Internet Outsourcing Using an Application Service Provider: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians

Citation

Bickner, C. (2002), "Internet Outsourcing Using an Application Service Provider: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians", The Bottom Line, Vol. 15 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2002.17015cae.002

Internet Outsourcing Using an Application Service Provider: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians

Internet Outsourcing Using an Application Service Provider: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians

Matthews, J.R.Neal-SchumanNew York2001

Keywords: Computer outsourcing, Information technology, Outsourcing, Internet

An Application Service Provider (ASP) is a third party that manages and distributes software to customers across a wide area network. ASPs offer libraries and other institutions the opportunity to outsource their information technology needs. Tasks as simple as the management of a personal fitness routine or as complex as the management of an entire business process can be managed by software that is housed and maintained by an ASP. The advantage of an ASP is thought to be that the burden of packing, delivering, installing and maintaining is taken on by a third party, freeing libraries from these time-consuming and costly expenses.

In his Internet Outsourcing Using an Application Service Provider: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians, Joseph R. Matthews introduces this kind of service, contrasts it from other kinds of services, and describes how ASPs might benefit small and large libraries in managing all aspects of library service including cataloging, circulation, OPAC, acquisitions, serials control, multi-media, reporting and productivity software.

I tend to favor technical books that are well situated in the history of computing. I do not think that this perspective is necessary to the success and accuracy of such a title, but a sense of history mixed with a little passion for the topic appeals to this librarian's sensibility. Matthews is an author that offers just that kind of reading experience. He has been writing on library automation and information retrieval since the 1980s, and his authoritativeness is balanced with his lucidity and accessibility.

Like other titles in the How-to-Do-It series, this book provides a step-by-step guide for the research and decision-making managers as they consider an ASP purchase. If you are trying to decide whether to go with an ASP, Chapter Four breaks down network, security, support, and service issues in clear, accessible terms. When it is time to choose an ASP, Chapter Five does the same. I would feel much more comfortable at the negotiating table after having read the technical and contractual concepts that Matthews outlines.

Even if library managers decide not to manage their work with an ASP, Matthews's book is still food for thought. He discusses important weaknesses in the way we traditionally manage IT. A total of 75 percent of the cost of software ownership goes to maintenance, upgrades, setup, hardware and ongoing expenses. Bogged down by these peripheral costs, we sometimes miss opportunities for innovation because it is too expensive to change direction.

Internet Outsourcing Using an Application Service Provider offers a serious alternative to what can be very expensive processes for libraries. But because the field of ASPs is an evolving one, I would recommend that readers do a little extra research beyond this title.

Check to make sure that when you read this book, the ideas within bear out. At the time of this writing, Matthews's ideas are serious ones. Three, six or nine months from now, this may not be the case. This may not be a canonical title, but it offers a creative way to think about library IT problems.

I would recommend this book for the library IT manager, not so much as a bible or guide, but as a way to measure your options. Read it the next time you fly. ASPs have not swept the IT industry as we might have predicted a year ago, but they have taken hold in certain areas, and they do offer solutions and savings that might be especially appealing in this economy. Still, it pays to remember that you often get what you pay for.

Carrie BicknerWeb Coordinator, The Branch Libraries, New York Public Library, NY, USA