Fobazi Ettarh
Fobazi Ettarh
Born1989 (1989)
New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJanuary 28, 2026(2026-01-28) (aged 36–37)
Academic work
DisciplineLibrary studies

Fobazi Michelle Ettarh (1989 – January 28, 2026) was an American academic. She served as a librarian at Temple University Libraries,[1][2]California State University, Dominguez Hills[1] and Rutgers University.[3][4][5] Her research focused on inclusion, equity, and diversity in libraries, and her work led her to coin the term "vocational awe."[6][7][8][9]

Early life and education

Ettarh was born in New Jersey, as the child of a pastor, in 1989.[10][11][12]

She attended University of Delaware for undergraduate studies, with a degree in English and sociology.[1][13] She later earned a MLS from Rutgers in 2014 while on the school library media track.[14] She also received a certification to be a school librarian in New Jersey,[1][15] and served as a school library media specialist for Hawthorne Public Schools in New Jersey..[13] She was a PhD student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from 2022 until her death in 2026.[16][13]

Career

In 2016, Ettarh created Killing Me Softly: A Game About Microaggressions, an open-access video game.[17][18] which allows players to navigate through the life of a character who experiences microaggression.[19]

In May 2017, during a panel presentation held at the University of Southern California, Ettarh first used,[10] and coined, the term "vocational awe".[20][7] She later defined the term, in a January 2018 article within In The Library With The Lead Pipe, as "the set of ideas, values, and assumptions librarians have about themselves and the profession that result in notions that libraries as institutions are inherently good, sacred notions, and therefore beyond critique."[21][8][22] The term was embraced by fellow librarians such as Meredith Farkas, who argued that vocational awe was "common in the helping professions" like librarianship[7] and R. David Lankes of Publishers Weekly as putting the "grand mission" of librarians before the well-being of the workforce.[23]

In September 2018, Ettarh wrote the foreword to the Library Juice Press book Pushing the Margins: Women of Color and Intersectionality in LIS.[24]

In January 2019, as part of an American Libraries piece interviewing "front-line librarians", she argued that "mission creep" was a major problem within librarianship, citing the use of Narcan as an example, and saying that librarians should remain specialists in information, not be "stretched thin" in job responsibilities.[25] She also presented at two conferences in 2019 on the topic of vocational awe, first at the Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in April[26] and at the Library Journal Directors' Summit in November 2019.[27] She also gave the keynote speech at the Minnesota Library Association's Academic and Research Libraries Division (ARLD) Day in 2020[28] and a presentation at the Academic Library Association of Ohio the following year.[29]

When colleges closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in March 2020, but left on-campus libraries open, she expressed to Teen Vogue that this decision was unfair to the most vulnerable students who lacked access to technology and library services without physically being on campus. She argued that by leaving the libraries as one of the few open spaces on campus, students could potentially expose themselves to a deadly virus in order to succeed academically. Additionally, she pointed out that this decision prioritized the academic success of students over the health and well-being of library workers.[30] In April 2021, she told Cronkite News "it's too soon to be opening up any buildings, but especially library buildings" and "we’re not actually creating equity by opening the library [...] Those who do not have that access have to now weigh the potential for getting a deadly virus against, "I'm preparing for class," or filling out a job application online. It is just showing how inequitable the system is to have to go to a congregation point in order to continue to be successful in society."[31] In March 2022, Ettarh told Library Journal that the pandemic had "brought home the idea that work can’t love you back".[6]

Ettarh presented the keynote speech at the Connecticut Information Literacy Conference in 2022[32][33] and a keynote presentation at the Lake Superior Libraries Symposium the same year.[34] She also presented on the topic of vocational awe at the Politics of Libraries Conference in March 2022[35] and on the same topic at the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion symposium hosted by the SJSU School of Information.[36] She also was a presenter at the Social Emotional Librarianship conference, co-hosted by Library Journal and School Library Journal in October 2022, on the topic of advocating for yourself and your staff.[37]

