Engaging reference student assistants through a community of practice: A case study

Abstract Within library and academic spaces, communities of practice are employed to cultivate professional and academic skills, develop professional identities, and provide a supportive community. Using the example of a small cohort of student research assistants at a mid-sized public comprehensive university, this paper reflects on the intersections of communities of practice and peer-learning and discusses strategies for cultivating a community of practice with student assistants providing peer research support. This paper further explores student employment in academic libraries as a High Impact Practice with an emphasis on using the community of practice to integrate the characteristics of High Impact Practices into a student employment program.