How to grow a community of practice: the JPL Information Providers network

Information Outlook, March, 2004 by Teresa R. Bailey, Susan M. Hendrickson

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Library has established a network of in-house Information Providers that connects people who are in some way responsible for imparting information within the Laboratory. The network is an example of how a special library can take the lead in coordinating a group of information professionals that results in a community of practice (CoP) that promotes knowledge sharing. Its success is the result of perseverance and commitment, flexibility, and nonexclusionary membership criteria.

Background

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology, is charged with the robotic exploration of the solar system for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). With a staff of 16, the JPL Library is the Laboratory's main library, housing its largest collection of book and journal holdings, with approximately 40,000 books and 1,000 current journals. The Library is one of the departments in the Library, Archives & Records Section.

Creation of the Network

The origin of the Information Providers network stemmed in part from a JPL strategic plan in the midst of Total Quality Management (TQM), reengineering, and downsizing more than six years ago. One of the main goals was networking: Who do we need to know, and who needs to know us? Most libraries work hard to ensure that their customer groups know that they exist, but what about other groups within the organization that might even be considered competitors of sorts?

Teresa Bailey, Technical Librarian, organized the first meeting of JPL Information Providers. Invitations were extended to those who were already identified as conduits of information, whether in their own departments or for the organization as a whole. In addition, these people were asked to identify others in their organization who might be interested in participating in the network. While caretakers of small departmental collections were targeted for participation, no one was excluded, thereby opening up the opportunity for those who didn't know exactly where they fit to have a community with which to identify. The network has continued to welcome employees of all levels and job titles, from secretary to manager.

Staying Connected

An Information Providers referral directory was created to track active members of the network, as well as to list organizations that have collections or information but don't necessarily have a representative who actively attends meetings. The referral directory, maintained in Excel format by a JPL Library staff member, includes the following fields:

* Organization name

* Information collected and/or provided

* Contact person

* Phone

* Hours of operation

* Location

* E-mail address

* Fax number

* URL of intranet site (if applicable)

Job titles are not listed, in keeping with a philosophy of an informal, nonhierarchical network.

Participating organizations include small, departmental collections as well as enterprise-wide operations. Participating groups include the following:

* JPL Library, Archives & Records Section

* Audio Visual Library

* JPL Rules!-JPL governing documents

* NBS (New Business Systems) -- The department that designs and supports more than 50 software applications that support the Laboratory's business operations

* EIS (Enterprise Information Systems) -- Provides access for Web services, data applications, and custom database connectivity for a variety of projects

* Knowledge Management Program Office

* Project libraries -- Document repositories for the Laboratory's numerous projects

* Engineering Standards Library

* ICIS (Institutional Computing & Information Services)

* Engineering Document Services -- Storage and distribution of JPL's engineering documents and drawings in paper, electronic, and microfilm format

* IPAC (Infrared Processing and Analysis Center) Library -- Offsite book and journal collection supporting this department, whose offices are at Caltech

* ORSL (Oceanic and Remote Sensing Library) -- Periodical collection

* Photography Lab

* PDS (Planetary Data System) -- Distributes scientific data from NASA planetary missions, astronomical observations, and laboratory measurements

* RPIF (Regional Planetary Image Facility) -- A branch of the NASA image collection

* Inside JPL -- Employee portal to JPL's intranet

* Know Who Directory -- A Web-based experts database created in a joint project between the JPL Library and Knowledge Management

* Internal Communications -- Institutional news

A JPL e-mail discussion list was also created for members. However, its main function has been to post meeting announcements rather than for informational exchange among members.

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Quarterly Meetings

Meetings are held quarterly, giving the Information Providers an opportunity to share their concerns on issues such as marketing, customer relations, and website usability face-to-face. Meetings are also a good opportunity to update the data in the referral directory. The first meeting drew about six participants, but the number has gradually increased over the years. When Web-based applications began to be incorporated into JPL operations, the number of Information Providers expanded to include employees involved in these functions who realized they could benefit from having a support network of colleagues with similar interests. About 30 members of the network routinely attend the meetings. Perseverance has been a key factor in the success of the network; it has grown gradually and did not happen overnight.