MLA Communities of Practice
MLA has six active Communities of Practice:
Academic Community of Practice
This community is intended to provide a forum of discussion on topics, issues, and best practices unique to academic libraries and librarians. Take this opportunity to connect with colleagues, share experiences, and seek out information that may enhance your professional experiences. Nurture the development of phenomenal output to benefit all.
Children / Youth Community of Practice
This community offers a strong support system for librarians responsible for the selection, management, and delivery of youth literature, materials, and programming. Take advantage of this ideal forum to share information relevant to your department and your position and gain contribute to an invaluable knowledge base for others to access.
Economic Development Community of Practice
This community is intended for business librarians or any librarians that serve, or would like to serve, their business community. The primary goal of the Economic Development CoP is to provide training/best practices for service to the business community and to develop partnerships/relationships with other librarians who serve business communities for the purpose of sharing ideas and strategies. Participants will learn outreach techniques to interface with the business community. Participants will become familiar with economic development best practices.
Library Technologies Community of Practice
This community is intended for any MLA member with an interest in sharing ideas and expertise regarding the use of technology in all types of libraries. Its goal is to provide a forum for community members to share ideas and experiences related to library technologies, discuss current issues and engage in online networking, and possibly in-person networking as the community's interests develop.
Work/Life Balance Community of Practice
This community is for library professionals who are interested in balancing a commitment to work with other personal/family/educational pursuits. This CoP has blossomed from its early start as a forum for library professionals who are parents of young children to include caregivers of any variety (aging parents, partners/spouses/siblings with disabilities), to library professionals obtaining advanced or second degrees, to library workers who are interested in maintaining a healthier work-life balance. This group will focus on a variety of issues ranging from flex time, splitting time, job-sharing, motivation, guilt, coping and everything in between our multi-tasking lives!
