Start small - Record and upload a YouTube video, embed it in a libguide
Build your skills - Seek out ‘new’ media platforms, find out how to create
new content, how to post it, and how to bring it back into your site
Assess suitability - For any project, ask yourself if you are better in a
cloud or localized environment (factors are cost, access, sustainability, expertise)
Experiment - The most complex services are available in a browser-based
interface now. Launch a server, try an API, experiment with a new platform
Library services through cloud computing
Share experience from WFU
Relate examples from ALA session
Goals
Examine definitions of CC, related technologies
Use case studies to explore CC in libraries
Simple model
Core service + changing needs + transformative CC = evolving view of ops
Technology role = enhance, expand, or transform library services
All library services use &#x2018;technology&#x2019;, question - how can CC change/improve/extend?
Data >> Content >> Services >> Experience
We have lots of experience operating with metadata and content
Gaining expertise in managing experienece
Research / instruction
&#x2018;library as place&#x2019;
Peer-based collaboration, Embedded librarians, IT exploration
Information context
Real-time virtual interactions, network based information discovery, conversation and document based communication
If skype were a telecom, the would be largest
Facebook&#x2019;s popularity in US is mirrored in other sites around the world
The web is increasingly a/v focused and enabled
Libraries finding that students have new IL challenges - forget the web, think about research and evaluation in a mobile environment
IT roles
Peer-to-peer communications have gone digital, emerging as a new model for professional interactions (facebook >> linkedin)
69% of people had used online service or &#xA0;stored online (pew internet trust)
Digital information services (flickr, youtube) simplifying previously difficult IT serices
Libraries seeking new roles - publishing, IR, act as learning partner
Cloud Computing
Geoffrey Moore - IT analyst - Asserts that IT changes information discovery - &#x201C;You can teach a computer to ignore the haystack and just find the needle&#x201D; and that CC expands search to the network level
cloud computing encourage decentralized communication, enables consumer-created services, creates opportunities for customized and directed services (Location, push, rewards).
Patron profiles
Everyday, diverse, experience focus, socially enabled
Driven by discipline - place, context, platform matter - customize experience
Good news - cloud computing makes this easier
Moore argues that the new IT model is consumer-created &#xA0;(consumer >> enterprise) - cheetos ad
Defining the cloud
Metered, Replicable, Service-focused, Subscription, scalable
When we talk about CC we mean everything from GMail to TB of network disk space, we mean real-time, network based
For most of us CC is equivalent to services offered on the Internet
Three related concepts for Internet enabled services
Cloud computing - &#x201C;the act of storing, accessing, and sharing data, applications, and computing power in cyberspace&#x201D;
NIST & Gartner definition more granular
Web Service - &#x201C;software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network&#x201D; - &#xA0;RSS feed, &#xA0;iCal invite
API - A specification for a web-service
Our large CC service providers use all of these - Gmail, YouTube, Amazon
Granular definitions
National institute of standards and technology (3 facets)
Characteristics - on demand, networked, resource pooling, elastic, measured service
Service models - Software, Platform, Infrastructure
Deployment models - Public, Private, Hybird, Community
Gartner - different, characteristic focused
metered, scalable, shared, etc
Types
service - delivered as an &#x2018;end-user&#x2019; application - serialssolutions
platform - space for hosting custom services - application hosting - duracloud
Infrastructure - open capacity - servers, disks - amazon
Examples of CC
Productivity, publishing, file storage, social networking, data/infrastructutre
Talk through slides quickly
Case Studies
Low-barrier - WFU examples
Innovative products - Terrapod
Large scale - Back office, search,
Collaboration and pervasive use
Low-barrier solutions
WFU move to GMail for students
Google GCal, Gmail, Google Sites
Transition from manual html to sites platform
Rapid adoption
Re-framed training in library
Social stratification - facebook
Answer question &#x2018;what IT resources are needed to facilitate learning in non-traditional classrooms&#x2019; - video, social networking, community building
Both examples - library worked as instruction and IT support, in SS as embedded librarians.
