Seth Porter
Chief Innovation Officer & Dean of the Kraemer Family Library
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
As interest in quantum computing grows across higher education, access remains uneven and difficult to operationalize beyond a small number of technical users. This project briefing introduces QCAALS (Quantum Computing as a Library Service), a library-anchored model that brokers campus access to quantum computing through AWS Braket, positioning quantum as shared research infrastructure rather than a specialized or vendor-driven service.||Through library-managed access, QCAALS lowers barriers to entry by providing curated onboarding, governance, and cross-disciplinary coordination for faculty and students across multiple fields. The library functions as a neutral broker between researchers, central IT, and cloud-based quantum platforms, focusing on equitable access, cost awareness, and responsible experimentation rather than raw compute alone.||The session will emphasize the practical realities of implementing brokered quantum access, including service design, partnership structures, cost controls, adoption patterns, and early lessons learned. Rather than presenting a mature solution, this briefing focuses on what worked, what stalled, and what remains unresolved. Attendees will leave with a transferable framework for piloting and scaling quantum access through the academic library using cloud-based platforms such as AWS Braket.
