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

While libraries might be stereotyped by some as boring or outdated, they’ve become popular digital destinations for young viewers on TikTok.

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.