New Teams Environment: Guide for Community Group Chairs and Co-Chairs

New Teams Environment: Guide for Community Group Chairs and Co-Chairs

Below are some helpful tips and reminders for navigating the new CLP Community Engagement Network Team in the BTAA Teams environment.

See the FAQs article for additional details. 

🔐 Access & File Sharing

Access to the CLP Community Engagement Network Team is currently limited to participants in BTAA library community groups — this includes peer groups, communities of practice, and interest groups. As we transition to this shared Teams environment, we’re being intentional about managing access, especially around shared files and resources.

If you’d like to share files with people outside your group, here are a couple of good options:

  • Attach files in email messages as attachments, or

  • Use the "External Sharing – View Access" folder in your group’s channel. Anything you move or copy there can be viewed without needing BTAA Teams access.

To share a link to that folder or any file inside:

  1. Click the three dots next to the folder

  2. Select "Manage Access"

  3. In the Manage Access window, copy the link listed under "Links"

  4. Share that link as needed with folks outside your group

For content that needs to be editable by non-group members, you can use the "External Sharing – Editing Access" folder. We recommend using discretion when sharing editing links, especially with a broader audience.


📁 File Organization in Teams

You’ll notice two folders pinned in each group’s Files section. Please keep these pinned so we maintain consistency across groups:

  1. Meeting Agendas and Minutes
    Feel free to create subfolders with preferred names, but please don’t rename or remove the pinned folder. This naming helps us keep things consistent across all groups. If your group has adjusted the folder structure or names, we may reach out to help keep things consistent across groups.

  2. Group Charter and Roster
    This is the place to store your group’s official charter (for peer groups) or light charter (for communities of practice). If your group doesn’t yet have one:

    • Peer groups: contact your group liaison

    • Communities of practice: email the Library Helpdesk to get started

    • Rosters are optional but encouraged — they help group to keep track of membership. The current roster can also be stored here.

You’ll also see a gray “Files to archive post-migration” folder. This is optional and intended only for content your group no longer actively uses. If it doesn’t apply to your group, feel free to ignore or delete this folder.


📘 Additional Resources

We’ve created a few resources in the General channel to help everyone get comfortable in this shared Teams space:

  • Getting Started Guide – A helpful intro for folks new to Teams or the BTAA Teams environment.

  • Best Practices Guide – A guide for being a good neighbor in this shared digital space. It includes tips for naming files clearly and working with others who may “visit” your group’s channel.

  • Community Group Participation Guide – This serves as a general norms and agreements document for all BTAA community group participants. Some groups may choose to supplement it with more detailed, group-specific guidelines.

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