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The trade union movement as a whole has given a cautious welcome to the new technology provided that it is introduced in a controlled fashion and safeguards are provided against exploitation of the workforce. An examination of the literature produced by the TUC indicates that there is a tendency for many officials to concentrate on traditional areas of union concern, to the detriment of other areas such as job design and ergonomic, health and safety factors. The standard of new technology agreements have varied but both unions and management now have a clearer idea of what terms to bargain for; there has been a corresponding recognition of the need to develop a spirit of co‐operation in management/union problem solving. The way forward rests on union officials' readiness to monitor the operation of equipment and the need for all those in the workforce being affected by new technology to be trained in both equipment operation and the health and safety factors involved.

This article aims to overview research undertaken through the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) to identify themes and issues of interest to library leaders in Canadian research libraries.

This paper discusses the context of the research, including moves by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) to develop closer collaborative projects with Canadian Masters of Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) programs and to develop a National Research Agenda (NRA), inclusive of National Research Priorities (NRP). It overviews the specific research undertaken to develop the NRP, including the methodology and research outcomes.

The research resulted in the NRP, which identified key themes/issues of interest to directors in CARL member institutions. As such, it provides a snapshot of current issues and trends in research library management and leadership within Canada. CARL is now promoting its NRP and encouraging researchers (individuals and teams) to undertake applied research on the identified themes/issues, as part of its strategy to encourage research collaborations; increase research intensiveness within academic librarianship; and, use of evidence‐based decision making and applied research to solve management challenges.

The article identifies the context for the research, the research approach (including methodology) and research outcomes which point to issues of concern for library leaders in Canadian research libraries. It is a snapshot of current issues of concern to library managers.