Archive for February, 2022

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022

Welcome Rebecca!

LibraryThing is pleased to welcome Rebecca (LibraryThing rebeccaamax, Litsy rebeccaamax) to the team, as a new Library Projects Developer.

Rebecca will be working on LibraryThing’s library products, including Syndetics Unbound, co-developed with ProQuest, and TinyCat. She will also be involved in parsing library data for LibraryThing.com and other company projects.

Say hello on her LibraryThing profile or on the Welcome Rebecca Talk topic.

About Rebecca
Rebecca grew up in New York before moving to Providence, RI to attend Brown University for a BA in Theatre and Performance Studies. Prior to joining LibraryThing, she worked as a digital projects developer for a college library and did other digital humanities and web development work, but has been tinkering around with code since a single-digit age, building things like Redwall fansites and poor attempts at Choose Your Own Adventure games. Now she writes better games (computer games and RPGs) and other little tools to outsource her problems to computers/code, as well as directing and producing theatre. She also likes travel, history, folk music, and sewing/crafting, and reads a lot of fantasy and sci-fi.

Favorite Authors: William Shakespeare, Patrick O’Brian, Tamsyn Muir, Italo Calvino

LibraryThing Member: rebeccaamax
Litsy Member: rebeccaamax

Labels: employees

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022

TinyCat’s February Library of the Month: The Starfish Foundation Library

To read more about TinyCat’s Library of the Month feature, visit the TinyCat Post archive here.

The Starfish Foundation Library—a wonderful multilingual library founded in February 2021 on the Greek island of Lesvos—is TinyCat’s Library of the Month. The Foundation’s volunteers, including Jessica Volmar, who fielded my questions this month, work diligently to help local and migrant communities in need.

Who are you, and what is your mission—your “raison d’être”?

The Starfish Foundation was started by locals on Lesvos in 2015, who witnessed one of the world’s greatest humanitarian disasters unfolding on their shorelines with thousands of refugees arriving. The target group of most of the activities are mainly refugees, but Starfish Foundation has widened the target groups and now also reaches many local people and organizations. One of our projects is the Library Project, which includes a multilingual library in the city Mytilene and a mobile library in the refugee camp Mavrovouni.

Tell us some interesting things about how your library supports the community.

Life in a refugee camp is very difficult and many people have been stuck here for years. With the Library Project we can provide the residents books for education and pleasure. Our diverse collection consists of around 6000 books in more than 15 languages – including Farsi, Arabic and French, the most common languages in the camp. The vast majority of the books are donations from all over the world. Our library in Mytilene is a great space where locals and refugees meet, which promotes inclusion and cohesion.

What are some of your favorite items in your collection?

I love the childrens books that have their text in English and Arabic or Farsi. Those are not only popular with children but also adults, as it is a fun and playful way to learn and improve a language.

What’s a particular challenge your library experiences?

Some books in certain languages are really hard to get. For example Somali – there are many refugees from Somalia who frequently ask for books in their language, but it’s hard to get them.

What is your favorite thing about TinyCat, and what’s something you’d love to see implemented/developed?

It’s very easy to find books, especially with the language tags, which is an important factor of the refugees living in the camp.

Want to learn more about the Starfish Foundation? Visit their website at https://www.asterias-starfish.org/, and explore their full TinyCat collection here.


To read up on TinyCat’s previous Libraries of the Month, visit the TinyCat Post archive here.

Want to be considered for TinyCat’s Library of the Month? Send us a Tweet @TinyCat_lib or email Kristi at kristi@librarything.com.

Labels: libraries, Library of the Month, TinyCat

Monday, February 14th, 2022

Come Join the 2022 Valentine Hunt!

It’s February 14th, and that means the return of our annual Valentine Hunt!

We’ve scattered a collection of Cupid’s arrows around the site, and it’s up to you to try and find them all.

  • Decipher the clues and visit the corresponding LibraryThing pages to find an arrow. Each clue points to a specific page right here on LibraryThing. Remember, they are not necessarily work pages!
  • If there’s an arrow on a page, you’ll see a banner at the top of the page.
  • You have just over two weeks to find all the arrows (until 5:00pm EST, Monday February 28th).
  • Come brag about your collection of arrows (and get hints) on Talk.

