PLA Communities of Practice
In May 2008, PLA members voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing the organization’s bylaws. In addition to flattening the structure of PLA, the new bylaws provide an opportunity for all members to participate in PLA through the new Communities of Practice.
What is a Community of Practice?
A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who continuously come together to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for a specific subject. Their regular interactions produce an even greater understanding of a specific subject and serve to solve problems or even generate new ideas or projects within a field.
- CoPs will replace most PLA committees.
- Unlike committees, CoPs will be accessible to members regardless of whether or not they are able to commit to traveling to in-person meetings. The CoPs will exist primarily in a virtual space allowing members to communicate and network on an ongoing basis. But, if members choose to meet at ALA Midwinter or Annual Conference, PLA will provide a meeting space for them to do so.
- There will be no appointing process. Members can join (and leave) CoPs at their discretion, and members can develop new communities if their area of interest is not represented. As new topics and issues emerge, members are encouraged to form groups for investigation, discussion, and management of projects.
- CoPs will be able to recommend conference programs, PLA products, and services for consideration.
- PLA will provide technology that will allow members involved in CoPs to interact, communicate, and network online.
- PLAspace is currently being developed. This will be a Web site where members can connect in communities, similar to other social networking tools.
- The site will include a CoP blog with comments, a group events and calendar feature, wiki-like pages, project pages, and member profiles.
- Three committees will be able to beta test the site in mid-August 2008.
- The site will be open for all CoPs in September 2008.
CoP Technology:
What about the Committees?
- PLA will continue to maintain standing committees, advisory groups, and task forces that support the association and have specific work outcomes. These include: award juries, Bylaws and Organization Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, Conference committees, Nominating committee, program committees, and publications and products committees.
- You can find a full list of the standing committees below.
- We encourage all the other existing committees to transition to a CoP.
How can we transition?
Interested members should go to www.pla.org to find out more. If you plan on participating in a CoP, please send an e-mail to Doug Dawson, PLA web services manager, at ddawson@pla.org with your name, email address, current committee, and library name (if applicable). If you provide your information, you will receive periodic updates about the progress of PLAspace.