“Everyone is a reader”: Caledon students share their love of books on TikTok

Three teens are earning volunteer hours as ambassadors for the Caledon Public Library

By Zachary Roman

Depending on what generation you're from, hearing “TikTok” could make you think of the sound a clock makes, a multi-platinum single by recording artist Kesha, or a social media app.

Three Caledon teens are using the latter to promote their passion for reading to their peers, while earning volunteer hours with the Caledon Public Library (CPL) in the process.

Maya DeJesus, Claire Vanniejenhuis and Mayan Correia are the CPL's official ambassadors on TikTok. They produce TikTok videos on a variety of topics such as new book arrivals, book and movie recommendations, and library news. On April 12, DeJesus and Vanniejenhuis were free to share their experiences with the Citizen.

All three social media-savvy ambassadors are students at Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School in Caledon East, which happens to have a CPL branch in it. The librarian there told DeJesus the library needed help with its @teensofcpl TikTok account.

“I was like instantly, ‘I want to do that' because I love the library and I love everyone here,” said DeJesus. Vanniejenhuis was with DeJesus at the time and decided to join as well.

“We both love books and we just wanted to share that passion with other people,” said Vanniejenhuis, who found her love for reading when the world first locked down due to COVID-19. She read an entire book series as something to do and was instantly hooked.

DeJesus said she's always read, but wasn't a “reader reader” until she joined a book club at school. It was then she started reading more voraciously, and after going through her first series of books she was hooked as well.

The pair agreed that a good way for one to start their reading journey is with a book series, as when one finishes one book they want to start the next right away.

“I think that everyone is a reader, you just gotta find the right book,” said DeJesus. Books can help with your vocabulary, school work, escaping reality for a bit, and more, she added.

Vanniejenhuis said she was also going to point out how books can be a great escape from reality. 

“People today, we're all so focused on technology. So, I think it's important to go to a different side of entertainment and read,” she said. “I love it so much and I just want other people to feel the same love I have for books.”

For DeJesus and Vanniejenhuis, inspiration for their TikToks comes from many places. DeJesus said when new books come into the library, she tries to think of the most interesting and visual ways of presenting them to potential readers. Vanniejenhuis finds inspiration on TikTok itself, as well as from her friends who are also avid readers. They'll send her suggestions and ideas for book-related TikToks.

Speaking of book-related TikToks, the hashtag “booktok” (#booktok) is a great source of inspiration, said DeJesus and Vanniejenhuis. A TikTok user can search that hashtag in the app, and see TikToks about books from creators all over the world.

DeJesus was not nervous at all to put herself out there online as an ambassador for CPL.

“I'm a very outgoing person… if I like it, I'm gonna do it,” she said. The only thing she was a little nervous about was using the app itself, as she'd never filmed TikToks before. Now, it's second nature to her.

Vanniejenhuis was nervous to start making TikToks for the library but excited too. She already filmed non-book-related TikToks and jumped at the chance to express herself in a different way.

The CPL's TikTok ambassadors get one hour of community service per TikTok they make. They said it's a great and fun way to work towards the 40 hours of community service students need to graduate from high school.

DeJesus and Vanniejenhuis have both received positive feedback from friends about their creativity on TikTok. Some friends will even send them screenshots of videos they liked, or suggest a part two of a TikTok be made.

“By doing this, it's kind of to make it more fun and enjoyable, opening (the library) up to more people,” said DeJesus.

Natalie Spaan, CPL's youth services coordinator, says she's impressed with the ambassadors' work and the way they've been able to put themselves out there.

“We're just really excited that we can have teens representing Caledon… representing their experience, and promoting the library in ways that we might not have thought of,” said Spaan. “Seeing the library through their eyes has been a really neat experience.”

Spaan said she's seen concrete evidence of the ambassadors' TikToks increasing teen participation with the CPL. One example she mentioned was a TikTok made about a survey, which then saw a rise in responses.