Note: includes reference to self harm. Michael is a School of Information alum.
Mental health matters 💚 pic.twitter.com/M1OUldv4Dz
— Mychal (@mychal3ts) September 9, 2023
19 thoughts on “Please Watch”
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Thank you for posting this 🥹🥲. This is a prime example of what motivates me to become a librarian and speaks to the power of the library reaching beyond the traditional paradigm. I also love how Mychal phrases things ❤️.
@lauraw I do too! He was just on GMA:
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/video/meet-librarian-viral-spreading-library-joy-106702386
Wow! Love the idea of “Library Joy.” It is very real!
I so much appreciate him. I follow him on Insta and he delivers such honest and heart warming stories. Definitely an inspiration to me. Following him, I’ve learned that he is such a huge advocate for everyone and always sees the flip side to things and is very encouraging and compassionate.
@christine, I had no idea about him (don’t do the IG) but what a “library influencer”! Compassion and empathy are two core competencies we should all strive toward in this field and beyond : ). Did you watch the GMA clip? Really cool.
Hi Laura, I did! So great! I appreciate that they brought up how hard it is for librarians these days and he was able to speak his truth about how the library is for everyone. Also loved that he said kids use screens and want to make their own videos and are book lovers at the same time. He has the skills to connect with kids and help them find joy in the library.
@michael Thank you so much for posting this. It is so inspiring to see how kindness and compassion can make a huge difference in somebody’s life. Often we are so overwhelmed by the enormity of challenges that we face in our society that we don’t even know where to begin. This is a great reminder that small acts of kindness can have a great impact. It also reminds me of an article I recently read on student success that said a sense of connection and being cared for, even if it is only from one key person in the institution, can dramatically increase student retention rates.
@royaflin, yes! A simple “hello” can make someone’s day–may even be the only time they hear it that day. Today, someone offered to open the door for me when I was juggling a crate of books and I was so grateful, it made my day.
Hi @royaflin! If you can find that article, please do share it! I would love to give that a read.
Hi @gilbertmaryjoy! Here is the info on the article! Enjoy!
Morin, L. (2021). The first-year library instruction one-shot: A place for caring. Communications in Information Literacy, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2021.15.1.5
Hello everyone, I am so happy to watch this video, what a wonderful gift of life, especially to children, who want to read. Thank you for the Library of joy!
Hi, @michael, thank you for sharing this. I love the phrase “obnoxiously kind” — something we should all strive to be, I think! I’ve had students tell me that they feel safe around me when they’re in my library, and each time I’ve heard feedback like that my heart swells and breaks at the same time; swells because it’s so affirming to feel trusted and that all the work I put into this space is paying off, but breaks because it hurts to think that they’ve ever been made to feel unsafe anywhere else. We have a system at my school where we award students “Beacon Blue Slips” for acts of unprompted kindness and generosity, which I think has led to many obnoxiously kind adults-in-the-making on campus!
@mychal3ts does a great job promoting his library and libraries in general through stories. He is a great library advocate.
Mychal is my favorite! He is going to be a guest on Ms. Rachel’s YouTube show later this month and my younger kids can’t wait to see the episode.
@michael thank you for sharing this post. I wasn’t aware of Mychal’s IG and am now following. The simple act of a hello or even a smile can make such an impact. Love it!
@michael that was beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Hey all – thanks for all the neat comments on this post!
Thank you so much for sharing @michael! Sometimes life can be overwhelming and a simple gesture of kindness that may not appear to be much can mean the world to others. I feel that its something that we can forget at times, but seeing and being reminded of the impact of those who work at the library and wanting to continue that legacy is exactly why I want to be a part of this profession 🙂
@donna128 Yay! That is the best!