So thankful I’m able to get health insurance through my husband. The plan I was on @unlv.edu (before I lost my insurance on unpaid medical leave) just raised the premium by 2k a year. I can’t remember the last time anyone got a COLA raise, so everyone @unlv.edu just got a pay cut.

My baby’s daycare made a google doc to put pics of him throughout the year & I keep it in my inbox so that every time I get to the bottom of my inbox I can reward myself with a little timeline of photos. I am down to 22 emails 🥵

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202... Feel free to share my gift link to the Atlantic article America Doesn’t Want My Children or Grandchildren

hi #DouglassDay we need an edit button. 🤣

Ho @douglassday.bsky.social this is @unlv.edu here at UNLV Libraries with a cake from Cake Designs Las Vegas featuring the cover page of the first Colored Convention in the West & a timeline of Black American History of the West…ending with our award winning cake from 2024!

Today’s featured artwork is from Star M-O, a second grader who won first place in an art contest about what they want to be when they grow up. Located at the Windmill Library Gallery @lvccld.bsky.social

@douglassday.bsky.social we did not get the zoom link for the preview meeting 👀 can you resend it so the UNLV folks can hop on?

Shoutout to Alysha Press in the @unlv.edu Libraries’ Makerspace who created this 3D rendition of Saint Andrews AME Church, location of the first Colored Convention in the West. This is a key component of Frederick Douglass’ birthday cake - we are ready to win this year! @douglassday.bsky.social

Forgot to mention the ribbon cutting and grand opening at the new West Las Vegas Library!!! I’m always proud of @lvccld.bsky.social staff but getting this amazing timeline up is truly an accomplishment!

My favorite piece from the gallery at Whitney Library is The Waves of Life’s Challenges by Lani Suarez. I love having an excuse to visit every @lvccld.bsky.social branch

The very nice person at the hospital cut off my philosophical questioning about the use of AI during my colonoscopy to remind me that I could just sign no & not give permission. I’m telling you so you can have more than 2 seconds to think about whether you want AI used during your next procedure

I would like to thank the parade for teaching my kid the time honored tradition of running to use the bathroom during commercials and yelling “it’s starting!!!” to the person in the bathroom

No word from President Sam so @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social - what’s up? My membership is due soon but I’m not re-upping until I hear that Spectrum and ODLOS will continue their work

Truly one of the hardest things about being an editor for @libraryleadpipe.bsky.social is blocking off my calendar for work to make sure I never ever ever ever miss a deadline 🫣

My husband is a fed so we have now lost a month of earnings & I have been working less than full time after being unpaid for 4 months of my should-be-normal-length parental leave. So I just got off the phone with everyone who would/could defer our bills.

@samhelmick.bsky.social With the sunsetting of all these American Library Association programs, where does that leave ALA Spectrum, ODLOS, RRT, etc? www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5kp7t...

I have a trustee goal of visiting every branch of @lvccld.bsky.social so today the kid and I are at Falloween at Enterprise Library! Going to eat some cotton candy and get some books

I know I’m on the cusp of 40 because I look forward to listening to the hyperlocal @citycastvegas.bsky.social podcast & I became a member…for a tote bag. I don’t even know what the tote bag looks like but 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you to one of my fav librarians Brittani who joined me on touring the West Las Vegas Library! It’s still under construction, and I cannot wait for the community to enjoy this beautiful space! I am super proud to be a trustee for the amazing @lvccld.bsky.social

The only place to get a kid under 5 a COVID vaccine here is through the Southern Nevada Health District. I called to see if they have them so I can get my 8m and 4y vaccinated before the rules change at the end of the week. They don’t have any. None.

Tried to get my baby a Covid vaccine before he is ineligible & the health district had vaccines & were willing to give him one…but couldn’t…because we have health insurance. The private pay vaccines had expired & the public pay vaccines aren’t for the insured.

One of the effects of staff turnover that I’ve never seen discussed is the particular sadness of being delightfully reminded of a former colleague and having no one to share it with because everyone who remembers that person has also changed institutions.

Fobazi is currently in the ICU and could use your support. Apologies to those I haven’t been able to reach out to yet. You can message me for more info and I will be posting updates to GoFundMe. Please share, send healing thoughts, prayers, etc. ❤️ -Elena gofund.me/c8485b58

Book Club Pláticas: Reflexiones on Culturally-centered Methodologies by Daisy Muralles and Vanessa Varko Fontana

Very proud of this article I edited! I am hoping to explore a pláticas methodology when I return from my unpaid parental leave on….Friday! 😱

Coming out next Wednesday - Book Club Pláticas: Reflexiones on Culturally-centered Methodologies by Daisy Muralles and Vanessa Varko Fontana "culturally sustaining co-curricular collaborations and spaces on a university campus"

“You should have learned how to read better,” critiqued reviewer 2. In this case reviewer 2 is my 4 year old.

The nurse saw my @lvccld.bsky.social @goldenknights.bsky.social shirt and said our GK library cards got her sister to finally #GetCarded!

The pan dulce car only drives by when the baby is sleeping & I can’t run outside. Currently devastated that I don’t have conchas because of this earlier missed connection. Sigh.

The only work I’m doing on leave is continuing my duties as an editorial board member & peer reviewer for @libraryleadpipe.bsky.social bc the work is that important. I loved reviewing this article on using an ethics of care framework with student workers.

Visited the East Las Vegas Library for a trustee meeting. This is Best Memories by Arleth Chavez. It captures such a beautiful childhood moment (and I happen to live in a pink, purple, and teal house so the playhouse reminds me of home).

Visited the Windmill Library for trustee onboarding. This is Blue TV by Greg Allred. I love our libraries’ galleries and am going to show my favorite work each time I visit a library.

Took my oath of office today at Las Vegas City Hall so I can officially start my term on the @lvccld.bsky.social Board of Trustees!

Super proud to be one of the peer reviewers for this article on libraries selling deeply discounted menstrual cups to students 🍷

Just wrapped up my participation in a study about prenatal vaccination because 1. I had a baby 2. Vaccination is super important 3. Research is super important

In 2020 @jamescheng.bsky.social Brittani Sterling & I were awarded a Diversity Research Grant from @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social we have finally published the results of this research! So proud to share: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

My ALA conference looks! I served on a panel, volunteered, attended a REFORMA membership meeting, networked with a lot of new Spectrum Scholars, and of course brought home too many books 🤣

I’m biased because this is the first article I’ve peer reviewed, but it is very good and very important for librarians (especially those in leadership positions) to read.

I’m ok. Well I’m not ok it’s 4am & I’m awake from nightmares but I have therapy scheduled for tomorrow & I am physically ok. Open carry is legal here. I have seen guns in Victoria’s Secret, bars, Hawaiian restaurants, everywhere but campus. I do not ever want to see a gun again.

Being a scholar who researches racism is really emotionally difficult and jarring. I’m coding these experiences of racism in academic libraries & then I’m just supposed to…go to a meeting, learn from a conference, & write emails. Like what? How?

If you missed this article definitely give it a read! I vaguely remember participating in their survey and am thrilled to see the results.

The best thing about Monday is being able to finish a crossword again.

Taught a workshop about social media and privacy so I thought it would be interesting to look up Blue Sky’s privacy policy…and got halfway through it before I realized I was reading the blue sky stationary shop’s privacy policy 😂

Nothing can throw your NCFDD writing challenge in the trash like a sick toddler. What internal challenges did I face today? The ennui combined w the panic of being a working parent of a sick kid. What external challenges did I face today? That fucking orange light on the thermometer.

The time spent setting up a productivity tool feels like such a waste (👀 Notion) but I know it will pay off!