Lauren Comito, the executive director of Urban Librarians Unite, has studied the trauma endured by library staff. In September, her organization began offering virtual peer-led support groups for U.S. library workers.Credit…Laila Stevens for The New York Times

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.

Read the complete article by By Christina Caron dated Oct. 31, 2024 at https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/31/well/mind/librarian-trauma-homeless-drugs-mental-illness.html?unlocked_article_code=1.b04.9B5F.1j84f1R5KJAE&smid=em-share .