When Leadership Falls Short: The Crisis of Care in Library Work
Posted on in Blog Posts
Cultivating Connection: Why Communities of Practice Are Essential for Academic Librarians
Posted on August 18, 2026 in Blog Posts
Authors:
Jamia Williams
Academic librarianship is deeply collaborative work, yet many of us experience moments of professional isolation. We may be the only librarian in our subject area, the only person leading a campus initiative, or the only one who checks the box of our marginalization. While conferences and webinars offer valuable opportunities to learn, they can rarely provide the sustained relationships needed to grow over time unless you are intentional about creating community outside of conferences. I remember telling my peer mentor that I was “networking,” and she told me, “I think what you are doing is building community.”
This is where Communities of Practice can make a lasting difference. Whether centered around a shared area of expertise, career stage, or identity, Communities of Practice create spaces where librarians learn from one another, share resources, wrestle with challenges, and build meaningful professional relationships. In this blog post, I explore why Communities of Practice (CoPs) matter in academic librarianship and how intentionally cultivating them can strengthen not only our individual careers but also our profession as a whole.
Defining the Community of Practice
A Community of Practice, as defined by Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner, is a group of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better through regular interaction. Rather than being another committee or networking group, a Community of Practice is grounded in shared learning and collective growth.
Communities of Practice are built on three essential elements:
- The Domain: A shared area of interest that creates a common purpose.
- The Community: Members who engage with one another, ask questions, exchange ideas, and build relationships.
- The Practice: The collective knowledge, experiences, tools, and strategies that members develop and refine together over time.
Communities of Practice thrive on consistency. They become trusted spaces where learning is ongoing rather than episodic.
Collaboration Around Shared Topics
One of the most effective ways to build a Community of Practice is to center it on a shared professional interest. Academic librarians already organize themselves around specialties such as Open Educational Resources (OER), health sciences librarianship, scholarly communication, information literacy, instructional design, assessment, archives, metadata, and digital scholarship. These communities become living repositories of knowledge. Members share lesson plans, discuss emerging technologies, troubleshoot difficult situations, recommend resources, and celebrate successes. Instead of every librarian reinventing the wheel, colleagues build upon one another’s expertise. This type of collaboration not only strengthens individual practice but also advances the field. When knowledge is shared rather than siloed, innovation happens more quickly, and everyone benefits.
Navigating Career Stages Together
Not every librarian needs the same kind of professional support as they navigate different challenges. For example, an early career librarian or resident librarian is likely learning how to teach for the first time, navigating tenure expectations, or figuring out how to establish their professional identity. Mid-level managers may be balancing personnel concerns, difficult conversations, strategic planning, and competing institutional priorities. Senior leaders often face decisions that can feel particularly isolating because there are fewer peers within their own institutions who understand those responsibilities.
Communities of Practice organized around a career stage provide spaces where librarians can ask honest questions, exchange advice, and learn from peers experiencing similar transitions. These groups normalize challenges, reduce feelings of isolation, and remind us that professional growth is rarely linear. Sometimes the greatest gift a colleague can offer is simply saying, “I’ve been there too.”
The Power of Shared Identity
Identity-centered Communities of Practice offer another essential form of professional support. For many library workers from historically marginalized communities, these spaces provide opportunities to build authentic relationships without having to explain or defend their lived experiences.
One organization that beautifully embodies this work is We Here, a community created by and for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) library and information workers. We Here describes itself as a space centered on community building, growth, and joy while addressing the systemic issues that continue to shape our profession.
One of my favorite examples of a Community of Practice within We Here is Community Study, where members gather around shared readings and conversations on topics that matter deeply to BIPOC library workers. Rather than simply reading articles or books in isolation, participants engage in thoughtful dialogue, reflect on their lived experiences, and collectively build knowledge together. It is a reminder that professional development is not only about acquiring new skills, it is also about making meaning together.
As a Black woman librarian, I know how powerful it is to be in spaces where mentorship develops organically, where your experiences are understood without explanation, and where community becomes a source of both professional growth and personal restoration. The Communities of Practice I have been part of have kept me going as a health sciences librarian.
Communities Make Our Profession Stronger: A Call to Build Community
At their core, Communities of Practice remind us that librarianship is not meant to be practiced alone. They foster collaboration instead of competition. They reduce duplication of effort. They encourage mentorship across institutions and generations. Most importantly, they create cultures where asking questions is viewed as a strength rather than a weakness. Whether your Community of Practice meets monthly over Zoom, gathers at conferences, connects through Slack, or discusses articles over coffee, every conversation contributes to a more connected and supportive profession.
If you have been waiting for someone else to create the community you need, this is your invitation to start one. Gather a few colleagues around a shared interest. Create a monthly discussion group for early career librarians. Organize a reading circle around assessment or artificial intelligence. Invite fellow department heads to meet regularly to discuss leadership challenges. If you share an identity that is underrepresented within librarianship, intentionally cultivate spaces where people can connect, learn, and thrive together.
Communities of Practice do not require large budgets, formal structures, or institutional approval to make a meaningful impact. They begin with a simple commitment: showing up consistently for one another. The future of academic librarianship will not be shaped by what we know individually, but by what we are willing to learn together. Let’s continue building communities where knowledge is shared generously, relationships are nurtured intentionally, and every librarian has a place to belong. As higher education continues to be under attack, this is something to consider now more than ever. Honestly, for many of us who are historically marginalized, CoPs have been the main reason why we are still here.
About the author:
Jamia Williams (she/her) is a health sciences librarian. She is also the co-creator and co-host of the podcast LibVoices and the founder of The Diversity Fellow’s blog.
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