Archive for June, 2023

Wednesday, June 21st, 2023

TinyCat’s June Library of the Month: The Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library

TinyCat’s Library of the Month is the Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The library’s namesake, Nancy, is past National President of PFLAG and current President of PFLAG Tulsa. I had the pleasure of learning more about the library from Library Director Michelle Simmons, who was kind enough to answer my questions this month:

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

The Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in Tulsa, OK

The Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library was started by Nancy McDonald to provide a place for her daughter to be able to find LGBT resources after she “came out.” Since Nancy began her equal rights work, the library has grown from a place that houses a smattering of books to a collection of almost 4,000 volumes. In the past year, and especially the past few months, the library has gone from being a more passive resource on the second floor of the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, to an active voice in creating and preserving access to 2SLGBTQIAA+ materials to the greater community.

Can you tell us more about how your library supports the community?

I love getting to bring books to different groups of people that would otherwise not know of the library’s existence. Or, if they did know, didn’t have easy access to it physically. I’ve connected with a local—and one of the few remaining—GSAs (Genders & Sexualities Alliances), and I bring an assortment of books for them to check out every couple of weeks. Another amazing event was the Banned Book service at All Souls Unitarian Church last year. A record number of people attended that service, and the library was set up right outside the entry doors. So every single person who attended that service had the opportunity to learn about the library.

That’s great exposure! Speaking of your library, what are some of your favorite items in your collection?

I love some of the older gems, for example: And God Bless Uncle Harry and His Roommate Jack Who We Are Not Supposed to Talk About and Lesbian Etiquette. As far as books that impacted me personally, Stone Butch Blues ranks at the top. 

What’s a particular challenge your library experiences?

We are needing to remove all the labels on the books and relabel them. There have been a few cataloging systems put into place over the years, and we are wanting to standardize and modernize it, as well as make it look uniform and professional. Peeling labels off of 3,000 books takes a lot of time, and since we are 100% volunteer-run (including myself), it is taking a very long time. However, once we are done, it will be so much easier to label books for different locations as we open them up and keep track of what we have. 

What’s your favorite thing about TinyCat?

100% the online capability for us. Before, people would have to come into the Center and go upstairs to find things in the library. Now they can search from their own devices. What would help us out a lot is the ability to modify genres and add our own. We are relying on tags and collections to sort books by age range, interest, and segment of the community; and honestly, it’s a little overwhelming.

That’s great feedback, thanks. You can already edit your own Genres on LibraryThing itself, and I’m hoping that we can soon bring individual Genres through TinyCat as well. If you want to add brand new Genres, please let us know what you’re looking for on Talk!

Want to learn more about the Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library?

Visit their website at http://okeq.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

Friday, June 16th, 2023

Come Join the 2023 Pride Month Treasure Hunt!

It’s June, and that means that our annual Pride Month Treasure Hunt is back!

We’ve scattered a shower of rainbows 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 a rainbow. Each clue points to a specific page right here on LibraryThing. Remember, they are not necessarily work pages!
  • If there’s a rainbow on a page, you’ll see a banner at the top of the page.
  • You have just two weeks to find all the rainbows (until 11:59pm EDT, Friday June 30th).
  • Come brag about your shower of rainbows (and get hints) on Talk.

Win prizes:

  • Any member who finds at least two rainbows will be
    awarded a rainbow badge. Badge ().
  • Members who find all 11 rainbows 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 illustration, which is a riff on the European bee-eater.

ConceptDawg has made all of our treasure hunt graphics in the last couple of years. We like them, and hope you do, too!

Labels: events, treasure hunt

Thursday, June 1st, 2023

June 2023 Early Reviewers Batch Is Live!

Win free books from the June 2023 batch of Early Reviewer titles! We’ve got 179 books this month, and a grand total of 3,273 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 Sunday, June 25th at 6PM EDT.

Eligibility: Publishers do things country-by-country. This month we have publishers who can send books to the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Latvia, Poland and more. Make sure to check the message on each book to see if it can be sent to your country.

