Mychal Threets, a supervising librarian at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in California, US, is a superhero to his 600,000-plus followers on Instagram and almost 700,000 on TikTok. With his first-rate reading recommendations and sheer passion for advocating libraries as a tonic for a whole host of challenges, he encourages others to take advantage of everything that libraries have to offer. “When people talk about equity, diversity and inclusion, they always forget how important belonging is in that conversation,” says Threets. “Libraries are all about belonging. If you’re mentally ill, if you’re unhoused, if you’re a ‘library kid’, if you’re a teen, if you’re a grown-up, if you’re a single person, you have a spot in the library.”
Threets stumbled into the role when he got chatting one day to a member of staff on the desk at the Fairfield Cordelia Library. She explained how she had come to work there, he applied for a position, and he has worked at the library ever since. “If someone tried to create the public library today, it would not get approved,” believes Threets. “People would be against it because there’s no monetary gain.”
Threets sees libraries as an essential resource for many, as they offer not just books, but frequently also films, musical instruments, board games, video games, and resources such as access to lawyers or help with tax. They offer access to computers, e-books, audiobooks and databases, and have something for everybody. In some parts of the US, libraries are coming under pressure to ban certain books, but Threets is a firm believer in authors telling their stories and operating without censure. “They think that these books by authors of colour are trying to indoctrinate their kids. They’re trying to make kids feel guilty about an LGBTQIA+ agenda when there is no agenda,” he says.
Threets’ social media presence lends the library a renewed importance in today’s screen-first world. A love of books has even been reignited in grown-ups via his posts. “They’re like: ‘Oh, you reminded me of books I loved as a kid,’” he states. Threets is keen to emphasise the importance of libraries as community spaces, which offer people a place where they feel they belong. With book bans and funding cuts affecting many libraries, he sings the praises of these public resources at a time when they’re under threat
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