  This paper discusses the potential for creating academic resources (tools,
data, and evaluation approaches) to support research in conversational search,
by focusing on realistic information needs and conversational interactions.
Specifically, we propose to develop and operate a prototype conversational
search system for scholarly activities. This Scholarly Conversational Assistant
would serve as a useful tool, a means to create datasets, and a platform for
running evaluation challenges by groups across the community. This article
results from discussions of a working group at Dagstuhl Seminar 19461 on
Conversational Search.
