Librarians Struggle With Mental Health After Traumatic Events at Work

On social media, Mychal Threets was spreading the gospel of “The Joy of Libraries” to hundreds of thousands of followers.

Mr. Sleets is known for his energetic speaking style and distinctive Afro. book themed tattoo He covered his arms as he preached about the joy of reading. cradling one of his cats. His enthusiasm for literature was contagious to his audience, and he was inspired to attract young readers.

But in his job as a supervisor at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in Solano County, California, he faced new challenges. The library he started going to as a child became a gathering place for people with problems such as homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness.

Some of his duties had little to do with cataloging books or recommending titles. Over the course of a year, Sleetz said he filed more than 170 incident reports documenting the behavior of library patrons, including property damage, harassment and physical altercations.

“There have been a few times where people have gotten in my face and threatened to physically push me,” Sleetz said. At one point, he added, patrons threatened to kill him multiple times and the visitors even exchanged knives with each other.

His anxiety and depression, both of which had been present since childhood, were getting worse. Then he faced an impossible dilemma. What do you do when occupational pressures are taking a toll on your mental health?