Remote Storage Facilities Research Articles

Optimizing resource utilization in cloud and fog computing environments using Hidden Markov Model

Abstract The massive volumes of data IoT devices generate are processed on the cloud. Fog computing, a hybrid cloud, and IoT solution, is used to distribute workloads and allocate resources efficiently, but it requires much research to implement. The study investigates load balancing in fog and cloud computing environments, which is crucial for managing IoT data. Cloud computing centralizes data processing and storage in remote storage facilities, whereas fog computing decentralizes functions to intermediary nodes closer to data generation and consumption. This close proximity facilitates optimal bandwidth usage, decrease delay, and faster computing. This study uses Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to examine task behaviour’s across diverse computing nodes and consider resource requirements. This study captures the probabilistic nature of load distribution by constructing emission and transition matrices from observed task dynamics and node-specific information. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of HMM in describing and optimizing load-balancing tactics, HMM play a vital role in optimizing load balancing tactics, as they model resource utilization, providing insights into enhancing resource allocation efficiency within complex computing infrastructures. The accuracy of the proposed method is approximately 92%.

A caching mechanism to exploit object store speed in High Energy Physics analysis

Data analysis workflows in High Energy Physics (HEP) read data written in the ROOT columnar format. Such data has traditionally been stored in files that are often read via the network from remote storage facilities, which represents a performance penalty especially for data processing workflows that are I/O bound. To address that issue, this paper presents a new caching mechanism, implemented in the I/O subsystem of ROOT, which is independent of the storage backend used to write the dataset. Notably, it can be used to leverage the speed of high-bandwidth, low-latency object stores. The performance of this caching approach is evaluated by running a real physics analysis on an Intel DAOS cluster, both on a single node and distributed on multiple nodes.

MLaaS4HEP: Machine Learning as a Service for HEP

Machine Learning (ML) will play a significant role in the success of the upcoming High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) program at CERN. An unprecedented amount of data at the exascale will be collected by LHC experiments in the next decade, and this effort will require novel approaches to train and use ML models. In this paper, we discuss a Machine Learning as a Service pipeline for HEP (MLaaS4HEP) which provides three independent layers: a data streaming layer to read High-Energy Physics (HEP) data in their native ROOT data format; a data training layer to train ML models using distributed ROOT files; a data inference layer to serve predictions using pre-trained ML models via HTTP protocol. Such modular design opens up the possibility to train data at large scale by reading ROOT files from remote storage facilities, e.g., World-Wide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) infrastructure, and feed the data to the user’s favorite ML framework. The inference layer implemented as TensorFlow as a Service (TFaaS) may provide an easy access to pre-trained ML models in existing infrastructure and applications inside or outside of the HEP domain. In particular, we demonstrate the usage of the MLaaS4HEP architecture for a physics use-case, namely, the t{bar{t}} Higgs analysis in CMS originally performed using custom made Ntuples. We provide details on the training of the ML model using distributed ROOT files, discuss the performance of the MLaaS and TFaaS approaches for the selected physics analysis, and compare the results with traditional methods.

Inside-Out and Outside-In: A Holistic Approach to Metadata Assessment for an Off-Site Storage Collection

ABSTRACT As more libraries rely on remote storage facilities to preserve print collections, this presents challenges for resource discovery and access. Since off-site storage facilities often have no open shelves or public access, increased importance is placed on metadata to connect users to resources. At the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL), we conducted a metadata assessment of the serials collection located in its Downsview high-density storage facility. Using quantitative and qualitative methods based on the assessment metrics proposed by Bruce and Hillmann (2004) we gained a holistic view of the quality and effectiveness of the metadata for the Downsview serials collection. The study also revealed many of the challenges associated with making off-site resources discoverable and accessible in online systems.

Rise of the Shadow Libraries: America's Quest to Save Its Information and Culture from Nuclear Destruction during the Cold War

This article argues that the ultimate goal of American doomsday planners during the Cold War was to defend informational and cultural materials from nuclear destruction. American leaders of the time hoped to protect the vital documents that the nation would need to function after a war, as well as safeguard materials related to the nation's cultural heritage. Planners used vaulting, dispersal, and duplication as their three main protection strategies, and these strategies gave rise to “shadow libraries,” remote storage facilities often constructed underground.

Cooperative Remote Storage: Challenges for Resource Sharing

Cooperative storage involves two or more libraries sharing space within a facility. Kansas State University leases space at the Library Annex, a remote storage facility owned and operated by the University of Kansas. Various challenges are involved in maintaining access to remotely stored materials for resource sharing and document delivery purposes. The authors, staff members of the Interlibrary Services Unit at Kansas State University, discuss variables affecting access to remote materials and share their experience working within a cooperative storage model.

Archival Records of American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

The archival records of the ASIH are administered by the Smithsonian Institution Archives in Washington, D.C. The records occupy 40 cubic feet of space and are maintained under optimal conditions in a remote storage facility in Boyers, PA. This paper describes the transfer of the Society's records to the Smithsonian Institution in 1974, the additional deposits in the following years, and the basic arrangement and importance of the records. The archival collection is available for research, and anyone interested in the history of the Society may access it by prior arrangement with the Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Collaborative Collection Management in a High-density Storage Facility

This case study reviews selected collection management issues encountered in a collaboratively managed high-density remote storage facility. In 2000, four Colorado institutions—the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Colorado at Denver, the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and the University of Denver—opened a shared high-density storage facility. This mix of public and private institutions agreed to collaborative collection management, including a nonduplication policy and the granting of direct access to stored materials for nonparticipating institutions through a statewide union catalog. Ownership of stored materials, selection of items for storage, operational management, and online and physical access proved to be challenging policy issues requiring committees, patience, and compromise to resolve.

