Mychal Threets (born February 13, 1990),[1] known on social media as Mychal the Librarian, is an American librarian, media personality, as well as an advocate for literacy and mental health. Based in Fairfield, California, Threets is known for his upbeat viral videos featuring book recommendations, observations and anecdotes from the library, and affirming messages.
Threets produces literacy-related social media content for PBS and PBS Kids as their resident librarian. In September 2025, the network named Threets as the new host of Reading Rainbow.
Life and career
Threets was born and raised in Fairfield, California.[2] His father is African American, while his mother is Mexican.[3] He was very shy, and experienced anxiety and depression.[4] He was homeschooled during elementary school and spent a lot of time at the local library, considering it his "home away from home".[5]
The library where he worked as a children's librarian, Fairfield Civic Center Library, a branch of the Solano County Library in Solano County, California, is the same library he grew up patronizing.[4][7] In 2013, Threets began working there at age 23, shelving books, and worked his way to becoming supervising librarian of his branch in January 2023.[6][3]
In February 2024, Threets announced he would be partnering with PBS as their resident librarian to produce a social media series focusing on literacy.[8] Shortly thereafter, he resigned from the Fairfield Library to focus on his mental health.[9][8]
On May 10th 2025, Threets headlined an event organized by California’s Live Beyond campaign in Lincoln Public Library in Lincoln, California, focused on changing the conversation around mental health. At the event, Threets commented “Now we’re saying it’s OK to not be OK. You are not alone.”[10]
On June 26th, 2025, Threets announced that he had written his first book, a children's book titled I'm So Happy You're Here: A Celebration of Library Joy. It is illustrated by Lorraine Nam and will be published by Penguin Books. Threets stated, “I love that the library kids are all on the cover and that she used so many vibrant colors. It shows how welcoming the library and the book are meant to be.”[11] It will be released February 3rd, 2026.
On September 29, 2025, PBS announced Threets would host a digital revival of Reading Rainbow, which debuted on October 4.[12]
Online presence
Threets has stated that he wants viewers to see the library as a positive and inviting place.[2] His videos share book recommendations, interactions with library patrons, information about services available at the library, and mental health-related messages.[1][2][5] He is known for the catchphrases "you belong" and "unhinged library joy".[2] Threets is also known for his afro and literary tattoos, which include cartoon character Arthur Read's library card[1] and a Where the Wild Things Are tattoo on his arm.[6] His viewers have compared him to Mister Rogers and previous Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton.[1]
He first began posting his stories to Facebook, but began posting videos to TikTok and Instagram in 2020 after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] In March 2023, his first viral TikTok video shared his experience of talking to a child whose grandparent was worried about library fines.[2]
In July 2023, Threets had 40,000 followers on TikTok.[6] By December 2023, Threets had 450,000 followers on Instagram[2] and 600,000 on TikTok.[13]
He co-hosts a podcast with Blair Imani Ali, “Thoughts about Feelings”, on which they discuss mental well-being to help people of all ages.[14]
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