“That probably gives me a better background sometimes than my library science degree.”

Misty Jones, director of San Diego’s public library system, who before becoming a librarian worked as both a probation officer and a mental health technician in a psychiatric ward. Like many libraries across the country, San Diego's Central Library has been plagued by overdoses, vandalism, fights and thefts as libraries have become gathering places for people experiencing issues like homelessness, drug dependence and mental illness. (New York Times — Oct. 31, 2024)