LKS STAFF CAN become involved in communities of practice (CoPs) with staff from other sectors or other organizations. These are different to internal CoPs, which exist within the boundaries of a single organization, as they bring people together who have shared interests and a common purpose and tend not to be dictated by organizational priorities (van Wyk, 2005).

Connecting with people from outside the organization can be extremely beneficial for the personal development of the individual. By encouraging your staff to join external CoPs, you create opportunities for them to learn from others and to bring new ideas, perspectives, knowledge and innovations into your service. These groups are often informal and membership is likely to change as new people join and others leave when their interests change. External CoPs tend to be more flexible and all members usually have equal status. There is no hierarchical structure, even when people have defined roles within the group.

CoPs can provide opportunities for junior staff to work with senior staff from other organizations on an equal footing. Cohen (2006) states that the remit of external CoPs tends to evolve as new people join and according to group members’ consensus. These differ from internal CoPs, which are likely to be driven by the need to fulfil organizational objectives; external CoPs are much more fluid and the relationships between members is of great value.

There are a large number of CoPs in the LKS sector, many of which exist in the virtual environment using mailing lists, forums and social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) to connect. In some cases these CoPs exist only in virtual spaces, but often will include some face-to-face contact to supplement this. The Michigan Library Association (2015) has developed a number of online ‘Communities of Practice (CoPs) to create and archive knowledge, develop and document best practices, solve problems and build relationships among professionals’. These CoPs are not only about learning, but also about storing knowledge for reuse and are organized according to members’ priorities.