Roadmap of Iranian digital academic libraries in the context of cloud infrastructure and becoming cloud library
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-11-2020-0174 |
| Published date | 09 August 2021 |
| Date | 09 August 2021 |
| Pages | 485-508 |
| Author | Heydar Esmaeili,Alireza Isfandyari-Moghaddam,Mehdi Alipour Hafezi |
Roadmap of Iranian digital
academic libraries in the context
of cloud infrastructure and
becoming cloud library
Heydar Esmaeili
Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran
Alireza Isfandyari-Moghaddam
Department of Lis, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University,
Iran, Hamedan, Iran, and
Mehdi Alipour Hafezi
Department of Knowledge and information science,
Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to draw a roadmap for the presenceof Iranian academic libraries in the cloud
infrastructure.
Design/methodology/approach –This research attends an applied-development one that is a part of
developmental research due to its conceptual expansion, foresight and roadmap for the presenceof cloud-based
academic libraries and finally, becoming cloud libraries. Because of providing a roadmap template, the presence of
academic digital libraries in the cloud and becoming a cloud library is applied research. Because of providing a
roadmap template, academic digital libraries’presence in the cloud and becoming a cloud library is one of the
applied research areas. The statistical population of this research includes all Iranian digital academic libraries.
There were 64 digital libraries out of which 59 libraries participated in com pleting the questionnaire.
Findings –Preliminary resultsfrom used Delphi method’sfirst round which was considered by 59 experts
were identified typically and descriptive after appropriate component classification and editing. After
identifying these factors, each of the roadmaplevels in the third stage and the degree of relevance approved
by the experts were reviewed and the most critical and relevantfactors were identified as key components of
the roadmap for the presence of cloud-based academiclibraries and becoming cloud libraries. At this stage,
they were selected as 24 factors, includingseven factors for the first layer, eight factors for the second layer
and nine factors for the thirdlayer.
Originality/value –By introducing a roadmap for the presence of academicdigital libraries in the cloud
context, they will promote more and betterinteraction between academic libraries to offer services to users
anytimeand anywhere.
Keywords Iran, Digital libraries, Academic libraries, Cloud computing, Roadmap, Cloud library
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Nowadays, massive costs of academic libraries spent on providing information resources
and services. Predominantly, although university officials should not refrain from any
material or spiritual investment, such as their moral support of library development plans,
in enthusiasticallypromoting the services of academic libraries, this unfortunateinvestment
Iranian digital
academic
libraries
485
Received12 November 2020
Revised26 March 2021
17May 2021
Accepted21 June 2021
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.71 No. 6/7, 2022
pp. 485-508
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-11-2020-0174
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2514-9342.htm
must have a tangible and objective reflection. This is when electronic tools access to end-
user information are available and academic libraries need to be able to prove their
resources and services have made a significant contribution to patrons’education and
research (Abbaset al., 2018).
On the other hand, with the advent of modern technologies in all walks of life,
especially social areas, the libraries and information centers function with the advent
of technologies such as wireless networks, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Access
to scientific information sources has changed and requires the use of electronic and
digital forms alongside their traditional form. In the meantime, modern libraries and
information centers need to instantly update their needed services as these innovative
technologies typically arrive. In addition to traditional services, these centers have to
offer internet, electronic and digital services. Using digital resources, university
libraries have been able to encounter the users’information needs in addition to
updating their facilities with the technology world, but these centers can benefitfrom
cloud computing could strive to provide better, more up-to-date services and beyond
the constraints of the past to meet the more demanding information needs alongside
traditional low-cost services. These libraries need to be instantly turned into a cloud
and digitized libraries or transformed into digital libraries and used as a shared use
facility and approach (Abbas et al., 2018;Abbasi and Zoya, 2013).
With the rapid development of cloud computing, cloud storage and other related
technologies, digital libraries have increasingly enabled users to remotely access a wide
range of distributed information resources regardless of physical storage conditions
(Atuase, 2019); e-learning using cloud computing services also enhances students’learning
opportunities through appropriate web technology by accessing a variety of digital
information resources anytime and anywhere (Thamaraiselvi, 2016). Apart from the use of
cloud computing in academic libraries, this technology has been used to informresearchers,
cloud computing enthusiasts, academics and librarians of academic digital libraries about
the state of study and research in these fields and also will be the impact on teaching
methods and educational processesandthe benefitsof cloud computing on the organization
(Baldassarre etal.,2018).
Cloud computing has emerged as a technology to realize the utility model of computing
while using the internet for accessing applications (Chandrasekaran, 2014). Cloud
computing literature is not particularly rich in librarianship and information science as
follows: in general, 2010 and especially 2011 can be regarded as the time for information
technology adopters.Libraries’telecommunications services and the impact theyadopt from
this model are exemplary of these studies(Che, 2015;Scale, 2010).
Many research studies indicate that there are already many libraries in the world,
including cloud computing in countries suchas theUSA (Makori, 2016), China (Xuand Du,
2018), (Zhou and Liu, 2013), India (Yuvaraj,2013), Africa (Aviamu et al.,2019;Avram, 2014)
and Nigeria (Wada, 2018) have been used.Cloud computing in the library can be used in the
following areas that have changed theirservices by relying on the cloud and the network at
any time and place. Cloud computing in the library can be used in the following areas
(Kaushik and Kumar, 2016):
Creating a digital/repository library;
Searching for library data;
Web hosting;
Scientific content search;
GKMC
71,6/7
486
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