Providing Access and Preservation Services to Collections in Remote Storage Facilities

ABSTRACT As libraries continue to acquire, catalog, and preserve paper-based collections, and the early promise of digital technologies to put everything online has not yet been fully realized, the need to physically retain little used analog collections has intensified. Thus a growing trend in the field of academic and public libraries is an increased awareness of the importance of remote storage facilities (RSF). A recent American Library Association meeting featured speakers who were involved with such a facility. The speakers offered tips and hints on surviving and even thriving in one successfully. The authors of this article hope that by documenting the highlights of these presentations, other librarians and staff in the planning, construction, or implementation phase of a RSF will be better prepared for the challenges and difficulties they will face when trying to provide access to and physically maintain a collection geographically distant from their main library.

Books in Active Retirement: Selection Issues for Remote Storage

ABSTRACTThe construction of a state-of-the-art remote storage facility in Denver, Colorado, provided the five participating libraries an opportunity to winnow their overcrowded shelves. The development of effective and judicious selection criteria for this process was a key consideration, as the decision to send materials off-site is not always a popular one with library users. This article describes the selection criteria formulated and applied by the University of Denver's Penrose Library. At the outset, books with imprint dates prior to 1960 that had not circulated in 20 years were prime candidates for storage. However, many other criteria had to be considered and applied in the course of the selection process.

Nicholson Baker Wasn't All Wrong

SUMMARY An increasing number of libraries are engaged in building remote storage facilities. Overcrowded shelves resulting from an increase in scholarly publishing and the high cost of traditional library buildings have made remote storage attractive options. It has the further advantage of offering an environment more suited to preservation and security. However, remote storage is not a popular choice, especially among the faculty. A collection development policy is essential for these branch libraries. Librarians must involve faculty in developing the guidelines to be used in selecting materials for storage. Both general and specific criteria need to be determined so as to cause the least disruption to research and curricular needs.

Making the transition from print to electronic serial collections: A new model for academic chemistry libraries?

AbstractA “new model” academic chemistry library is proposed at the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign (UIUC) in which primary access to journals is electronic, replacing traditional print access, binding, and shelving. Print journals will continue to be purchased and archived unbound in a remote storage facility following unbound display and access for twelve months. The new model, initially proposed by administrative chemistry faculty, was assessed in a feasibility study which looked at the stability, quantity, and quality of electronic journals; it also included a survey of chemistry faculty, a review of internal management data, and an analysis of use of chemistry journals, both print and electronic. The feasibility study found support for the model in every area, but with a few caution flags and speed bumps predicted along the way.

Remote Storage of Serials

Faced with a shortage of shelf-space in 1994, librarians at the University of Akron Science and Technology Library selected and relocated over 50,000 low-use serials volumes to a remote storage facility. An examination of the requests for articles and volumes from storage indicates that in-house use data can be used to accurately predict future low use volumes. However, a comparison of pre-storage and post-storage use clearly indicates a dramatic decrease in the use of the volumes in storage, demonstrating that storage can be a significant disincentive to patrons' use of serials.

Mold Abatement in a Remote Storage Facility

Abstract Mold can bloom in an environment where the relative humidity remains above 70% for 48 hours. Air movement, temperature, and light level have an impact on the severity of the situation. This article describes how one library handled a mold outbreak in a remote storage facility. The response of the library staff converted an emergency situation into a controlled project by following the basic elements of their disaster plan. They stabilized and consulted outside help to assist with the large-scale disaster. The case recounts the process used to stabilize the environment outlines treatment procedures used, and other suggestions on cost reduction.

Out of print

Out of print

Remote storage facilities: An annotated bibliography

Remote storage facilities: An annotated bibliography

Remote Storage Facilities: An Annotated Bibliography

Remote Storage Facilities: An Annotated Bibliography

Infrequently Used Serials

Lack of space for collections is a common problem in libraries. Solutions include constructing compact shelving, on-site remote storage or building new library facilities. This article describes a temporary solution for the space problem at the Sterling C. Evans Library at Texas A&M University. The authors describe the criteria for selecting infrequently used serials and the physical move of over 53,000 volumes to a storage area within the library facility.

Serials resource sharing and public services

Collection development activities have always had a significant impact on public services operations, but the impact is much more apparent today due to the fiscal constraints we face. No longer do we have sufficient resources at our disposal to purchase all the materials needed by our users; nor do we have the funds available to hire enough staff to service our users as we might like. In addition, we are running out of space to house our resources. Any decision made to address these problems has implications for public service. This became all the more apparent to us at Michigan State University while we were involved in an Office of Management Studies Public Services Study. The study team was charged only with reviewing our public services operations, yet they found it increasingly difficult to separate issues concerning services from those relating to the collection. Assisting library users with serials comprises a significant portion of the work of public services librarians and other staff members. The public services units at Michigan State provide bibliographic and physical access to the serials the library owns by providing instruction in the use of the card catalog, the serial holdings list, and periodical indexes; by creating serial records for the database we have loaded into our CLSI system (which is no easy chore); by staffing and servicing a current periodicals room; by providing faculty members with photocopies of journal articles from our collection; and by retrieving serials from our remote storage facility upon request. We also provide bibliographic and physical access to serials not in our collection by instruction in the use of indexes and in the use of OCLC and union listings (both online and printed), and by