Win prizes:

  • Any member who finds at least two arrows will be
    awarded an arrow badge Badge ().
  • Members who find all 17 arrows will be entered into a drawing for one of five LibraryThing (or TinyCat) coaster sets and stickers. We’ll announce winners at the end of the hunt.

P.S. Thanks to conceptDawg for the cardinal illustration!

Labels: events

Monday, February 7th, 2022

February 2022 Early Reviewers Batch Is Live!

Win free books from the February 2022 batch of Early Reviewer titles! We’ve got 164 books this month, and a grand total of 3,893 copies to give out. Which books are you hoping to snag this month? Come tell us on Talk.

If you haven’t already, sign up for Early Reviewers. If you’ve already signed up, please check your mailing/email address and make sure they’re correct.

» Request books here!

The deadline to request a copy is Monday, February 28th at 6PM EST.

Eligibility: Publishers do things country-by-country. This month we have publishers who can send books to the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain and more. Make sure to check the message on each book to see if it can be sent to your country.

How Creativity Rules the WorldChevy in the Hole: A NovelSugar and Salt: A NovelAll That Fills UsThe Sweet LifeUncommon Measure: A Journey Through Music, Performance, and the Science of TimeAll Men Glad and Wise: A MysteryWith or Without Me: A Memoir of Losing and FindingRoar of the Sea: Treachery, Obsession, and Alaska's Most Valuable WildlifeJunk Science and the American Criminal Justice SystemThe PartitionThe Hospice Singer: A NovelWhen the Meadow BloomsFatal CodeRise: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the WorldMeasuring the World: Philosophy with a RulerThis Could Be YouThe Honeybee EmeraldsEnchanting Sarah GreenbergBefore the Time MachineHindsightFolly Took a Seat and Laughed in Our FacesThe Seren StoneOne Thousand Good AnswersMurder at Old St. Thomas'sSouth Sea FeverMade ManA Judge's Odyssey: From Vermont to Russia, Kazakhstan & Georgia, Then on to War Crimes & Organ Trafficking in KosovoBlack Lion: Alive in the WildernessLove and Genetics: A True Story of Adoption, Surrogacy, and the Meaning of FamilyLacie's Secrets: A NovelIn Light of Recent EventsI Am My Beloveds: A NovelThe Love and Longing of a Medical ManUntetheredThe NocturnalsChambers of the Heart: Stories of MovementIncarnationFor the MurderThe next stop is...Home or JailThunderstruckCaptive WildernessRevenantThe Tale of Was and DasFollowersOnly on Rainy DaysLife Skills 101: All You Need, But Won’t Learn in SchoolWhat SurvivesDaire's DevilsAndromonoSearching For The Sparkle: A School’s Journey Of RecoveryWhite NightsThe CordMagical Me: Life Hacks for Happy and Calm KidsDrowning DaysThe Ultimate Football Super-Fan Trivia Book: 700 Questions to Put Die-Hard Fans to the TestUnboxing RaymondVital Signals: Virtual Futures, Near-Future FictionsCollected PoemsPaper TalksFudge!: Easy Microwave Fudge RecipesMy Dad Is a Russian SpyDiscovering PuracordisMister NAll Lies Begin With TruthFinding You: Mental Wellness ExploredThe BerserkersShades Of JoyDo You Want to Try? Yoga for KidsOrganizational Behavior Essentials You Always Wanted to KnowCore Java Interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be AskedWinning Strategies for ACT Essay Writing: With 15 Sample PromptsGMAT Analytical Writing: Solutions to the Real Argument TopicsGRE Reading Comprehension: Detailed Solutions to 325 QuestionsGRE Analytical Writing: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics - Book 1GRE Analytical Writing: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics - Book 2GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions to the Real Essay TopicsGRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide with Practice QuestionsGRE Master Wordlist: 