Forming a Pod: A Naval Architecture, Marine and Ocean Engineering Librarian Community of Practice

Abstract

Naval Architecture, Marine, and Ocean Engineering (NAMOE) programs are unique in that they are specialized, interdisciplinary, and uncommon at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a result, librarians or subject specialists who liaise with these areas can encounter a lack of resources and knowledge to support the students and faculty in these programs. A group of librarians who have NAMOE programs as part of their institutions recently started a dedicated group, combining elements of communities of practice and peer group mentoring to discuss how best to support these programs and each other as professionals with varying experience in this subject area. Plans include the development of a resource similar to chapters in Osif’s Using the Engineering Literature, a crucial source for librarians supporting engineering disciplines that lists a comprehensive, discipline-specific suite of key resources, and enhancing discovery of OER in NAMOE. In this work-in-progress article, in addition to sketching out some of the resources we plan to create and share, we will discuss the formation of this group and reflect on how it has impacted our work. By combining our efforts, we will enhance teaching and research for NAMOE programs, deepen our expertise in NAMOE library services, and present a framework for other specialized librarian communities to follow.