This report is a companion to Mapping the Current Landscape of Research Library Engagement with Emerging Technologies in Research and Learning, which was commissioned by the Association of Research Libraries, the Coalition for Networked Information, and EDUCAUSE to survey research libraries’ adoption and use of emerging technologies to collaborate for the benefit of research and learning.

The present report complements the landscape review by summarising and synthesising a series of interviews conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 with experts in research and academic technologies from several allied sectors: associations, businesses, academia, and the nonprofit research sector (see Appendix A). A list of emerging technologies and applications derived and expanded from EDUCAUSE research was a prompt for interviewees (see Appendix B). Interviewees were asked to address strategically critical advances in research and learning given emerging technologies, as well as potential opportunities and challenges for research libraries. The interviews were wide-ranging, surfacing insights about emerging technologies and their current and near-term applications in research and higher education environments.