Community of Practice Directory
Following is a list of statewide communities of practice in Maryland public and regional libraries. Members share similar professional roles in their organizations. They meet together to network, share best practices, develop in their role, collaborate on statewide projects, and provide expertise statewide. These groups proceed to meet and coordinate with the encouragement of the libraries that employ their members, and the Maryland State Library.
Adult Programming
Members in the roles of adult services supervisor for their library system meet bi-monthly to share best practices, ideas, and training. Members of the Youth Services group are invited.
Listserv: yes; Please contact the co-chairs to be added
Chairpersons: Clotilde Puertolas, Central Programs Team, Montgomery County Public Libraries and Carly Reighard, Deputy Chief, Programs & Outreach, Enoch Pratt Free Library
MSLA Liaison: Nini Beegan
Cybersecurity
Group has folded in with MDLIBTECH
Data & Statistics
Members meet to discuss best practices for collecting, managing and conveying data and statistics in their library systems and statewide.
Listserv: yes
MSLA Liaison: Laura Hicks, Maryland State Library Agency
Laura will work with the group to determine meeting schedule
Tableau group continues to meet regularly to share learning on this data visualization tool. Monthly online lunch and learns are held to discuss Tableau related topics. The contact is Colin Khem, Colin Khem, Business Intelligence Analyst, Prince George's County Memorial Library System.
Digital Equity
Chairperson: Liz Sundermann, SLRC
MSLA Liaison: Tamar Sarnoff, Maryland State Library Agency
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Members meet to discuss projects and practices related to equity, diversity, and inclusion in Maryland libraries. Their focus relates to staff needs in non-administrator roles in Maryland Libraries. This group liaisons with the State of Maryland Task Force for Diversity & Inclusion in Libraries.
Chairpersons: Cassandra Miller, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer, Baltimore County Public Library, and Jaleen Walker, Staff Development Coordinator, Prince George's County Memorial Library
Listserv: yes
Meetings: Monthly
MSLA Liaison: Nini Beegan
E-Rate
All library staff involved in E-Rate planning, procurement, finance, and IT are encouraged to join the E-Rate community of practice led by EdTech Strategies, the E-Rate consultants for the Maryland State Library Agency.
Listserv: yes; Please contact Mary Rayme
Led by: Aleck Johnson and Linda Schatz
Meeting Dates: E-Rate training happens 3-4 times per year and aligns with key E-Rate form deadlines
Human Resources
Members meet to discuss various HR-related issues to include but not limited to legislation, current trends, policies and procedures, staffing concerns, etc.
Meets virtually monthly as needed. Typically third Thursdays at 2 p.m.
Listserv: yes
Chairperson: Stacey Fields, Director of Human Resources, Howard County Library System
Hosting: Rotates every month but has been meeting on Zoom
MSLA Liaison: Nini Beegan
Inclusion & Accessibility
Public and school library staff members meet to share, learn, and create goals in the area of inclusive and accessible library services and programs. This Community of Practice focuses on all kinds of disabilities, with the intended targeted audience to be youth (birth to 21).
Meets virtually, third Wednesday of each month
Chair: LaShawn Myles, Youth Librarian of the MD Library for the Blind & Print Disabled
MSLA Liaison: Carrie Sanders
Marketing
Members meet to network, to learn and to discuss various Marketing & Communication issues. Statewide projects such as One Maryland One Book and Choose Civility are discussed, as are best practices for effective messaging, advocacy, and marketing/media strategies.
Meets quarterly, in-person
Listserv:Yes - Please contact chairperson to be added to the list
Chair: Ashley Biggs, Outreach Librarian, MD Library for the Blind & Print Disabled
MSLA Liaison: Nini Beegan
MDLIBTECH exists to provide a forum where Maryland public and regional library information technology staff can share our expertise and insight, and to provide a framework for efficient learning and collaboration among the membership. The membership is composed of Maryland public and regional library technology specialists, generalists and enthusiasts, and representatives from the Maryland State Library.
MDLIBTECH has been a sponsor of the MD Tech Connect event since the event's inception in 2015. For the last four years, Tech Connect has served as the group's December meeting.
Meets every other month
Website: http://mdlibtech.weebly.com
Yes - Please join the listserv via the website
Chair: Robyn Truslow, Calvert Library
MSLA Liaison: Nini Beegan
Staff Development
The Maryland Staff Development Coordinators group exists to provide a framework for effective and efficient collaboration of statewide staff development projects and programs, and to share staff development experiences and resources. Members work together to Identify and articulate emerging staff development and training needs.
Meets quarterly (twice in-person, twice online) - The June in-person meeting is typically a planning meeting
Listserv: Yes
Chairs: Jennifer Hopwood, SMRLA and Lisa Kenyon, Enoch Pratt Free Library
MSLA Liaison: Nini Beegan
Workforce, Business, and Career
Members meet monthly to share ideas and collaborate on workforce, business, and career programs and services in public libraries.
Listserv: yes
Chairs: Rohini Gupta, Howard County Library System and Jaleen Walker, PGCMLS
MSLA Liaison: Nini Beegan
Youth Services
The Maryland Youth Services Coordinators group exists to provide a framework for effective and efficient collaboration of statewide youth services best practices, to network, and to share ideas, experiences and resources regarding early literacy, school-age, STEM, and teen services. This group identifies emerging trends in youth services and their training needs. The Summer Reading Advisory Council (SRAC) is a sub-group of this community, led by Janet Vogel, Frederick County, and meets as needed to discuss pertinent issues regarding summer reading programs.
Meets twice a year, in-person, in November and April. Additional meeting are held online, as needed. )
Listserv: Yes
MSLA Liaison: Carrie Sanders
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Communities of Practice Directory 
