Not all heroes wear capes. Instead, some have a tattoo of a library card on them. From the PBS Kids show, “Arthur,” the title character loved going to the library. So Mychal Threets knew that Arthur’s library card needed to be a tattoo on his arm. “I’ve loved Arthur as long as I can remember, probably as long as I’ve loved the library,” Threets said. 

Threets is the supervising librarian at Fairfield Civic Center Library in Solano County, Calif. The library, he said, was his own childhood favorite spot. And now, as an employee, he has been showing TikTok viewers the “library joy” that he wants people to find in their own libraries. “Libraries are so much more than books,” he said.

It’s a place that’s there for you. The doors are open. The library is for everybody.”

His bright colored outfits and simple enthusiasm has won him nearly 700,000 viewers who tune in to see his book reviews, stories about library patrons and his honest talk about mental health issues. Unfortunately, those very things that led him to go viral, also brought out the bullies.

Mychal Threets grew up frequenting the same library he now runs. Photo courtesy of Mychal Threets

People began posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, the videos Threets had made, commenting things about his appearance and how “people are getting weirder,” as well as mocking his voice and mannerisms. Other tweets went on to call patrons a slur that implied that only people with developmental delays would go to a library.

The original post insulting him went viral on X, with more than 43 million views. “It made me feel very horrible,” Threets said, saying he was especially hurt by the lies saying he could be a danger to children. “That was what I was really saddened by.” Being weird, Threets said, is something he is proud of.

The tattoo of Arnold’s library card on Threet. Photo courtesy of Mychal Threets

“There is nothing wrong with being weird,” he said. “I have some of the weirdest friends in the world. They are extraordinary and they are amazing because of their weirdness.” And it was those very people, as well as strangers across the internet, who came to his defense. “Incredible, you took a guy who is passionate about his job of being a librarian and trying to encourage adults and kids to read more/get a library card….and somehow made it negative,” one person commented.

Have we decayed so much as a society where general wholesome enthusiasm is seen as an undesirable trait?” another person wrote.

“Doesn’t get any weirder than trying to shame someone for being enthusiastic about learning and uplifting activities,” someone else commented. Before long, Threets said, the positive comments far outnumbered those against him. “So many people were burying those negative words,” he said. In a TikTok video, Threets responded to the original tweet on X in the way his supporters knew he would: with empathy.

@mychal3ts Quite a few people messaged me “mental health check” before I became aware of that Twitter thread, and I just want to say, “THANK YOU!” 💚 #BookTok #LibraryTikTok #Storytime ♬ original sound – mychal

“I hope those people have a much better day tomorrow. I hope they experience kindness. I hope they experience joy. I hope they remember that they still belong at the library. I hope better days are ahead of them,” Threets said in the video. The librarian also said that he hoped young people would see his video and it could be a teachable moment.

“That’s why I made the video — to remind people of how important kindness is,” Threets said. “I wanted to remind them that it’s perfectly okay to be weird.” His co-workers stand behind him and the work he has been doing on social media.

Joan Parker, the children’s librarian, has worked with Threets for five years and said his videos have helped bring in more visitors to the library. “Mychal definitely put us on the map,” she said. “He is that voice for all people working at libraries. He’s had a big impact.”

Threets said he will not let the comments on X stop him from his goal of spreading library joy on social media. “I will keep reminding people that there’s far more kindness out there than there is negativity,” he said. Watch Threets below as he explains the power of libraries.

Source: Washington Post