TikTok is partnering with the National Literacy Trust (NLT) to place bookshelves in 11 UK areas identified as lacking in literary provision.
20 “BookTok Bookshelves” will be placed in Birmingham, Blackpool, Bradford, Doncaster, Manchester, Middlesborough, Newcastle, Nottingham, Peterborough, Stoke and Swindon.
While TikTok will be funding the initiative by paying for the books and shelves, NLT youth volunteers will be choosing selections of titles for the shelves. The bookshelves will be located in places with a high footfall of over-13s, such as youth clubs and community centres.
TikTok is “proud” to be working with the NLT to “harness the appeal of TikTok and its ability to connect and inspire young people, to motivate reading for pleasure, striving to boost literacy levels by increasing access to books across the UK,” said Ali Law, TikTok’s director of public policy and government affairs, UK and Ireland.
The social media company drew attention to recent NLT research, which found that one in 12 children aged five to 18 do not own a book of their own, and that fewer than three in ten children aged eight to 18 read daily.
In recent years, BookTok – the corner of TikTok in which users share book recommendations – has been credited for driving book sales in particular genres, such as romantasy, and increasing interest in reading among young people.
“As a charity, we strive to boost literacy levels across the UK, particularly in our most disadvantaged communities, by increasing access to books and reaching people where they are – and in a way that feels meaningful to them,” said Jason Vit, head of local areas for the NLT. “We know the appeal of brands like TikTok for the young people we want to support.”
“Through this partnership we can tap into their interests and create opportunities to inspire and encourage reading among their peers; the benefits of which our research shows extend to all areas of their lives.”
NLT said that each bookshelf will be different, covering a “range of different themes and interests” specific to the groups of young people curating the bookshelves in the 20 locations. The first bookshelf in Nottingham “will have titles from homegrown and international author talent”, including Malorie Blackman, Holly Jackson, Hafsah Faizal, Neil Gaiman and Alice Oseman.
The NLT will recruit and train 50 youth volunteers from the 20 communities for the project. Along with choosing the titles, volunteers will also promote the bookshelves to their peers.
The collaboration, which was initiated by TikTok, will see each community receiving around 100 books. “The idea is for young people, who may otherwise struggle to access books of their own for financial or other reasons, to borrow a book which appeals to them, share it with a friend who might enjoy it, too, and return it to the bookshelf for another young person to enjoy,” said Vit.
“We hope the BookTok Bookshelves will increase young people’s appetite for reading and therefore the demand for books, forming part of a reading ecosystem that includes schools, libraries and bookshops.”
