Honoring Fobazi Ettarh

Many of you already know that our colleague and founding board member, Fobazi Ettarh, has passed away. We want to take a moment to acknowledge her loss and honor what she meant to libraries, our community, and her friends and loved ones.

Fobazi was scheduled to be the opening keynote for our very first ThriveLib conference and was excited to serve on the board and help shape the direction of this work. Her thinking, care, and integrity were foundational to well-being work in libraries.

Fobazi’s work on vocational awe fundamentally changed how many of us understand labor, power, and harm in librarianship. She gave language to experiences that had long been dismissed or normalized, and she did so with clarity, courage, and deep accountability to the people most affected. Her influence continues to shape conversations about boundaries, burnout, and justice in our profession.

She was hospitalized a week before the conference and passed away last week. While we feel the loss of her insight and leadership deeply, we are foremost mourning the loss of a human being whose presence mattered profoundly.

In recognition of her contributions and lasting impact, we have named Fobazi an Emeritus Board Member of ThriveLib. Her influence will remain part of this conference and this community.

We also want to acknowledge the immense grief her wife, Elena, is carrying. In addition to losing Fobazi and her mother within a short span of time, Elena is facing significant medical and end-of-life expenses. If you are able, contributing to the GoFundMe established in Fobazi’s honor is one way to offer support.

Thank you for holding space with us as we honor Fobazi’s life, work, and legacy.

With care and gratitude,
Bobbi L. Newman

ThriveLib Director and Founder.