Method 3 ~~~Computing in the Cloud

Computing in the Cloud...

Until recently I never heard of the phrase cloud computing.  Despite not knowing the term...I've been using cloud computing for years.  I think cloud computing is a great Web 2.0 feature that helps people continue to be productive on any saved project as long as there is an active web connection.  I personally use Google Docs to help me stay on a budget, keep a reading log with my friends (because you can allow others to access your documents) and keep an address book so I will always have an address at my fingertips.  I have thought about privacy as more and more of my life goes in the cloud but for the most part nothing I have out there is so private that I really "worry about it".  If I were using a lesser known product/company I might fear the company going out of business/going offline and losing all of my data.  But really, is Google going anywhere?

I think libraries could definitely utilize some features of cloud computing but for most of our patron's I'm not sure they are ready for it.  Google Docs or other cloud software could be used but many computer users in the library are not web savvy.  Would changing from physical software to cloud software really help us in the long run?  More education, more time spent helping patrons, more explaining about where their documents really are....
As staff we certainly could use the cloud for our work but I don't think patrons are quite there yet.