傅安妮并非管理常规的学校图书馆，这里没有因迟交图书而对孩子施以责备或抑制嘈杂学生的声音。她的图书馆是多元化的知识殿堂，为中学的每一位读者准备各类题材的书籍，不仅限于传统的平装书，还涵盖漫画、有声读物等不同形式。在这个充满国际象棋棋盘、艺术作品与益智游戏的空间里，学生们会快速吃完午餐，以便在接下来的时间内沉浸在图书馆的乐趣中。
同时，傅安妮也是一位TikTok平台上的网络明星，并非传统意义上的图书管理员角色。她处理着数以百计待处理和修缮的书籍堆叠于书架上，在下班后为追随者们直播这个过程。这些内容不仅限于图书处理等较为冷门的角色职责，而是融入了对经典图书馆回忆的反思以及激发人们获取图书卡、投身图书馆科学或捐赠学校图书的热情。
TikTok平台上的“LibraryTok”社区汇集了类似的创作者和图书管理员群体，他们以年轻观众为主的用户群为背景，在数字空间中重新点燃公众对图书馆的热爱。超过54%的Z世代与千禧年后的一代成年人活跃于这一平台（根据皮尤研究中心的数据），观看并参与关于图书馆资源、其在社区中核心作用及其丰富多彩活动的内容分享。
自2023年以图书管理员身份加入TikTok后，傅安妮不仅吸引了一群热情洋溢的观众群体，这些人都从她简单而充满乐趣的角色表演中得到共鸣。她分享了修复书籍的过程、检查逾期图书堆叠并清点捐赠物资等日常活动，并且偶尔透露个人生活片段，比如送女儿上学。
在她的内容中，日常的魔法与怀旧情感相结合，触动了许多因回到校园回忆而怀念图书馆时光的人们。比如，在图书按时归还时的扫描声响起或是在她书架上找到中学时喜爱阅读的《波西·杰克逊与奥林匹斯神庙》等书籍时的欢愉。评论区中常常会有观众自称她的“舒适创造者”，这一称呼是她获得的最高赞誉。
傅安妮曾因修复图书的一段视频在社交媒体上迅速走红后，收到了大量的反馈，其中许多人都表示自己渴望成为图书管理员，或是受到她的影响而决定获取公共图书馆卡。人们相信，在这里找到了一处能让他们感到成功与日常满足的空间，这正是“LibraryTok”社区给予他们的支持和鼓励。
在这个面对“书籍禁令”及预算削减挑战的动荡时期，“LibraryTok”成为了公众寻求安慰之处。“图书中心的心脏”的名字在小学教师赫瑟·格雷丝口中显得尤为重要。她在图书馆内创造了一个多元化的活动空间，如阅读、伸展、唱歌与拼图等，并且与学生进行互动。她通过TikTok分享修复深受欢迎书籍的过程，并致力于建设西班牙语书籍收藏。
尽管她的名气来得突然，但对此她表示欢迎，尤其是当她从评论区得知自己的影响时：很多人曾对学校图书馆持有负面印象。她的粉丝中有许多人提到在成长过程中图书馆留给他们的是不愉快的记忆。她认为自己找到了一个既能提供成功感、日常满足并激发内在热情的工作领域，这让许多人感到认同与慰藉。
“LibraryTok”社区为格雷丝在充满挑战的环境中提供了支持。“图书禁令”的加速实施以及面临预算限制是她在德克萨斯州（她的家乡）面临的常见问题。根据非营利组织PEN America报告的数据，在2023年全美共有4,240本图书遭到要求移除，其中包括公共与学校的图书馆。
在与该问题抗争的过程中，“LibraryTok”社区为格雷丝提供了团结与慰藉，尤其是在“书籍被禁止或撤除基于其观点或传达的信息、信息和意见”的困境中。这一问题不仅针对德州及其他州份的公立学校图书馆造成了挑战。在过去的几年里，美国公共及学校的图书禁令事件数目显著上升。
然而，反对书籍禁令的行动正在兴起，一些州立立法正致力于限制此类情况的发生。例如，在明尼苏达州（民主党的副总统候选人、该州州长蒂姆·沃尔兹签署的一份禁止基于其观点或传达信息而对一本书或其他材料进行禁用或移除的法律）中，对于书籍争议，必须由具备专业资格的图书馆员参与决策过程。
“LibraryTok”创造了一种新型的连接。一些观众因此受到启发，在线下支持他们最喜欢的图书管理员人物，傅安妮就发起了一系列名为“图书馆之爱”的活动，旨在为全美各地不同图书馆捐赠所需物品如贴纸、儿童书籍、办公桌及清洁用品等。她的追随者成功购买了七家图书馆整个愿望清单上的商品。
格雷丝的粉丝们也积极参与了类似“图书之爱”的活动，帮助其所在学校参加流行的Scholastic书展的学生能够自由购物，弥补学生因预算限制而无法参与的一年一度盛事。这种慷慨行为很快在其他图书管理员和教师中引发了连锁反应，他们发起了一系列捐赠运动以资助学生的书展之旅——这一年的亮点。
这一切奇迹都始于TikTok。“图书之爱”活动的兴起让格雷丝得以见证并亲身感受到。尽管最初对TikTok持有质疑态度，认为存在负面因素，但傅安妮在进入“LibraryTok”领域后却发现了一片积极、温暖的空间。在这里，“最好的人们聚集在一起”，她这样说道。
所有最令人喜爱的“LibraryTok”面孔正在通过一条条视频书写一个新的故事——关于图书管理员形象的可能性，并在各自的职业生涯中努力描绘这一新的面貌。这些人物以亲和力著称，他们希望被看到、提供代表性的书籍并让读者在其书中找到自我。傅安妮说：“书籍是窗户与镜子”的理念在此得以体现，这是著名儿童文学教授Rudine Sims Bishop提出的概念。
这些作品滋养了读者的想象力，并提升了他们的自尊感。对于说服年轻人爱上阅读而言，在帮助他们首先爱上自己的学校图书馆的同时，也让他们开始对图书馆管理员抱有爱意，这无疑是一大助力。
新闻来源：www.cnn.com
原文地址：‘LibraryTok’ is building school-age nostalgia on the internet. Fans can’t get enough
新闻日期：2024-09-29
原文摘要：
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% 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% 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% having themes of race, racism or characters of color and 36% having LGBTQ 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.
