'LibraryTok' can be a comfort during challenging times for librarians — and their fans

Library books are shown on shelves in this file image. (Element5 Digital / Pexels)

Jen Miller doesn’t run a typical school library.

There’s no scolding kids for turning in books late or shushing noisy students. She carries books of every genre, for every reader at her middle school; beyond paperbacks, there are graphic novels and audiobooks. Her library is full of chess boards, art projects, puzzles and kids who eat their lunch quickly so they can spend the rest of the period in the library.

And Miller isn’t your typical librarian, because she’s also a TikTok star.

There are stacks of dozens of books piled on top of her shelves, waiting to be processed and shelved or to have their spines and covers repaired. She’ll broadcast that process for her more than 450,000 followers once students leave the library and the school day is done.

Miller’s account, “Meet Me in the Media Center,” is a fixture on “LibraryTok,” a community of creators who also happen to be librarians. As book bans and budget cuts threaten the familiar spots many hold dear, Miller and other members of LibraryTok are infusing joy back into the library experience.

“I just want students to love to read, and I want to be a place where they feel welcome when they walk in,” Miller, who works in North Carolina, told CNN. “I don’t want them to be afraid of late fees. I don’t want them to be afraid of damaged books. I just want them to come in and feel safe.”

With warmth and humor, Miller is sharing the lesser-known tasks of librarians with hundreds of thousands of followers nostalgic for their own libraries — and inspiring many of them to get a library card, pursue library science or donate to schools to build out their collections for a new generation of readers.

How a librarian goes viral

While libraries might be stereotyped by some as boring or outdated, they’ve become popular digital destinations for young viewers on TikTok. Miller told CNN that 84 per cent of her viewers are 18 to 34 years old.

Librarians are leveraging TikTok to engage with young people and get them excited about the library again. More than half of all US adults ages 18 to 34 are on TikTok, according to Pew Research Center. Seeing librarians like Miller on TikTok may drive that demographic to visit libraries offline: A 2023 report from the American Library Association (ALA) found that 54 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials had visited a physical library within a 12-month period.

“Library professionals are quick adapters to emerging technology and the way they have been able to harness a power platform such as TikTok is a testament to that,” ALA President Cindy Hohl told CNN in a statement. “Through LibraryTok, audiences have been able to see the different resources a library offers and they are reminded about the central role a library plays in the community.”

Since joining TikTok in 2023, when she transitioned from teacher to librarian, Miller has attracted a passionate fanbase of viewers who enjoy watching her simply do her job. She cheerily performs book repairs, sifts through the book return pile to see which books are late, unboxes donated supplies from her followers and even shares sprinkles of her personal life, like dropping one of her daughters off at college.

There’s an everyday magic to Miller’s content, which resonates with many viewers who find themselves nostalgic for their school days. It’s there in the familiar sound her scanner makes when a book is returned on time, or in the joy viewers get when they spot books on her shelves that they loved reading in middle school, like “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” or the “I Survived…” history series.

Miller said commenters have repeatedly referred to her as a “comfort creator,” a sentiment she deems as “the highest compliment ever.”

After a book repair video of Miller’s went viral in January, she started seeing more comments and messages rolling in. Many of them said they also wanted to be a librarian or that she had influenced them to get a public library card as an adult.

“I think that bit of nostalgia wrapped into the sentiment of the library and hopefully a kind face all come together to make an inviting space to land on Library TikTok,” Miller said.

'LibraryTok' can be a comfort during crisis

Heather Grace’s library is “the heart of (her) school.”

Her elementary school students participate in a colorful range of activities like reading but also stretching, singing and playing with puzzles, among other creative exercises.

“It’s the place everyone wants to be during the day,” Grace, or “The Contoured Librarian” on TikTok, told CNN.

With over 400,000 followers, she’s now a well-known librarian on the app, sharing how she mends well-loved books and is building her library’s Spanish section. Though her popularity was unexpected, it’s welcome, especially when she hears from commenters that she’s changing their impression of school libraries. Many of her followers have said that they had negative experiences at libraries as children.

“I found a place where I feel like I am successful and enjoy doing it daily, and I think the idea that you can find a career that feels like home resonates with many,” she said. “I like to think that seeing wholesome library content where kids feel loved and safe is something that resonates with people.”

The LibraryTok community has also provided Grace with a feeling of togetherness amidst “disheartening” challenges involving book bans in her home state of Texas (“a constant struggle”) and working with a limited budget, she said.

Book bans are accelerating rapidly, with states like Texas and Florida bearing the brunt of the issue. Across the US in 2023, 4,240 unique titles were challenged and targeted for removal in both public and school libraries, according to data reported by the American Library Association. In 2022, the number of challenged books was 2,571.

There were more than 1,500 book bans in Texas between July 2021 and December 2023, according to a report from PEN America, a nonprofit that aims to protect free speech for writers. By comparison, the ALA’s data saw only three challenged titles and three attempts to restrict access to certain books for the Lone Star state’s public and school libraries in 2020.

The books being challenged seem to disproportionately feature subject matter highlighting marginalized communities. PEN America reported a national number of nearly 10,000 banned books between July 2021 to December 2023 with 37 per cent having themes of race, racism or characters of colour and 36 per cent having LGBTQ2S+ characters or themes.

However, opponents of book bans are taking action, introducing their own bans to limit censorship. Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed state legislation this past May prohibiting the banning or removal of “a book or other material based solely on its viewpoint or the messages, ideas, or opinions it conveys.”

In the event a book is challenged, this law states a trained librarian is required to be included in the process.

Building novel connections on 'LibraryTok'

Some viewers have been inspired to support their favorite LibraryTok personalities offline. Miller started the “Library Love” series to highlight different librarians around the country seeking donations for items like stickers, picture books, desks and cleaning supplies. Her followers bought out the entire wishlists of seven libraries, she said.

Grace said her followers have also joined in on the “library love.” As a librarian in a Title I school, many of her students can’t afford to participate in the popular Scholastic Book Fair each year. But generous “book fairies” on TikTok have donated to Grace so that her students are able to shop their book fair freely. Their generosity has caught on, and other librarians and teachers have completed similar campaigns to fund their students’ trip to the book fair, often a highlight of the school year.

“It’s such a beautiful thing to witness and it all started because of TikTok,” Grace said.

Miller didn’t have TikTok prior to starting her account and had only heard about the “negative sides” of the app, she said. Upon her entry into the “LibraryTok” space, she found the opposite could be true.

“The best people are on Library TikTok,” Miller said.” It is a community like none other.”

The most beloved faces of LibraryTok are ultimately aiming to write a new story about what a “typical” librarian can be, one video at a time.

“Librarians are kind,” Miller said. “They want you to feel seen. They want to provide books that show representation. They want you to see yourself in books, and they also want to curate a collection where you’re not only seeing yourself in books but you’re seeing others in books.”

Encouraging students to stop by the library is just the beginning of how school librarians can change a child’s outlook on reading. Books, Miller said, are “windows and mirrors,” a concept introduced by famed children’s literature professor Rudine Sims Bishop. They nurture readers’ imagination and self-worth. And when it comes to convincing young people to fall in love with reading, it doesn’t hurt to teach them to first fall in love with their school libraries — along with the people who take care of them.