By Bobbi L. Newman

ThriveLib was born out of years of conversations, research, and lived experience as a librarian. We created a space that centers the people doing the work: a conference where we could reflect, learn, and reimagine what it means to thrive in library work. It’s been grounded from day one in care, accessibility, and equity – paid speakers, sliding-scale tickets, recordings and certificates of completion, and a small but mighty Advisory Board helping shape the vision.

I’m writing to share that I am stepping away from ThriveLib.

It has been an honor and a privilege to build this, to host it, and to watch it become something real for the people who showed up for it.

What comes next for ThriveLib is genuinely uncertain. I don’t have a tidy succession plan to share, and I’d rather be honest about that than let things quietly fade. What I do know is this: I never believed ThriveLib was meant to be one person’s project. It was always bigger than me, bigger than any single founder, board, or year. It belongs, in spirit, to everyone who has ever needed a space like this.

Thank you for being part of ThriveLib, however you found your way to it, as a speaker, an attendee, an advisor, or simply someone who believes rest and learning belong together. It has meant more than I can say. This conference was more successful that I hoped, thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.

If this work is yours to carry

If you’re someone who does this kind of work, who cares about well-being in libraries, and who has the energy and vision to take ThriveLib forward, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m happy to share whatever would help: how things have been run, what’s worked, what hasn’t, lessons from this first year, etc. And yes, logins and access to the tools behind the scenes. I want to make the handoff as easy as I can for the right person or group.

Please reach out by email if this is calling to you. Thrivelib@gmail.com