Library in the Cloud with Diamonds: a critical evaluation of the future of library management systems

Abstract

Purpose

Library technology has been moving towards SaaS and cloud‐based services for some time. Yet the cornerstone of the library collection, namely the ILS, remains largely on separate islands with limited capacity for interoperability, requiring alternate layers for discovery to ingest and index their content. How ILS providers react to this challenge and how libraries themselves respond to it will determine the degree to which such new technologies can take hold. Ultimately, a shift towards a more unified model is perhaps inevitable. It is the means by which that is achieved which remains debatable. This paper seeks to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

With the onset of new management solutions such as Alma, Intota and Worldshare, the prospect of moving the management of the full breadth of the library collection into the cloud has become a possibility. There is, however, no clear picture as to whether this represents the future of libraries as a whole.

Findings

Ultimately, a shift towards a more unified model is perhaps inevitable. It is the means by which that is achieved which remains debatable. This paper provides an open‐ended perspective on the possibilities and perils of the cloud in the library industry.

Originality/value

This paper provides an open‐ended perspective on the possibilities and perils of the cloud in the library industry.

Citation

Levy, R. (2013), "Library in the Cloud with Diamonds: a critical evaluation of the future of library management systems", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 9-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-11-2012-0071