Research, librarianship and influence

Ettarh's research focused on gap between values of librarianship and the realities for "marginalized librarians and users." Her scholarship also focused on inclusion, equity, and diversity in libraries,[38] including social and organizational privilege,[5] and the notion of vocational awe as related to librarians.[39][40][41] She was also involved with the We Here community and talks about "creating communities of color" within libraries which support one other.[1] In 2017, she was selected as a ALA Emerging Leader.[42]

Ettarh's article January 2018 In the Library with the Lead Pipe article received an honorable mention in the 2018 Library Juice Paper Contest[43] and appeared on library science course syllabi.[44] Her article was praised for allowing librarians to talk about the profession with "more honesty".[45] Abby Hargreaves of Book Riot argued that there is "staunch reality" in examining the ALA "Library Bill of Rights", saying it deserves a "sense of awe".[46] She also said that vocational awe should be deconstructed and eliminated "in ourselves and in our customers".[47]

The term "vocational awe" has been used by scholars in articles about music librarianship,[48] theological librarianship,[49] early career librarians,[50] preservation,[51] academic librarians,[52][53] stress and burnout of library workers,[54]higher education,[55] and other topics.[56] The term has also been used by non-librarians. Cartoonist Alison Bechdel described Dykes to Watch Out For protagonist Mo Testa as falling into "the pitfall of vocational awe, believing that her public library job is a religious calling".[57] Writer John Warner proposed a similar term, institutional awe, derived from vocational awe, referring to when no individual sacrifice is "too great in order to preserve the status quo functioning of the institution."[58]

In May 2020, Ettarh was named as a "mover & shaker" by Library Journal.[10] In March 2021, scholar Zahra Osman said that Ettarh, apart from her scholarly work, often spends time giving interviews with MLIS students covering her perspectives on library leadership.[5]

Personal life and death

Ettarh identified herself as first-generation American, queer, and disabledwomen of color in a Library Journal profile.[59] She also developed chronic kidney disease as a complication from sickle cell disease which she was born with.[60] She was a self-described "radical librarian".[61][31]

Ettarh died on January 28, 2026, with a private burial held for her family.[11][13] Following her death, Takoma Park Maryland Library extended their condolences, saying that her legacy "lives on wherever library workers question vocational awe in favor of finding ways to engage more fairly and sustainably with our work."[62] Emily Knox, Ettarh's PhD student advisor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, described her as a "wonderful person" and "brilliant scholar" who had a lasting impact "on the field of library and information science."[13] Visible Minority Librarians of Canada asserted that Ettarh's legacy and memory will live on through her words, work, compassion, and courage, and highlighted Ettarh's writings on "vocational awe," saying it reshaped the understanding of those in the library profession, resharing her 2018 article defining the concept.[63]