Into the FireThe Hidden World of GnomesA Royal Christmas: A Christmas NovellaWelcome to Our TableWhen I Became Your GrandmaShadows at DuskThe Invisible ElephantNarwhal's School of AwesomenessGrandpa and the KingfisherHome Is Calling: The Journey of the Monarch ButterflyBrindleFoxKindling: StoriesI Am a Meadow MermaidGoodbye, Bella: A Pet Loss StoryEsme's Birthday Conga LineSomething MoreThe Privilege of the Happy Ending: Small, Medium, and Large StoriesBald Eagles, Bear Cubs, and Hermit Bill: Memories of a Wildlife Biologist in MaineCalvin and the Sugar ApplesBuddy the Bucket Filler: Daily Choices for HappinessMaribelle's ShadowSummer RentalFollowersIn Spite of the Consequences: Prison Letters on Exoneration, Abolition, and FreedomThe House of the Lost on the CapeAn Otherwise Perfect Plan: A Novel of Mystery, Love, and Chocolate That Defies DescriptionThings to See in ArizonaDisagreementRain Falling on EmbersDesperationThe She ShedThe P Word: A Manual for MammalsTell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early ChurchThe Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist WomenCold PursuitAttic of Dreams: A MemoirShareware Heroes: The Renegades Who Redefined Gaming at the Dawn of the InternetThe Aurora AntidoteFlood and Fury: Old Testament Violence and the Shalom of GodThe Last Garden: A MemoirKiller DoubleEverything We Should Have Taught You in High School, But Never Did: The Graduation Gift of Life's Most Important LessonsThe Love ScriptA Cast of Crows: Poe-Inspired SteampunkBoom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch HistoryThe Persistent RoadCells: Memories for My MotherThe Ice HarpSanctumI Love My PeopleThe Exorcist and the Demon HunterSocial Justice for the Sensitive Soul: How to Change the World in Quiet WaysRelentless Joy: Finding Freedom, Passion, and Happiness (Even When You Have to Fight for It)Awakening AnneAlaska DeadlyThe Devil's PresenceBack To Yoga: A Whole-Body Routine You Can Do Anywhere in 30 Minutes or Less to Increase Energy, Focus, Relieve Stress, Lower Anxiety and Improve Flexibility, Balance, and StrengthNemesisFinding UsA Beautiful DisguiseLethal RangeThe Path of ChaosJett Jamison & the Secret StormReclaiming the American Democratic ImpulseOld to JoyReimagining Work: From Suffering at Work to Creating a More Loving, Compassionate, Abundant, and Spiritually Aligned LifeThe Gospel of The Hold Steady: How a Resurrection Really FeelsGeorge Mason's America: The State Sovereignty Alternative to Madison's Centralized American Ruling Class AristocracyHer ProphecyDuplicitousWorkbook: Never Split The DifferenceBlind in GranadaSpace Ships & Other TripsCrushed Roses—The SagaThriving Through Cancer: A Whole-Istic Approach for Your JourneyNegotiation Masterclass: How to Achieve Better Outcomes in Your Business and Personal LifeThe ReunionDeficientSpirituality 201: Discovering the Inner Healer: A Self-Healing Manual for TherapistsInvasive SpeciesRelease MeReclaiming Mni Sota: An Alternate History of the U.S. - Dakota War Of 1862Burn Your Starry CrownI Love You GoogolAllowing the NightHow to Hatch a ReaderThe Woman from LydiaWatchingMI6: Rise of the Jade DragonFinding Our PerfectTainted DreamsMental Awareness Check Up From The Neck Up: Disorders In The Entertainment Industry Are The Distractors From A Healthy Lifestyle And A Happy LifeBe Your Own Guru: 34 Essays on Figuring Out LifeMountain Magic: Diary Extracts of a Mountain FanaticThe Courting of Alta BelleEssential Life Skills for Teen Boys: Everything A Teen Boy Needs To Know: Discover How To Be An A+ Student, A Confident Speaker, Develop Electric Social Skills, Date Like A Gentleman And Be HealthyThe Empty KayakA Gift of StarsAbove the FoldThe Reformation of Marli MeadeLyrics for the Loved OnesYoung