Comparing the Book Talk to BookTok via Booklist

In the July 2025 issue of Booklist, Kaitlyn Griffith-Miller, a YA Librarian in WA, wrote a "Trade Secrets" article comparing RA in the Library to RA on BookTok which you can access here.

This article is one of the better explanations of why we in the library need to care about BookTok. By framing it all from the library perspective this is an article that you can use to help yourself and/or pass on to others.

For example, here are a few key points from the piece: 

• RA follows a conversational structure built on questions. BookTok skips the interview and instead shows you what it felt like to read a book.
• RA offers consistency, context, and curation. BookTok brings energy, visibility, and virality.
• Because in the end, whether it is a librarian suggesting a read-alike or a TikToker screaming into their phone camera, the goal is the same, getting the right book into the right hands at exactly the right time. 

Please click through and read the article. Whether you are a BookTok super user or have never logged on (and all experiences in between) this short article has something for you.