Communities of Practice discussed in class September 13, 2012.

Our text defines Community of Practice as “an affinity group or information network that provides a forum where members can exchange tips or generate ideas; a group of professionals who try to face common problems to solve and who strive to improve their profession thereby themselves.  An informal network or forum where tips are exchanged and ideas generated.  A group of professionals, informally bound to one another through exposure to a common class of problems or in a common pursuit of solutions, and thereby themselves embodying a store of knowledge.  A group of practitioners held together by shared practices and common beliefs” (Dalkir 463).  CoP’s are significant because they enable knowledge sharing. 
In class we learned there are many different ways CoPs can be applied; organizations, government, education, associations, social sector and international development.  They are important because they connect people with a shared context and allow them to collaborate or generate new processes.  CoPs decrease the hours needed to solve problems by decreasing the learning curve and by decreasing the need to rework or reinvent knowledge and by decreasing mistakes.  They also increase organization, innovations, and speed of response.  Our text points out the key roles needed in CoPs for knowledge sharing to take place; a knowledge sponsor, champion, facilitator, practice leader, KSO, membership manager, discussion moderator, knowledge editor, librarian, archivist, usage analyst, and knowledge broker (Dalkir 176).  Knowledge librarians help organize and manage information.   

CoPs are developing virtually in the online environment.  This may seem difficult since community implies social interaction and this can social connection be lost in a virtual setting.  Our text gives the example of the CoPs where social connections can be made to recommend books or music you might enjoy or in letting you know who else in online with you in an online environment (Dalkir 168).

In special libraries, CoPs among librarians are especially useful according to Cohen’s article in Information Outlook.  He suggests that “special librarians who leverage the concept of communities of practice are more likely to realize their potential for growth within their organization” (Cohen).  Cohen encourages special librarians to use CoPs to manage the exponential growth of data, develop social capital and enable the “creation, sharing, and use” of knowledge.  He also says the digital age and virtual library will be supported by CoPs that librarians manage since a library is “both a service and a space” (Cohen).  The Learning to Fly, communities of practice are described as “stewards of the knowledge and competence” and that they “help each other to develop the competence to contribute individually within their own department (Collision 205).  I find this to be true in the Law Library where I work.  We often work in a CoP in the public services department to deal with reference questions that are repeated.  This keeps us from repeating the same research for the same question asked by different students.

 Works Cited

Cohen, Alex. “Libraries, Knowledge Management, and Communities of Practice.” Information Outlook 10.1 (2006) Web. 18 Sept. 2012.

Collision, Cchris and Geoff Parcell.  Learning to Fly. England: Wiley, 2010. Print.

Dalkir, Kimiz.  Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice.  Cambridge: MIT Press, 2011. Print.