1535 Words for Verbal MasteryGRE Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence Practice QuestionsGRE Words in Context: The Complete ListProject Management Essentials You Always Wanted to KnowAn Impossible Wife: Why He Stayed: A True Story of Love, Marriage, and Mental IllnessWilma Mankiller: How One Woman United the Cherokee Nation and Helped Change the Social Fabric of AmericaDestinyI Bet a Dragon CouldFord 429/460 Engines: How to Build Max-PerformanceShirley Shahan: The Drag-On LadyGM 6L80 Transmissions: How to Rebuild and ModifySales Management Essentials You Always Wanted to KnowThe New NegroPaul Laurence Dunbar: Poet Laureate of the Negro RaceThe House from Hell: The True Story of Gertrude Baniszewsk One of America’s Most Notorious Torture MomMy Dad, My RockJust Like MagicGoodbye, Colors!And Never Walk AwayShort, Vigorous Roots: A Contemporary Flash Fiction Collection of Migrant VoicesCourt of VenomFrom Knowledge to Power: The Comprehensive Handbook for Climate Science and AdvocacyLove, Dance and Egg RollsWhere We Call Home: Essays from the Lands, Seas, and Skies of the Pacific NorthwestPolitikillMineStronger Than HopeRestrained DesiresThe Unforgiving MinuteNebulous EnemiesTrusted to Thrive: How Leaders Create Connected and Accountable TeamsTen Thousand I Love YousThe Adventure of the Purloined PortraitBeyond the Pale: A Fable about Escaping the Hustle and Finding YourselfSeason of HopeSecrets of a River Swimmer: A NovelA Closet Feminist3000 Writing & Plot Prompts A-C: Supercharge Your Creativity & Remove Writer’s Block Forever!A Prisoner to SpringThe Seraph EngineMetapolitical: Practicing Our Human FutureZanzibar's RingsShadows of Secrets and LiesYay for Big Brothers!A Game of TraitorsCaptives and PrisonersThe Ter'roc EvolutionSleep DeprivedThe ExilesWrath of Eve: Evil Has Met Its MatchThe Four RevenantsThe Best Sermons You've Never Heard: For All People: Volume 1JourneysThe Amber RevenantWords of LoveSweet As MurderSomething Shady at Sunshine HavenFalcon FireRocking Change: Changing the World through Changing OurselvesOmniscienceIn the Shadow of HeliosWaterman's ForeignerThe Seven Hungers: Rise of the Crimson KingA Flame of SongHelp Me Find My VoiceLife Before DeathYou Can't Prevent ProphecyThreadsAll My NeversHear God's Voice Clearly: 4 Easy Steps to Silence the Enemy So You Can Hear God's Voice All the TimeWhereabouts UnknownMontserratLydia Rose and The Annals of VeenaZombies, Bring It On and Other StoriesThe Clockwork SolutionThe Woke IliadTalking Spirit: Essays and InspirationsThose of Us About to DieThe Sweet By and ByMirror, Little Mirror, Who Are You?Moonguide Garden CottageNeuroanatomy Human Brain Coloring BookOdenGetting Started As A Small Scale Landlord: Taking Your First Steps to Becoming a Landlord by Investing in Single-Family Homes, Duplexes, Triplex, and FourplexesThe BowtowTitle: Storybook

Thanks to all the publishers participating this month!

AGM Publications Akashic Books Alaska Northwest Books
And Other Stories Arbordale Publishing Beaufort Books
Bellevue Literary Press BHC Press Black Rose Writing
Cardinal Rule Press CarTech Books City Owl Press
Crystal Lake Publishing Entrada Publishing eSpec Books
Eternal Tree Books LLC Fontreal The Gap Press
Grousable Books HarperCollins Leadership Hawkwood Books
Henry Holt and Company Hot Tree Publishing Icon Books
Ivigreen Jumble Books and Publishers Katherine & Rebecca Lewis
Linguacious Little Red Tree Publishing NewCon Press
Ooligan Press Plant Based Press Plough Publishing House
Poise and Pen Publishing PublishNation Real Nice Books
Revell Rootstock Publishing Saqi Books
Sea Vision Publishing, LLC The Story Plant Sunday Mornings at the River
True Crime Seven Turner Publishing Unsolicited Press
Vestige Vibrant Publishers West Margin Press
William Morrow

Labels: early reviewers, LTER