As with most modules so far, several articles or videos of this Hyperlinked Communities week struck me.
Jensen’s BookTok article (2022) really resonated with me because it was the other side of the coin of the promotion assignment I did in Info 237 last semester (side note: Info237 is a really great class -especially for K12 librarians- and you get to create really fabulous assignments like curriculum textsets or look at ditching Dewey, canon & #Disrupttexts and much more). I did a digital book display for my last 237 assignment, but you could also do a social media campaign. I knew what that looked like but I had not seen many of them as I do not have a TikTok or Instagram account. Reading the BookTok article made me check TikTok and even without an account, I was able to watch all kinds of BookTok videos and read the comments. I can see why school librarian Christine Lively says teens who never came to the library are now coming: it is really a community built around a common interest.
@bumblebeezus It’s either I show you every book I’m interested in or we both disappear for an hour #reader #bookstore #fantasy #bookworm #booktok
The above video about “bookstore etiquette” was particularly fun to watch and reiterated the social aspect through the prism of etiquette, which does not only mean rules, but often unwritten rules amongst a community of people. The TikToker says it herself: “This is a group activity”. The comments of the video show the multitude of people who relate to her feelings when visiting a bookstore.
Public and school librarians are said to have a hard time putting together a physical “As seen on #BookTok” display as the books fly off the shelves, and I can see why with that kind of publicity! Students want to read what their friends read, what they heard about on the social media they hang out onto daily. It makes them feel included and participating in their community. Jensen’s article mentions school librarians creating reading guides online and also providing readalikes. I do feel like it would be fun for the students (and productive!) that the school librarian does a BookTok maybe once a month. It would be an opportunity to promote diverse books, which is really important. In addition, I believe that getting different students to regularly do one, and share the link on the school library website could undoubtedly help promote books and reading. Yes, at the end of the day, it is a book talk, but on a platform students go to daily. You go get them where they are … and bring them to a place they may not usually come to. Bringing new users in is an essential principle of Library 2.0 and the HyperLinked Library.
References
Bogan, K. (2021, January 27). Ditching Dewey #1: Dear Dewey, it’s not me, it’s you. Don’t Shush Me! Adventures of a High School Librarian. https://dontyoushushme.com/2020/12/04/ditching-dewey-1-dear-dewey-its-not-me-its-you/
DisruptTexts. (n.d.). What is #DisruptTexts? https://disrupttexts.org/lets-get-to-work/
Jensen, K. (2022, February 10). As seen on #BookTok: Inspiring young readers, TikTok is a boon for books. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/as-seen-on-booktok-inspiring-young-readers-tiktok-is-a-boon-for-books-libraries
Lizzy [@bumblebeezus]. (n.d.). Bookstore etiquette. [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@bumblebeezus/video/7613461389142691102
Thanks for this discussion about BookTok! Like you, I do not have these social media accounts. However, I do use it for collection development. Many book selling websites (Amazon, Book Outlet, Overdrive Marketplace) have best of BookTok lists, and I like to use these lists to make purchasing decisions for our fiction collection. Like you said, these are popular books that usually get high circulation! I saw a good webinar a few years ago from the Georgia Library Association on the topic of BookTok and Bookstagram in relation to librarian professional development. Here’s the link for that: https://vimeo.com/982108792?share=copy
Thanks for reading my post, @rachelll ! I sometimes feel a little bad saying I have almost no social media accounts because we are in a professional world that relies more and more on it. But I do feel like it’s also different to have it for your personal life and to have an account that you use for work. I definitely look forward creating some for work once I start my TL career, especially for my 2 areas of interest: collection development and promotion. Thank you for making me check out the BookTok lists on selling websites. And thank you for the webinar, I just bookmarked it. 🙂
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts about BookTok and how it has created a reading community for students. I especially liked your point about meeting students where they are instead of expecting them to come to the library first. If social media is where many students are already discovering books, it makes sense for libraries to use those platforms to promote reading and connect with new users. As well as, I think creating BookTok-style book talks would be a great way to get students interested in new, diverse books.
Something your post made me think about is the ongoing debate surrounding technology and young children. LAUSD is now getting rid of technology for students under second grade. There are certainly concerns about increasing screen time and social media use, especially for children and teens. At the same time, if platforms like BookTok are inspiring students to read, discuss books, and visit their school or public library, isn’t that a good thing? If technology is used intentionally, it can definitely help students engage in learning.
Thanks for reading my post @jfeltis ! Aahh, tech in schools is such a topic nowadays. I personally don’t think that “banning” it in schools will lead to less students using TikTok at home, so BookTok can still prevail! 🙂
That said, having been a teacher for over a decade, I do believe that there needs to be more structure around how it’s used. Likewise, I think that in K12, it needs to remain a tool. In elementary school, I do believe it needs to be very closely monitored for many reasons. In high school, the phone usage is one thing, but additionally, some of my students report spending the whole period on a Chromebook in some classes, multiple times per week… It makes me feel a little sad. I personally feel like most of what can be done on a laptop can be done at home. In my classroom, I emphasize talking to each other. This builds relationships between them and their classmates, and between them and me. I feel like we are happier this way, HappyLinked and we learn just as much if not much more!
@jenniferw First up, yay for ditching Dewey! I love the name of the article you cited.
I really enjoyed your thoughts on book talk and what might be possible in the school library. I really like the idea of the school librarian promoting interesting and diverse titles via this platform. I’ve been very impressed with some of the social media coming out of libraries in general these days. It’s like a renaissance in fun TikTok, Instagram reels, etc.
I enjoyed reading this reflection about #BookTok. I’m not a frequent TikTok user either so my ears hear that word as “book talk,” which you point out is what #BookTok content essentially is! Whether digital or physical, meeting people where they are and inviting them to the library is what a Hyperlinked Library is all about.
(Also INFO237 sounds great, thanks for the rec. I also want to plug INFO260A: Children’s Librarianship for having useful assignments like creating a story time, designing a middle-grade book talk, and more!)
Thank for stopping by my page @nancylee2026 ! That’s funny you’re saying that about the sound of Booktok because English is not my first language, so both (talk and tok) also sound pretty much the same to me anyway !
237 is great for MS and HS. I immediately gave the projects I made to my TL supervisor and to the English teachers at my school. Very practical.
@jenniferw Really enjoyed reading your post. I don’t have TikTok, but I do use IG and purposely made a separate account to keep up with anything related to books. I have found that it is easier to “keep up” with what is trending.
I love the idea of having a monthly Booktok/Bookstagram and have students be involved. This would be a great way to have them engage with each other and find others with similar interests.
Jennifer, I too was immediately drawn to the whole #BookTok idea. I have a TikTok and Instagram account and don’t regularly go and use or view anything on them, but you are right that the younger generation is using these platforms to get inspiration and ideas and if it can get them to come to the library to read, then social media is doing something right! I like the idea of creating displays based of social media inspiration. I know that I saw on Pinterest where libraries were doing ReadBox as a homage to Redbox video rentals or Netflix parodies to get patrons to read the books some of their favorite videos were based on. It’s ideas like this that inspire patrons to explore, not just online, but in person. It’s a way to connect and think outside the box. Having students come up with their own #BookTok and making sure to tag your library in it would be a great way to spread the word and the fascination and passion for reading.