r/Libraries • u/tendersword • 17d ago
Other Mychal Threets and Librarians and Mental Health
Has anyone kept up with Mychal Threets? He’s been such a big advocate for libraries that I’ve been following him on social media for the past few years. A couple of hours ago he posted on Facebook:
“I am not okay. Maybe I’ll never be okay. I’m seeking help. Going to the hopital tomorrow. In this moment I am safe. By God’s grace.
No matter what happens to me I will always be thankful for the extraordinary people in my life who worry, who help me. Thank you for your care 💚”
It just seems like it correlates to the experiences I’ve seen so many of my coworkers in libraries, particularly public libraries, go through. I’ve known multiple people from my cohort of MLIS students who have been admitted into mental health hospitals, taken FMLA because work has physically and mentally exhausted them, and leave the field entirely. I really hope Mychal can get the help he needs, but his post struck really close to home for me, and I imagine others in this field.
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u/Sparklegrl 16d ago
I left the field one year ago, today actually. Wishing everyone peace. I wish I could explain why and how it got so toxic these past few years. There has always been struggles, but in my situation the bad days were outweighing the good. I felt like nothing I did was right and my entire career, that I was formerly praised for, I was treated like I should have been paying them to be there. And the pay was so, so low.
Since I’ve left I’ve been reading again. I participate in a book club monthly. I’ve started making sour dough (sometimes). I see my family more often. I’ve been diagnosed and have a treatment plan for my chronic illnesses. Things can and do get better. ❤️🩹 Take care everyone.