Starting a new role -- let alone a new career -- is an often daunting prospect, and having a peer network where skills, knowledge, and experiences can be exchanged makes all the difference. In the health library sector, new and emerging librarians are well supported by associations such as ALIA Health Libraries Australia (HLA). HLA runs regular professional development events, webinars, and conferences for the wider health library sector. The sector itself consists of academic libraries as well as specialised libraries, such as those within hospitals and research institutions.  

Hospital libraries present librarians with unique opportunities and challenges which are reflective of the clinical setting and the needs of time-poor healthcare professionals. Those new to hospital libraries must navigate an unfamiliar world with its own terminology, demands, and practices -- often at the same time as they are establishing their career in librarianship. To further support emerging librarians working in this unique setting, a dedicated professional development and networking space was required.  

To address this gap, in 2021 the authors founded the Hospital Librarians' Community of Practice (CoP). This presentation highlights the importance of communities of practice within librarianship, offering as they do an informal space for peers to come together and openly ask questions, share experiences, explore solutions, and expand their professional networks. It also follows the journey of the authors' experiences as two new graduate librarians building a CoP from the ground up: the challenges and lessons learnt along the way, and the impact it has had on their careers... so far.