Communities of Practice (CoPs) bring together librarians and other professionals from Canada’s research libraries and institutions to collaborate, share expertise, and address common challenges. These vibrant, member-driven groups discuss, share best practices, and address common challenges in areas that are critical to the future of research libraries, such as open access, scholarly publishing, EDI, and more. By fostering innovation and knowledge exchange, CoPs play a vital role in strengthening Canada’s research library community and supporting the broader academic and research ecosystem.
CARL supports these Communities of Practice, helping to facilitate connection, coordination, and continuity across the network. Each CoP is guided by a Steering Committee, Planning Group, or Engagement Team—volunteer members from the community who contribute their time and energy to keep the CoPs active and thriving. Learn more about each Community of Practice below.
Communities of Practice
Assessment Community of Practice
The purpose of the Canadian Library Assessment Community of Practice (CoP) is to engage library workers based in CARL and non-CARL research libraries, who have a strong interest or functional responsibilities in assessment, and provide a forum to discuss issues, initiatives, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration.
Bibliometrics and Research Impact Community of Practice
The Bibliometrics and Research Impact Community of Practice (CoP) brings together library workers and other colleagues from Canadian academic institutions working or interested in the areas of bibliometric and research impact assessment.
Canadian Repositories Community of Practice
The Canadian Repositories Community of Practice unites professionals managing open repositories in Canadian libraries, academic institutions, and scholarly organizations.
Communications Community of Practice
The Communications Community of Practice (CoP), also known as the CommUNITY, brings together library workers and other colleagues from Canadian academic institutions working or interested in communications.
Copyright Community of Practice
The Copyright Community of Practice (CoP) is a member-led group supported and hosted by CARL, bringing together professionals to share knowledge, resources, and strategies related to copyright in academic libraries.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Community of Practice
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Community of Practice (EDI CoP) engages library workers based in CARL and non-CARL research libraries, who have a strong interest or functional responsibilities in EDI, and provides a forum to discuss issues, initiatives, challenges and opportunities for collaboration.
Finance Officers Community of Practice
The Finance Officers Community of Practice (CoP) brings together a robust network of finance professionals in order to foster collaboration, share best practices, and enhance the financial management capabilities of CARL member institutions.
Library Publishing Community Engagement Team
The primary goals of the Library Publishing Community Engagement Team (LPCET) are to support Canadian library publishing practitioners in their functional roles, and to grow Canadian expertise and capacity in this area.
Open Education Community of Practice
The Open Education Community of Practice (OE CoP) aims to foster a national network of open education practitioners by facilitating communication, information sharing, and best practices.