Adult Life Hacks: The Early Adult How-To Reference GuideTime Management Essentials You Always Wanted to KnowUncover Your Authentic Self Through Shadow Work: A Workbook to Identify Your Triggers and Transcend Trauma. Embrace Your Hidden Side, Develop Self-Love, and Become Your Best SelfThe Blue Fairy and the PyromancerGrow Your Business with ChatGPT: The 5-Step Al Blueprint to Generate More Revenue by Automating and Optimizing Your Business Processes Using Artificial IntelligenceCold as SnowPiercing the VeilVoice of the AncientMiranda NightsBad Luck ShamrockWilhelmina Quigley: Magic School DropoutBetrothal and BetrayalBang!: An Anthology of Modern Noir FictionLet Christ Transform Your Pain: How Jesus Can Use Your Suffering to Bring About a Greater Good5 Keys to Building Lifelong Healthy Relationships: Overcoming Trust Concerns, Setting Boundaries, Handling Conflict Positively for a Strong, Committed Partnership in Happiness and LoveAll Our FaultsThe WishDragon Springs & Other ThingsThe BowtowLump: Memoirs of a CroupierSofia's Silver BulletOctave of StarsWindow EyesThe Prumont MethodThe Moral Dilemma of MonogamyWho Made the Tea: Stories of Family, Faith, Determination and GratitudeThrough Isabella's EyesPrecise OathsDream Job Pilot? #2: Flight TrainingThe Persistent RoadUnearthing SecretsA Little God Goes to SchoolMy Israel: Seventy Faces of the LandTelling the BeesThe Blackhart BladesIn the Beginnings: Discovering the Two Worldviews Hidden Within Genesis 1-11Let There Be Light - Genesis: The Simple Meaning of the TextWhat We Don't Know About God and People In the BiblePractice Tests for the Digital SAT (2023)Digital SAT Math Practice Questions (2023)Things We InheritThe Doctor and the DevilDead KeenUncomfortable EcologiesWhy God Why?: How to Believe in Heaven When It Hurts Like HellLove From Two Worlds: A Book of Love PoemsVillains by NecessityHow to Text Women Properly: The Practical Guide to Approach & Attract Your Ideal Women with Text: Learn the When, What, & How of TextingCitizen of CaesareaA Blood Deep DarknessTo Love A WolfHotbedLibros Para BenjamínBeing Breast Aware: Nine Lives… And Many MoreSmuggler's ValorThe Goodbye KidsPractical Advanced TypeScript: Hands-On Learning & Advanced ConceptsBloemetjeIronbound PathIn Other WaysThe Joy and Love of ChildhoodLevel Up!: Your Strategy Guide to the Game of InvestingA Mother's Gift: Ten Little ToesA Love Story: Ten Sturdy FingersLearning to Fly Alien SpacecraftHudsonA Dispelling of DarknessIf You Meet the Devil, Don't Shake HandsGhosts Walk the ShenandoahThe Aurora AntidoteRoland Finds a Magic StonePulstar I - The Swan Barely RemembersNerve: A Pulstar PrequelThe Enemy of HeavenThe Devil ParticleHow To Feel Better... RealisticallyThe Witch-borne QuestsFarlands

Thanks to all the publishers participating this month!

111Publishing Akashic Books Applewhite Games
Beaufort Books Bellevue Literary Press Bethany House
BHC Press Broadleaf Books Calaboose Press
Cardinal Rule Press Chosen Books Cinnabar Moth Publishing LLC
City Owl Press The Collective Book Studio Entrada Publishing
Equinox Publishing Ltd. Gefen Publishing House Gnome Road Publishing
Greenleaf Book Group Grey Sun Press Head Shot Press
Highlander Press History Through Fiction Hot Tree Publishing
Identity Publications Islandport Press IVP Academic
Moon Jumper Press NeoParadoxa NewCon Press
Nosy Crow US Open Road Press PublishNation
Restless Books Revell Rootstock Publishing
Science, Naturally! Scotland Street Press Scribe Publications
Sea Vision Publishing Small Beer Press Steve Kelley
Tapioca Stories Tundra Books Tuxtails Publishing, LLC
Tyndale House Publishers Type Eighteen Books Unbound
Unsolicited Press Vesuvian Books Vibrant Publishers
WorthyKids ZMT Books

Labels: early reviewers, LTER