Method 3

The collaborative potential online productivity tools provide should prove heavily influential in the future of work and research projects. Where historically group research/work activities had to occur with all or most members present and usually the work was all done at the same time, the ability to have documents, spreadsheets and other office tools available in the cloud, eliminates the need for proximity between collaborators and even the need to schedule work activities at the same time. Users from across the globe can now collaborate with one another and work on their own schedule. The items they work on then go into the cloud and can be picked up by another collaborator at a later time. While this is a relatively new technology, I think as educational institutions adapt to it, these tools will have a profound influence on how we think of research. The ease with which different parties can work on a document and trace the various changes and edits occurring throughout its development, could pose a challenge to the traditionally hierarchical view of scholarship. Rather than a solitary professor or researcher working on a project, these tools facilitate the ability of multiple scholars from all levels of academia (professor, adjunct, student, independent researcher, etc.) to play a role. As these technologies progress with new tools like Google Wave, the ease of collaboration will increase, and the traditionalist approach will become less and less necessary.

While the potential of cloud computing is very exciting, librarians should exercise caution when using it and instructing others in their use. There does remain some valid concerns about the privacy and longevity of items put into the cloud. Some questions that have not been adequately addressed include: Who can see or distribute the information put in the cloud? Who or what is responsible for protecting the privacy of the user publishing to the cloud? How long can one reasonably expect an item to exist in virtual space? In addition to learning how to operate these tools, librarians should examine these questions in order to help patrons make informed decisions on how they utilize cloud computing.