Three Talks from CNI on AI, Accessibility, and Quantum Computing

Why not learn something on your lunch break?

Posted on July 29, 2026 in Blog Posts

Our friends at the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) have gifted us new recordings from its spring membership meeting. These biannual meetings are an important venue for thought leadership in academic technology use and policy, and the spring meeting, convened in April 2026, did not disappoint. In this post, we wanted to highlight some of the talks we didn’t want you to miss on AI (of course), accessibility, and even quantum computing—an area that has flown under the radar but will only become a bigger and bigger blip in the coming years.

Perfect for a lunch break, these talks will give you a lot to chew over.

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“AI in Virtual Reference: Opportunities, Limits, and Lessons from 34+K Interactions”

Virtual reference services have become an expectation for libraries post-COVID—one that’s increasingly difficult to meet due to staffing and budgetary constraints. To administrators, AI appears to be the obvious solution for meeting patron demand without increasing labor costs. But how well does it actually perform at answering patrons’ reference requests, and how much work goes into the backend? This fascinating talk, based on nearly 35,000 transcripts across five R1 universities, answers these questions and provides a realistic corrective to the “just replace it with AI” solution.

Understandably, many librarians are suffering from “AI fatigue,” but we promise that this talk, as well as the scholarship coming out of this research—will serve as an important touchstone in conversations between librarians and administrators for years to come.

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“Challenges in Accessibility”

Accessibility is a core value of librarianship, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to implement. The update to the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II, which requires that public institutions’ digital content meet accessibility standards, is both a positive development and a challenge. This panel discussion brings together presenters from three universities to discuss how their institutions have attempted to meet this challenge. Expect to learn about prioritization, training requirements, communicating the value of accessibility work, cross-departmental partnerships, and confronting ambiguity.

“Operationalizing Quantum Computing Through the Academic Library”

If you’re looking for a short video about an emerging role for libraries, Seth Porter’s lightning talk on quantum computing positions libraries as a research and service ally, providing researchers with guidance and infrastructure for this technology. While no library can afford to have its own quantum hardware, a few libraries are becoming access points for cloud-based quantum computing services from IBM, Google, and AWS. Porter outlines how the library has become part of the governance structure for accessing these services at the University of Colorado—an interesting glimpse into the future of libraries.

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