Mychal Threets
Mychal Threets (born 1990)[1] is an American librarian. Based in Fairfield, California, he is known for his viral social media videos that feature book recommendations, library services, and affirming messages.
Life and career[edit]
Threets was born and raised in Fairfield, California.[2] His father is African American, while his mother is Mexican.[3] He was very shy, and experienced anxiety and depression.[4] He was homeschooled during elementary school and spent a lot of time at the local library, considering it his "home away from home".[5]
He received his bachelor’s degree in communications from University of Phoenix and later attended San Jose State University for his master’s degree in library information science.[6]
The library where he worked as a children's librarian, Fairfield Civic Center Library, a branch of the Solano County Library in Solano County, California, is the same library he grew up patronizing.[4][7] In 2013, Threets began working there at age 23, shelving books, and worked his way to becoming supervising librarian of his branch in January 2023.[6][3] At the end of February 2024, Threets announced he would be resigning from Fairfield Library to focus on his mental health after experiencing cyberbullying.[8][9]
In February 2024, Threets announced he would be partnering with PBS to be their 'resident librarian,' a position he confirmed he would be keeping following his resignation from his job in Fairfield.[9]
Threets has stated that he wants viewers to see the library as a positive and inviting place.[2]
Online presence[edit]
Threets' videos share book recommendations, interactions he has with patrons, services available at the library, and mental health-related messages.[1][2][5] He is known for the catchphrases "you belong" and "unhinged library joy".[2] Threets is also known for his afro and tattoos, which include cartoon character Arthur Read's library card[1] and a Where the Wild Things Are tattoo on his arm.[6] His viewers have compared him to Mister Rogers and LeVar Burton when he hosted Reading Rainbow.[1]
He first began posting his stories to Facebook, but began posting videos to TikTok and Instagram in 2020 after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] In March 2023, his first viral TikTok video shared his experience having a child library patron ask about his gender.[2]
In July 2023, Threets had 40,000 followers on TikTok.[6] By December 2023, Threets had 450,000 followers on Instagram[2] and 600,000 on TikTok.[10]
Accolades[edit]
- 2023 – Honoree, American Library Association, I Love My Librarian Award for Outstanding Public Service[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Mayorquin, Orlando. "Mychal Threets Wants Everyone to Experience 'Library Joy'". NYT. New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Julie (2023-12-24). "How a Bay Area librarian became an Instagram star". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ a b "Meet The 33-Year-Old Librarian Spreading 'Library Joy' To The TikTok Masses". HuffPost. 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
- ^ a b Thomas, Garvin (2023-06-21). "Thousands following North Bay librarian on TikTok for his real-life stories from the library". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ a b "The Coolest Place on Earth: The Public Library". KQED. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ a b c d Wasik, Rebecca (2023-07-07). "Solano County librarian shares his love of reading through social media". The Vacaville Reporter. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ Page, Sydney (2024-01-10). "Librarian faced spate of insults. Thousands of people came to his defense". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ Shahin, Krys (2024-02-28). "Solano County librarian resigns from position citing mental health. Here's what he's doing next". abc10.com. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
- ^ a b Skinner, Paige (2024-02-27). "Viral TikToker Who Spreads 'Library Joy' Resigns Due To Mental Health". HuffPost. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
- ^ McConnell, Nick (2024-01-08). "Bay Area librarian and TikTok star Mychal Threets works to spread 'library joy'". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 2024-01-11.