The Flux and Rhythm of Community: A Case Study on Building and Sustaining a Community of Practice

This paper uses as a lens the work of Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder in their seminal text, “Cultivating Communities of Practice” to explore the structural model and stages of development of the Australasia Preserves community of practice for digital preservation and archiving practitioners in the Australasian region. It presents a case study with regional examples and reflection over seven years of the community’s existence. Through examination of the formation, practice, experiences of core coordinators, and the current state of the community, this paper aims to further community building efforts in the field of digital preservation and contribute to global discussions on this topic.