Mychal Threets, known as Mychal the Librarian, has captivated social media with his passion for books and libraries, aiming to reignite a love for reading in everyone. In a serendipitous twist, Threets has joined forces with one of his beloved PBS characters, fostering excitement for learning once again.
Now 34, reading and the library has been a special part of Threets’ life for over 30 years. “I just always loved to be that kid who thought they were gonna read every single book, all the summer reading challenges, story times, making friends at the library, seeing the self-checkouts installed and using those for the first time, but being too small and having to stand on a step stool,” he told Blavity.
“Every little aspect of the library — as a kid, getting my first library card at the age of 5 and starting a lifelong love of learning from there,” he said. “I just started sharing my stories on the internet because they were so fun to me. They made my day and made me want to keep on going each day, serving the library and being passionate as a librarian. I found them funny and wholesome and thought maybe someone else would want to hear how unhinged library people are as well.”
Today, Threets has gained over 785,000 TikTok followers, with his educational videos on learning and the library’s significance receiving over 16 million likes. His latest library-themed narrative stars the cherished PBS character Arthur, as Threets was selected to participate in a short film called “Arthur Meets Mychal the Librarian,” which debuted during the American National Library Association’s National Library Week at the beginning of April.
For Threets, this moment surpasses anything his younger self could have imagined. “Baby Mychal would never think this would have happened,” he said.
“People have been asking me if I ever thought it would happen, like, by me working in the library, and the answer is not at all. That’s not why I joined the library. It wasn’t like, ‘This is how I’m gonna get to meet my good friend Arthur.’ I just wanted to be amongst the people, amongst my community, helping them to find books, helping them to remember that they belong in their local library.”
Arthur’s timeless appeal across generations is highlighted by Carol Greenwald, senior executive producer at GBH Kids, and her team, emphasizing that his messages remain as vital today as they were when the series debuted on PBS in 1996, if not more crucial than ever.
“We want to be where kids are. We know that our episodes are still on PBS and we know that kids are still watching them,” Greenwald explained. “But, we also know that there are a ton of kids who are consuming media on YouTube and looking at digital platforms, so we need to be there to give the same message we have for kids — about empowerment, about reading, about mental health. We have to be there if we’re going to reach those kids. I think we’re trying to be where the kids are, but also being consistent about what the messaging is and how Arthur and all of the things that Mychal is referring to can help you to become your best self because that’s what we want for all kids.”
Follow Mychal’s inspiring journey of promoting literacy and libraries on Instagram and TikTok.
