In an era where every success must be followed by a sequel, ALA TechSource has expanded their set of useful library technology primers, called The Tech Set, from ten books to twenty. If the numbering sequence means anything, then there must be some significance that Breeding was chosen to be the leadoff in both sets, having written #1 Next-Gen Library Catalogs, and now #11 Cloud Computing for Libraries. That’s probably because Breeding can clearly explain library technology to a broad audience without oversimplification.

Cloud computing is a buzzword that is often applied to a wide ranges of services. From simple data storage and web hosting, to software-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service, Breeding differentiates between the services, with general definitions for each type and relevant examples. Many websites and free services are listed. For those that aren’t free, Breeding has the actual costs based on real-world projects.

The best part is the Implementation chapter, which features recipes for specific projects. The projects are arranged from free and simple, such as using Dropbox for cloud-based file storage, to increasingly complex projects, such as using Google for organizational email, or using Amazon S3 to host a library website or multimedia collection. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed for each approach. Generally, the advantage of cloud computing is to free librarians from the routine tasks of maintaining technology infrastructure, and to allow them to focus on services that benefit their patrons.

The wide scope of the projects discussed makes this book useful for libraries of all sizes and budgets and library techies of varying abilities. While the guidelines given should allow librarians to assess their projects practically, as with many technology books, the listed examples become more dated over time. Librarians with dreams of cloud computing are best served starting with this book, sooner rather than later.

This review first appeared in Catholic Library World; December 2012, Vol 83 Issue 2. p.144.