New role for librarians to provide support for new media creation, management, and access
Multi-site, multi-media
Anali Perry - Az state Univ
short videos for instruction or news purposes
ZSR library &#x2018;toolkit&#x2019; videos
Short videos hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, etc. &#xA0;Use simple Embed tags to include in local sites
Brings library into content creation, a little equipment positions library to support broad new area
IT lab at ZSR
By capitalizing on cloud services libraries can support new range of complex information activities
By being aware of license, rights, and access issues libraries use core values
Integrated Use
Jason Clark - Terrapod - a science vodcasting site for 10-18 year olds
Show quick video
Videos stored in blip.tv, APIs and web-services used to extract data
Site combines data, video, instruction, and research support
Building this sort of site really only requires knowing how to use RSS and a little scripting
Cloud computing allows you to focus on end-service not on technical details, allows you to capitalize on work of others
ILS, DAMS, ERMS, Enterprise Search
OCLC - Webscale Managment Services - Building on ILL model, central service, central data - shift in market different from open source options (also available hosted)
Enterprise search - serials solutions summons, Ebsco integrated search
Version 1 was facets, version 2 is content and format abstraction
OCLC Worldcat - centralized bib records makes industry wide evolution realistic (FRBR)
DAMS
Number of projects and consortiums using cloud solutions
Look specifically at duracloud, initiative of DuraSpace partner organizations
DC -
moves dspace into cloud
Still open source but with data/access subscription model
replicated across multiple cloud providers (Amazon, Microsoft, Rackspace)
New set of simplified services for libraries
Lowers cost-of-entry and TCO for complex Digtial library systems
Collaboration and pervasive use
Inter-institutional - Terry-reese, ALA, International waters
Resonated because of Digitalforsyth experience
Cloud allows you to form partnerships without involving local IT resources, allows you to find neutral playing field
Sometimes regulations help, sometimes provide unnecessary barriers
Chris Tonjes - DCPL
Pervasive use - website, CMS, central desktop, digtial image archive
Goal is to involve everyone in the library
Training, service, support are sustainable - supporting special localized apps is not
Recap of case studies
Saw a mix of uses SAAS, PAAS, IAAS
How far you go depends on project
Possible to turn &#x2018;everything&#x2019; into a cloud
Julian Clark - Lightning round - private cloud in your organization - &#x2018;sometimes you just need a virtual machine&#x2019;
Issues are
Technical - cpu, storage, network, expertise
Organizational - staff time, project ownership, regulations
Patron - what makes the best experience?
Talk briefly about implementation
Service catalog - WFU case study - decided that subscription computing was more attractive than ownership models
Over course of 4 years moved everything - really focused for last 18 months
some elements had steep learing curve -talking more about that at LITA
Lynch pin - needed all new servers - looked at cost vs cloud
Hybrid models - Decided to move everything, used mix of models
SAAS - help save staff time/expertise
PAAS - When you want someone to manage the platform (ILS, ILL)
IAAS - when you need customizabiltiy, scalability (Dspace, Vufind)
Managing complexity
Expertise is an issue - the more you take on CC, the closer you come to an IT department
Outcomes
New computing model
When IT expertise was not held used SAAS or PAAS options (ILS)
When local customization was needed, used IAAS
What is your goal - more access, reduced cost, specilized staff time
Outsource vs Crowdsource
Large-scale outsourcing is realistic, but perhaps not ready yet
It is ok to outsource to focus resources on differentating services
Libraries arent that big - 5200 Transactions per second are manageble
Experimentation, low-barrier solutions, short term - Look towards free SAAS options
Pros / cons
Security, privacy, licenses
Often providers have stronger security / privacy / redundancy SLAs than we require (amazon)
Other times, they have not considered academic issues - important to read the Service Level Agreements
Enhanced service
Multi-platform support more common in SAAS solutions,
Come at expense of customizability
Is your environment right for cloud ( bandwidth, access - VPN)
New IT model
Subscription basis changes how libraries look at it
Amazon Bezios quote - 70% into IT, 30% into innovation - should be flipped
Current lack of diversity in maket, unequal service levels (Amazon still a clear leader in IAAS)
Leveled playing field
With new services smaller players can get into game
Regardless new skills are required, systems are becoming more complex, moving into CC means all departments are effected
IT - how to manage CC env.
Content creators - how to publish / manage
Administrators - how to allocate resources, plan, transition
Getting started
Start small
YouTube, cloud-based blog, website,
Built-in services (embed, link, rss)
Build skills
Seek new media platforms, how to create content, how to publish/harvest content
Assess suitability/sustainability
Cloud vs local?
What happens if it goes away?
Alignment with academic/institutional goals
Local IT requirements - DNS, VPN, Firewall
Experiment
Simple experiments - record, upload, extract
More complex - Install a blog in a cloud env
More complex - Launch a server on Amazon, turn the knobs
Even the most complex item is done 100% in a web-browser now