Selected publications

References

  1. ^ abcdeMartinez, George (June 14, 2018). "Resident of the Month: Fobazi M. Ettarh". Residency Interest Group. Association of College and Research Libraries. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  2. ^"Former Residents". Residency Interest Group. Association of College and Research Libraries. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  3. ^"Fobazi Ettarh". Rutgers University Libraries. Rutgers University. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  4. ^Swenson, Ali (August 9, 2019). "Librarians facing new tasks say crisis isn't in the catalog". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023.
  5. ^ abcOsman, Zahra (March 31, 2021). "A Library Freedom Dream: In Conversation With Fobazi Ettarh". In Owens, Trevor; Wong, Angelina (eds.). Collaboration, Empathy & Change: Perspectives on Leadership in Libraries and Archives in 2020. SocArXi. pp. 223–240. doi:10.31235/osf.io/3gnds. S2CID 243581075.
  6. ^ abDixon, Jennifer A. (March 27, 2022). "Feeling the Burnout". Library Journal. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  7. ^ abcFarkas, Meredith (November 1, 2017). "Less Is Not More". American Libraries Magazine. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  8. ^ abLaPierre, Suzanne (27 March 2020). "Resisting "Vocational Awe" During the Pandemic". Public Libraries Online. Public Library Association. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  9. ^Bresnahan, Megan (2021). "How Policies Portray Students: A Discourse Analysis of Codes of Conduct in Academic Libraries". University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. University of New Hampshire. See page 5 of this faculty publication.
  10. ^ abcEttarh, Fobazi (May 4, 2020). "Fobazi Ettarh--Movers & Shakers 2020–Change Agents". Library Journal. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  11. ^ abEttarh, Fobazi (February 4, 2026). "With sorrow, we announce the passing of FOBAZI M. ETTARH 1989 - 2026". Bluesky. Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  12. ^Gray, Mary L. (February 6, 2026). "In Memory of Fobazi M. Ettarh". Social Media Collective, Microsoft Research. WordPress. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  13. ^ abcde"PhD student Fobazi Ettarh passes away". University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. February 6, 2026. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  14. ^"Library Journal Names Maggie Murphy '12 a 2020 "Mover and Shaker"". Rutgers School of Information. Rutgers University. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023.
  15. ^"Fobazi M. Ettarh". New Jersey Library Cooperative. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  16. ^"Discussing How We Actively Address the Ways Our Institutions are Deeply Rooted in Past and Current Injustices". SPARC. September 18, 2022. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  17. ^"Fobazi Ettarh". SJSU School of information. San Jose State University. 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  18. ^"Vocational Awe". State Library of Ohio. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  19. ^"Killing Me Softly: A Game of Microaggressions". CUNY Games Network. Graduate Center, CUNY. August 3, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  20. ^"Accepted proposals". Identity, Agency, and Culture in Academic Libraries Conference. University of Southern California Libraries. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  21. ^"Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves". In the Library with the Lead Pipe. 10 January 2018. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  22. ^"Decolonizing the public library". rabble.ca. September 3, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  23. ^Lankes, R. David (July 10, 2020). "Why Libraries Are Committing to Systemic Change". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  24. ^"Pushing the Margins". Litwin Books & Library Juice Press. Library Juice Press. 17 September 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  25. ^"Other Duties as Assigned". American Libraries Magazine. January 2, 2019. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  26. ^"Why Being Bad Is Good". American Libraries Magazine. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  27. ^"Library Journal Directors' Summit". Library Journal. November 2019. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  28. ^"Academic and Research Libraries Division (ARLD) Day 2020". Minnesota Library Association. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  29. ^"Event schedule". Academic Library Association of Ohio. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  30. ^Ralph, Kaylen (13 March 2020). "College Students Share What Coronavirus Means for Their Schools". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  31. ^ abAlexander, Brianna (April 30, 2021). "Why this 'radical librarian' believes libraries, to address inequity, should keep buildings closed". Chronkite News. Arizona PBS. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  32. ^"Program Information". Connecticut Information Literacy Conference. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  33. ^"2022 Connecticut Information Literacy Conference". Connecticut Information Literacy Conference. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  34. ^"Breakout Sessions and Schedule". Lake Superior Libraries Symposium. 14 April 2021. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  35. ^Ettarh, Fobazi (May 18, 2022). "Vocational Awe and the "Apoliticism" of Libraries". Education & Research Archive. University of Alberta Libraries. doi:10.7939/r3-1ev8-da94. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023. Video notes date in March 2022.
