Jen Miller doesnât run a typical school library.
Thereâs 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 isnât your typical librarian, because sheâs 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. Sheâll broadcast that process for her more than 450,000 followers once students leave the library and the school day is done.
Millerâs account, âMeet Me in the Media Center,â is a fixture on âLibraryTok,â 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.
âI just want students to love to read, and I want to be a place where they feel welcome when they walk in,â Miller, who works in North Carolina, told CNN. âI donât want them to be afraid of late fees. I donât want them to be afraid of damaged books. I just want them to come in and feel safe.â
With warmth and humor, Miller is sharing the lesser-known tasks of librarians with hundreds of thousands of followers nostalgic for their own libraries â 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While libraries might be stereotyped by some as boring or outdated, theyâve become popular digital destinations for young viewers on TikTok.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.
âLibrary 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,â ALA President Cindy Hohl told CNN in a statement. âThrough 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.â
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.
Thereâs an everyday magic to Millerâs content, which resonates with many viewers who find themselves nostalgic for their school days. Itâs 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 âPercy Jackson and the Olympiansâ or the âI SurvivedâŚâ history series.
Miller said commenters have repeatedly referred to her as a âcomfort creator,â a sentiment she deems as âthe highest compliment ever.â
After a book repair video of Millerâs 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.
âI 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,â Miller said.
'LibraryTok' can be a comfort during crisis
Heather Graceâs library is âthe heart of (her) school.â
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.
âItâs the place everyone wants to be during the day,â Grace, or âThe Contoured Librarianâ on TikTok, told CNN.
With over 400,000 followers, sheâs now a well-known librarian on the app, sharing how she mends well-loved books and is building her libraryâs Spanish section. Though her popularity was unexpected, itâs welcome, especially when she hears from commenters that sheâs changing their impression of school libraries. Many of her followers have said that they had negative experiences at libraries as children.
âI 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,â she said. âI like to think that seeing wholesome library content where kids feel loved and safe is something that resonates with people.â
The LibraryTok community has also provided Grace with a feeling of togetherness amidst âdishearteningâ challenges involving book bans in her home state of Texas (âa constant struggleâ) 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 ALAâs data saw only three challenged titles and three attempts to restrict access to certain books for the Lone Star stateâs 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 âa book or other material based solely on its viewpoint or the messages, ideas, or opinions it conveys.â
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 âLibrary Loveâ 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 âlibrary love.â As a librarian in a Title I school, many of her students canât afford to participate in the popular Scholastic Book Fair each year. But generous âbook fairiesâ 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 studentsâ trip to the book fair, often a highlight of the school year.
âItâs such a beautiful thing to witness and it all started because of TikTok,â Grace said.
Miller didnât have TikTok prior to starting her account and had only heard about the ânegative sidesâ of the app, she said. Upon her entry into the âLibraryTokâ space, she found the opposite could be true.
âThe best people are on Library TikTok,â Miller said.â It is a community like none other.â
The most beloved faces of LibraryTok are ultimately aiming to write a new story about what a âtypicalâ librarian can be, one video at a time.
âLibrarians are kind,â Miller said. âThey 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 youâre not only seeing yourself in books but youâre seeing others in books.â
Encouraging students to stop by the library is just the beginning of how school librarians can change a childâs outlook on reading. Books, Miller said, are âwindows and mirrors,â a concept introduced by famed childrenâs literature professor Rudine Sims Bishop. They nurture readersâ imagination and self-worth. And when it comes to convincing young people to fall in love with reading, it doesnât hurt to teach them to first fall in love with their school libraries â along with the people who take care of them.