Model Architecture for Cloud Computing-Based Library Management

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to provide a cloud computing system-based architecture for library automation services. In this article, a consortium-based library automation system has been conceptualized and a model architecture has been proposed. The article describes the benefit of virtualization (Virtual Machine as a library) of cloud computing toward libraries and why/how a librarian can shift from an on-premise based library system to cloud-based system to overcome infrastructure requirement, staff requirements for administration, system maintenance, costs for backup, and so forth. The article outlines the traditional system of library automation. The proposed model provides cloud platform and application virtualization solutions for deploying and managing Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for libraries. The model illustrates how a group of libraries, participating into a consortia, could collaborately obtain access to LMS software application through the virtual platform. This article is one of the first of its kind to propose such architecture for library automation.