  36. ^Tokunaga, Eori (March 31, 2022). "Women in Information: Women leaders discuss experiences and expectations". SJSU School of Information. San Jose State University. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023.
  37. ^"Program". Social Emotional Librarianship Conference. Library Journal. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  38. ^Karen Klensky (April 27, 2021). "Ep. 2:36 The Perils of Vocational Awe – An Interview with Fobazi Ettarh". The Professor is In (Podcast). Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  39. ^Smith, Elisa (March 29, 2022). "Ukrainian libraries, serving as bomb shelters, continue to prove that libraries are our best hope". Lit Hub. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023.
  40. ^Jensen, Kelly (January 23, 2020). "Hello Sunshine Clarifies Call for Librarian: "This is a Paid, Part-Time Position"". Book Riot. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  41. ^"Fobazi Ettarh on the Limits of Vocational Awe". Ideas on Fire. October 23, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  42. ^"Emerging Leader Spotlight: Fobazi M. Ettarh". Rainbow Round Table News. American Library Association. March 13, 2017. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  43. ^"Gracen Brilmyer Wins Sixth Annual Library Juice Paper Contest". Litwin Books & Library Juice Press. Library Juice Press. October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  44. ^Behre, Jane (February 27, 2020). "Vocational Awe and Academic Service". Hack Library School. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  45. ^Flanigan, Abby (January 12, 2018). "Vocational Awe and Professional Identity". ACRLog. Association of College and Research Libraries. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  46. ^Hargreaves, Abby (April 20, 2020). "The Library Bill of Rights: What They Are and What They Mean for You". Book Riot. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  47. ^Hargreaves, Abby (April 20, 2020). "An Invisible Threat: Compassion Fatigue in Libraries". Book Riot. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  48. ^Yang, Z. Sylvia; Vickers, Emily (March 2022). "Double the Vocation, Double the Awe: An Examination of Vocational Awe in Music Librarianship". Notes. 78 (3). Music Library Association: 340–343, 345–346, 351–352. doi:10.1353/not.2022.0004. S2CID 246819616. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  49. ^Stutzman, Karl (October 27, 2022). "Vocational Awe and Theological Librarianship: The Truths We Might Begin Telling Ourselves". Theological Librarianship. 15 (2): 26–29. doi:10.31046/tl.v15i2.3067. S2CID 253195376. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  50. ^Agostino, Carli; Cassidy, Melanie (2019). "Failure to Launch: Feelings of Failure in Early Career Librarians". Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research. 14 (1). Music Library Association: 4. doi:10.21083/partnership.v14i1.5224. S2CID 196182396. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  51. ^Mattern, Shannon (November 2018). "Maintenance and Care". Places Journal (2018). doi:10.22269/181120. S2CID 188667757. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  52. ^Kendrick, Kaetrena Davis; Damasco, Ione T. (2019). "Low Morale in Ethnic and Racial Minority Academic Librarians". Library Trends. 68 (2). JHU Press. ISSN 0024-2594. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  53. ^Kapel, Scottie; Skene, Elizabeth M.; Jordan, Whitney P. (2018). Nothing Happens Unless First a Dream: Demystifying the Academic Library Job Search and Acing the Application Process. Charleston Library Conference. Charleston, South Carolina: Purdue University. p. 367.
  54. ^Martin, Jason (2020). "Workplace Engagement of Librarians and Library Staff". Journal of Library Administration. 60. JHU Press: 22–40. doi:10.1080/01930826.2019.1671037. S2CID 208114669. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  55. ^Fitzpatrick, Kathleen (2021). Generous Thinking: A Radical Approach to Saving the University. Baltimore, Maryland: JHU Press. pp. 43, 50. ISBN 9781421440057.
  56. ^Jones, Emily P.; Mani, Nandita S.; Carlson, Rebecca B.; Welker, Carolyn G.; Cawley, Michelle; Yu, Fei (2021). "Analysis of anti-racism, equity, inclusion and social justice initiatives in library and information science literature". Reference Services Review. 50 (1). JHU Press: 81–101. doi:10.1108/RSR-07-2021-0032. S2CID 246720494.
  57. ^"Alison Bechdel: A Life in Books". American Libraries Magazine. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  58. ^Warner, John (February 22, 2022). "2 Salaries That Tell a Story". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  59. ^"Fobazi Ettarh". Library Journal. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  60. ^Ettarh, Fobazi (December 31, 2023). "Hello My Name is Fobazi Ettarh, and I am Disabled". WTF is a Radical Librarian, Anyway?. Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  61. ^Cathy Hannabach (October 23, 2019). "Fobazi Ettarh on the Limits of Vocational Awe". Imagine Otherwise by Ideas on Fire (Podcast). Radio Public. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  62. ^Takoma Park Maryland Library (February 6, 2026). "Our condolences to everyone missing our colleague. Fobazi Ettarh changed the way many of us view libraries for the better. Her legacy lives on wherever library workers question vocational awe in favor of finding ways to engage more fairly and sustainably with our work. She will be deeply missed". Bluesky. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  63. ^Visible Minority Librarians of Canada (February 6, 2026). "The Passing of Fobazi Ettarh". Visible Minority Librarians of Canada. WordPress. Archived from the original on February 7, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
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