Why did Mychal Threets resign? Internet rallies mass support for beloved Bay Area librarian

Mychal Threets, a Solano County librarian, announced on Saturday that he is stepping down from his position to focus on his mental health. He previously went viral for his uplifting videos promoting kindness, literacy, and mental health awareness.

The Bay Area resident has been the branch head at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in California. Threets has gained over 1.5 million followers on TikTok and Instagram by sharing content on his time in the library, words of positive affirmations, and children’s book recommendations.

His widespread popularity led him to receive an award from the nonprofit American Library Association. Mychal Threets was also featured in the New York Times and Washington Post. In a January interview with the Times, Threets told them:

“Most of the time I’m either just retelling library interactions, library stories. And then, apart from that, I just try to give people messages of hope.”

Threets announced his departure through a social media post on February 24. His last working day at the Solano County Library is March 1. In the video, he cited his reason for his resignation:

"I am leaving to prioritize my mental health. To work with my mental health check-in team. But I’m hoping to make you so very proud."

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Mychal Threets gain massive support for his decision from netizens

Even though Mychal Threets informed everyone of his resignation, he told his followers he would be around. He expressed his love for library workers and people of all ages who visit libraries in general.

Threets hoped his followers would fight for literacy, adding so many occurrences worldwide are impacting libraries. He said he wants to support them as much as he can. The librarian also announced he would reach out to Congress to discuss funding for libraries. Threets said:

"Funding libraries is funding the community, funding our togetherness, our unity, making us better people."

In a previous video, Threets shared his experiences of mental health struggles including PTSD, anxiety, depression, nightmare disorder, and panic disorder.

Although he did not explicitly mention anything about dealing with negative comments on social media and its effect on his mental health, netizens hinted at the possibility that Threets might be taking a break due to hateful or offensive remarks.

They extended their empathy and support for him. Some were upset that Mychal Threets had to leave a job he genuinely loved, however, they encouraged him to prioritize his mental health.

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Mychal Threets has been a library worker in Solano County since 2013

In another Instagram post made on Sunday, Mychal Threets shared he had been experiencing severe mental health struggles since he was 8. However, he built his coping mechanisms. Threets told his followers how stories are his source of joy, and the reason he loves going to the library every day.

Mychal Threets has been working at the Solano County Library's Fairfield Civic Center since November 2013. He spoke about meeting and befriending many people over the years, who share a mutual love for books and libraries.

Threets added he would spend time with his family and friends as part of his new mental health journey. He would also visit his therapist, all while advocating for literacy and emphasizing Blair Imani's Library Afro Revolution.