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“On social media, Mychal Threets was spreading the gospel of “library joy” to hundreds of thousands of followers. Known for his energetic delivery and signature Afro, Mr. Threets showed off the book-themed tattoos covering his arms and evangelized about the pleasure of reading while cradling one of his cats. Viewers found his enthusiasm for literature infectious, and he got a kick out of drawing in young readers. But at his job, as a supervisor at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in Solano County, Calif., he was facing new challenges. The library, which he had begun visiting as a child, had become a gathering place for people experiencing issues like homelessness, drug dependence and mental illness. Some of his duties had little to do with cataloging books and recommending titles. Over a year, Mr. Threets said, he filed more than 170 incident reports documenting how library patrons had acted out: property damage, harassment, physical altercations. “There were several instances where people would get in my face and kind of threaten to physically push me,” Mr. Threets said. At one point, he added, a patron threatened to kill him multiple times — visitors pulled knives on each other, too. His anxiety and depression, both present since childhood, had worsened. And he faced an impossible dilemma: What do you do when the pressures of your profession are harming your mental health? In March, at age 34, he left the job, announcing his departure on social media in a characteristically upbeat way. “It’s been the honor of my life to work for the library that raised me,” he said. Like Mr. Threets, librarians around the country are struggling to reconcile their desire to serve their communities with their need for self-preservation, especially as libraries have become hubs for social services and battlegrounds for the culture wars. Staffers say that the job’s stressors are leading to burnout and psychological trauma, necessitating a fresh approach to protecting workers’ mental health.” ??: Christina Caron with The New York Times ??: Marissa Leshnov https://lnkd.in/gAPN2xxp

?? Attention all National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) attendees! WNDB will be hosting a special 10th Anniversary panel at this year’s NCTE conference called “An Activation of Hope”! Moderator Cornelius Minor will be in conversation with authors Ellen Oh, Dhonielle Clayton, Phil Bildner, Samira Ahmed, and Tracey Baptiste to discuss the impact of book bans and how authors, educators, and community activists can unite to fight against them. Join us for an exciting and empowering discussion. And be sure to stick around after the panel has concluded to enjoy a light reception including drinks, snacks, and WNDB swag! ?? Check out the session listing on the NCTE website! ?? bit.ly/WNDB-NCTE ??? Saturday, November 23rd ?? 4:15 - 5:30 PM EST ?? Room 051, Exhibit Level ?? OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION: ?? For the last several years, far too many communities have experienced and endured unprecedented calls for book bans. But in recent months, the pendulum has started to swing in the other direction. When authors, educators, and community activists unite to preserve the right to access information and the truth, and to protect the rights of all children to read widely and diversely, we win. Tags: #NCTE #NCTE2024 #NCTE24 #NationalCouncilOfTeachersOfEnglish #AuthorPanel #BookConvention #ConventionPanel #EllenOh #DhonielleClayton #PhilBildner #SamiraAhmed #TraceyBaptiste #CorneliusMinor #AuthorDiscussion #AuthorChat #BookBans #FightingAgainstBookBans #UniteAgainstBookBans #WNDB #WeNeedDiverseBooks