Participating in Communities of Practice

ABSTRACT

Hospital librarians understand they need to move outside the four walls of the physical library and provide information support for clinicians in various settings. Librarians round with patient care teams as clinical librarians. They sit on quality improvement and patient safety committees in order to provide information to those groups. Many are members of their organization's Institutional Review Board. Some of these activities are done for a specific purpose and are short-lived. Other activities become institutionalized as the value of the librarian's contribution is recognized. This article will describe examples in which hospital librarians are part of multidisciplinary teams created to improve patient care in their hospital.

KEYWORDS:

• Communities of practice
• interdisciplinary communication
• knowledge management
• organizational innovation
• patient care team

Notes

Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editors: Cheryl R. Dee ([email protected]), Linda Garr Markwell ([email protected]), Jane Bridges ([email protected]), and Margaret Bandy ([email protected]).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Margaret Bandy

Margaret Bandy, MLS, AHIP ([email protected]) is Manager of Library and Media Services, at Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital, 1835 Franklin Street, Denver, CO 80218, USA.

Joyce Condon

Joyce Condon, MLS, AHIP ([email protected]) at Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital, 1835 Franklin Street, Denver, CO 80218, USA.

Ellen Graves

Ellen Graves, MLS ([email protected]) are Reference Librarians; at Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital, 1835 Franklin Street, Denver, CO 80218, USA.