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This episode originally aired on July 31, 2024 as Season 3, Episode 5, and is being re-released in light of Fobazi's recent health challenges. Listeners who wish to support Fobazi, can access the Go Fund Me by clicking on the hyperlink.

In this episode we are joined in conversation by scholar, academic consultant, librarian and educational game designer, Fobzi Ettarh, who notably coined the concept of "vocational awe" in 2018. Ettarh shares how vocational awe operates at both the micro and macro levels, contributing to problematic hiring, onboarding, and retention practices in the library profession, and illustrates how this concept directly ties to workplace inequities and burnout.

Additionally, Ettarh provides actionable ways to escape the trap of vocational awe by prioritizing mental health and rest, achieving work-life balance, reframing how we are showing up for community, and urging administrators to lead by example.

Date of interview: July 17, 2024
Host(s): Ericka Brunson-Rochette & Rodrigo Gaspar-Barajas


Additional Info. & Links:

Vocational Awe- “the set of ideas, values, and assumptions librarians have about themselves and the profession that result in beliefs that libraries as institutions are inherently good and sacred, and therefore beyond critique.” (Ettarh, 2018)

• "Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves" (January 2018 article from, In the Library With the Lead Pipe)
• Ettarh's Webpage/Blog
• Follow Ettarh on Twitter @Fobettarh
• Latanya Jenkins' story
• ALA Memorial Resolution Honoring Latanya N. Jenkins

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In this episode, we are joined by Angelica Navarro de Cordero and Maria Aguilar, Adult Services Librarian and Library Director at the Cornelius Public Library. The duo discusses the importance of collective effort, authentic relationship building and establishing a foundation of trust when serving not only Spanish-speakers, but the community at large.

Whether it is offering a Zumba class or providing tailored Makerspace programs, Cornelius Public Library has seen great success engaging community members from diverse cultural backgrounds in informing on what they need and want from the library. Angelica and Maria share how the values of the library and the staff are fundamental in creating trusting spaces, collaborative partnerships, inclusive approaches, and responsive services that are welcoming to all people, regardless of their background.

Hosts: Gene Iparraguirre & Kristen Curé

Date of recording: May 15, 2025

Related links:

Drake Learning Center & Makerspace

Access to Public Library Services for Spanish-Speakers | OLA Quarterly

Libros for Oregon

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In this episode, Kaetrena Davis Kendrick—an award-winning librarian, researcher, and the 2024–2025 Follett Chair at Dominican University—joins the hosts. Kendrick, renowned for her research on the topic of low-morale in libraries, sheds light on the systemic systems and structures that enable these environments and how BIPOC library workers and administrators grapple with this.

Together, the trio explore enabling systems, problematic behaviors, and the emotional toll of library work—while also discussing pathways to healing through collective care, glimmer gathering, and workplace empathy. Kaetrena offers practical takeaways and inspiring book recommendations for those working toward more inclusive and supportive library cultures.

Hosts: LaRee Dominguez & Brittany Young

Date of recording: May 29, 2025

Mentioned in this episode: https://renewalslis.com

Book recommendations:

Critical Hope by Kari Grain

My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke

Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey