Collaboration in the Enterprise

Read Write Web has an article geared toward businesses and the fear of collaboration called “Playing Well With Others: How Entrepreneurs Benefit from Collaboration“. While the article discusses the fear of collaborating in a for-profit environment, with the attendant fear of financial loss if a collaborator steals an idea, the need to share freely – without fear of idea-stealing – is one that is perfectly applicable to libraries. While our culture is one of sharing information and providing access to data, I’ve personally witnessed librarians who are fearful of their ideas being stolen by someone else. The article provides solid reasons why we shouldn’t be afraid to collaborate with our peers – whether we are starting a business or running a library.