Berit Glanz on how libraries are making waves on social media  Laughs at the Library

Social media thrives on exaggeration and big emotions – hardly the terrain of libraries and other public institutions. But Berit Glanz has spotted a new trend: humorous book videos presented by fun-loving library staff. A format that’s proving hugely popular.
 

“You’re the kind of woman they write books about,” reads the headline on one video clip showing artistically decorated petit fours. The scene cuts to an attractive woman biting into a burger, and then to the cover of Eric Carle’s best-selling picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

This trend is currently all over TikTok and Instagram. Its humour plays on the assumption that people books are written about must be especially interesting, clever, witty or attractive – in other words, stand-out heroic figures. But the videos often end with book selections that subvert these expectations: picture books like I Hate Everyone by Naomi Danis or The Ugliest Monster in the World by Luis Amavisca and Erica Salcedo, classics such as The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky or Molière’s The Miser, and nonfiction titles like The Madwoman in the Attic by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar.

Bookshelves, Presented with a Humorous Twist

What’s also striking is that the trend works especially well when the protagonists in the videos stroll through library aisles, take books from the shelves and hold them up to the camera. Libraries across the English-speaking world are joining in on the fun, encouraging staff to showcase titles that jokingly reflect their own personalities. In the process, these videos demonstrate just how many literary gems public libraries have to offer.

Mangas at 90? You Bet!

It’s not always easy for public institutions to stand out online. Libraries, schools, fire departments and national parks primarily want to reach audiences, draw attention to their work and provide informative content – without offending anyone through crude humour or controversial topics. Social media, on the other hand, tends to reward content that pushes boundaries, embraces absurdity or sparks strong emotions – not qualities you would typically associate with libraries and their staff, who are generally ordinary, approachable people.

Yet even small-town libraries are achieving remarkable reach with their videos – like the Milwaukee Public Library’s 2022 clip of an elderly woman selecting a manga comic, which racked up over 800,000 views. In the clip, she challenges the notion you should stop reading mangas at 78, declaring she’s 90 while flashing her (pixelated) middle finger at the camera.

Everyday Library Fun

In recent months, other libraries across the US have been   to promote their institutions and library memberships, with some reels attracting millions of views. The common thread: they don’t take themselves too seriously. On the contrary, they show ordinary people in ordinary jobs clearly having fun making these entertaining clips. It’s this genuine cheerfulness and dedication to their job that seems to resonate so strongly with online audiences. The fact that these videos come from libraries – often cash-strapped institutions caught up in debates over book bans, yet still providing vital public services – only adds to their charm.

January 2026