An essential guide for librarians who want to enhance their professional practice, career development, and collaborative efforts through Communities of Practice.

While rooted in the diverse world of librarianship, this book provides a scalable framework for any field where collective knowledge and mutual support are the engines of innovation. This volume explores how CoPs empower professionals by:
· Offering practical strategies for establishing and nurturing CoPs within complex organizational settings
· Presenting real-world stories that demonstrate the profound impact of collaborative learning across varied institutional landscapes.
· Sharing insights on navigating the benefits and challenges of sustaining professional communities in an ever-changing professional climate.

By fostering a sense of belonging and mutual support, CoPs strengthen the workforce, making workers more resilient and adaptive to changing needs and opportunities. Cultivating Collaboration: Communities of Practice in Librarianship is aimed at professionals who wish to acquire the knowledge and tools needed to establish and nurture their communities of practice.

The first half of the book provides a robust theoretical and practical framework for the formation and sustainability of CoPs. The second half features case studies that bring these theories to life. For new professionals, CoPs offer a supportive environment to learn from experienced peers, build confidence, and integrate into the professional community. Professionals of color can find CoPs particularly valuable for networking, mentorship, and advocacy, helping to address challenges related to diversity and inclusion in their field. Leaders seeking to connect with others doing similar work and encountering comparable challenges also find CoPs valuable for identifying thought partners, collaborators, confidants, and advisors. Stories shared in Cultivating Collaboration: Communities of Practice in Librarianship demonstrate how these communities play a crucial role in library science by providing a structured yet flexible approach for professionals to share knowledge, solve problems, and develop innovative solutions.

Kay Strahan, MSLIS, AHIP is an Assistant Professor and Northwest Campus Librarian at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest Regional Campus, USA.

Sandra Desjardins, PhD, MLS is Research and Instruction Librarian at the Texas Medical Center Library, USA.

Tamara M. Nelson, MLIS, EdS, AHIP is Director of Library User Experience and Engagement at the Medical University of South Carolina, USA.

Shannon D. Jones, Ed.D., MLS, M.Ed. AHIP, FMLA (she/her) is the Director of Libraries and Chair of the Academic Affairs Faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), US.


Laura Haygood MLIS, AHIP is the Health Sciences Librarian for Public Health at Brown University, USA.