Meet Mychal Threets – the librarian, social media personality, mental health activist, and children’s author, making libraries safe, inclusive spaces for all.
Mychal Threets rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he began sharing his joyful videos with the world. A librarian at the Solano County Library in Fairfield, California, Mychal took to TikTok and Instagram in an effort to support literacy and mental health across the USA and beyond.
By the end of 2023, Mychal had quite a following. 600,000 TikTok users hung on his every word, while an impressive 450,000 did the same on Instagram. Unfortunately, only a few months later, he announced that he was having mental health struggles of his own and had to resign from his role at Solano County.
Now, more than a year on, we check in to see what Mychal has been up to, and what he’s got in the pipeline.
The PBS ‘Library Guy’
After leaving the Solano County Library on March 1st, 2024, Mychal took a bit of time off. Speaking to Rolling Stone, he described how he’d always been something of a library obsessive as a kid, but that all the online fame had dulled some of that library love.
By taking some time off, he was able to reconnect with his love of public libraries – visiting them as a reader and borrower, rather than as an employee.
But Mychal was soon back in the game. Not long after leaving Solano County, he began working with broadcasting network PBS as the resident librarian for their PBS Kids offshoot. This role involves making a series of videos in which he shares his love of libraries and literature, and makes young people just as excited as he is about all things related to books and reading.
He also co-hosted the Library Afro Revolution Day, along with the activist Blair Imani Ali. This event was a book drive, designed to ensure free books reach the communities that need them. On top of this, Mychal and Blair shared their tips for taking care of natural hair – something that Mychal certainly knows a lot about.
I’m So Happy You’re Here
More recently, Mychal has been working with fellow library lover Lorraine Nam on their first children’s book. Entitled I’m So Happy You’re Here, the book is due to be published by Penguin Random House in February 2026, and combines Mychal’s words with Lorraine’s illustration to create something magical.
The book is all about fostering a space of safety and inclusivity in our libraries. Its subtitle – “a celebration of library joy” – tells you everything you need to know.
It reinforces the idea that libraries are truly special places, where everyone can belong.
This idea is so important. As Mychal knows, sometimes our increasingly digital world can be cruel, as people are constantly made to feel that they don’t belong, and they do not have worth.
Mychal’s work has always been about reversing this kind of negative feeling, and now he’s doing it in book form.
Continued Literacy and Mental Health Advocacy
Mychal has struggled with mental health his entire life, and his accidental celebrity following the COVID pandemic suddenly made things much worse.
“I’ve had three mental breakdowns in the past several months, over feeling pressured,” Mychal said. “Feeling like I’m gonna let people down. Like I’m betraying them, be it library users, be it my community, be it my family, be it my own mental health check team, or my best friends. It’s feeling like I’m not good enough, like I’m not doing enough.”
After leaving Solano County, Mychal understood that he just needed some respite. He spoke candidly with Rolling Stone, saying that he didn’t want to “push people away” or “bog people down with my sense of misery.” Instead, he said, “I’m going to invite people back in.”
Unfortunately, Mychal’s struggles are not yet behind him. Perhaps they never will be. But with the positivity of his work, and with the support of so many people around the world, he can keep on experiencing the joy and beauty of libraries and literature – the joy and beauty he has fought so hard to give to other people.
“I believe I am ready for joy,” Mychal said. And I don’t know how it’s going to find me, but I’m so excited for the journey.”
Inclusive Library Spaces for All
Whether as a librarian, social media personality, mental health activist, or children’s author, Mychal has already touched the lives of so many people around the world.
His work underscores something very important. Libraries should not exclude, and should not discriminate. Everyone is welcome in a library, and that must continue to be the case. With the recent climate of censorship and book bans, it’s easy to lose sight of this. And this is what makes the efforts of someone like Mychal so important.
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John Burns
John has been writing ever since he was small, and is delighted to be able to make his living as a writer now he’s not quite so small. Literature has always been a big part of John’s life, and he loves sharing this passion with readers from all over the world.
