Cloud computing:

Abstract

Summary This paper examined cloud computing as a tool for storage in the 21st century libraries. The paradigm shift in library and information science profession is quite visible particularly from print resources to electronic resources. Moreover, there is rapid growth and demand of information and as well as frequent changes in information and communication technology. The use of advanced technology to carry out library operations is vital in the present 21st century libraries to reached out to the patrons irrespective of the discipline of human endeavour. Cloud computing is one of the technological innovative device that is used to carry out routine operations and provide services to library users in order to meet their information need without necessary coming to the library environment. Cloud computing is a computing paradigm, where a large pool of systems are connected in private or public networks to provide dynamically scalable infrastructure for application, data and file storage with the advent of this technology, the cost of computation, application hosting, content storage and delivery is reduced significantly. Cloud computing is a practical approach to experience direct cost benefit and it has the potential to transform a data centre from a capital intensive set up to a variable priced environment.