We’re hosting a special TinyCat Birthday Treasure Hunt over on LibraryThing! We’ve got ten clues, one for each year. We’ve scattered a collection of birthday banners around the two sites, and it’s up to you to find them all.
Come brag about your clowder of tiny cats (and get hints) on Talk.
Decipher the clues and visit the corresponding pages in LibraryThing or TinyCat to find a banner.
Each clue points to a specific page. Remember, some banners will be hidden in LibraryThing and some in TinyCat!
You have until 11:59 pm EDT on Thursday, April 30th to find all the TinyCats.
Win prizes:
Any member who finds at least two birthday banners will be awarded a TinyCat banner badge.
Members who find all 10 birthday banners will be entered into a drawing for one of five sets of TinyCat and LibraryThing swag. We’ll announce winners at the end of the hunt.
P.S. Thanks to conceptDawg for the gray catbird illustration!
Ten years ago we created TinyCat, a catalog solution for small libraries.
The idea was simple: Thousands of small libraries were already using LibraryThing, but it was too much—too many doors to the larger world of discovery and social interaction. So we cut all that out, and we made everything about finding books. We added the circulation and administration features small libraries need. We made the simple and intuitive user interface we wished that big, public libraries had.
Growth and Improvements
From about 500 libraries in our first year, we have grown to more than 3,500 today—from schools to religious communities, from museums and LGBTQ centers, to a growing number of small public libraries. Another 32,516 LibraryThing members use TinyCat as a second way to search their personal libraries.
The last decade has brought TinyCat to countries across the globe, from the USA to Ireland, Singapore, Peru, Egypt, and South Africa to name a few. We recently added translation options, so more people can now use TinyCat in more languages.
There are many small libraries who still don’t know about TinyCat, and we can use your help spreading the word. If you know anyone working or volunteering with a small library, send them our way. Folks can sign up or learn more about TinyCat at https://www.librarycat.org.
TinyCat Survey
Share your thoughts about TinyCat in our new survey!
This survey is short and every question is optional. You can save your progress and come back any time. While the survey is not anonymous, we encourage you to be honest and candid — all your feedback helps us improve!
This is a great chance to share your experiences as an admin, feedback from your patrons, and ideas you have for making TinyCat even better. All current and previous TinyCat members are welcome to participate.
New Feature: Restrict Catalog Access
TinyCat libraries now have the option of requiring a login to view their catalog. If enabled, all visitors will be prompted to enter their credentials before seeing the homepage or searching the catalog.
To enable this for your TinyCat library, go to your Patron Accounts settings and switch on Restrict Catalog Access.
Enter the Giveaway!
Enter our TinyCat 10th Birthday Giveaway for a chance to win a special TinyCat bookmark and TinyCat stickers!
How to enter:
Share one of your favorite or most popular items from your TinyCat library on social media. Alternatively, you’re welcome to post in the TinyCat group on LibraryThing.
Include a screenshot or link to the item’s catalog page so we can see it like your patrons do.
Tag TinyCat in the post so we can find your post and enter you in the giveaway.
(Not just books! Game libraries can share a game, movie libraries a film, etc.)
We will randomly select 10 winners on May 8, 2026. Each will receive a special TinyCat bookmark and stickers. We will contact the winners for mailing details.
Store Sale
All TinyCat merchandise and barcode scanners, including stickers, pins, and coasters, are on sale now through May 4. Barcode scanners are only $5 and TinyCat pins are only $2! See all the discounts at the LibraryThing Store.
Profile Badges
TinyCat libraries over 1, 2, 5, and 10 years respectively will receive new badges in LibraryThing. Go ahead, brag!
Thank you for reading and for celebrating with us!
The Holiday sale ends on Epiphany, January 6th.1 You’ll find our usual major discounts, and we’ve added the new 20th Anniversary Shirts to the sale. Here’s a partial list to pique your interest:2
20th Anniversary shirts for $16
CueCat barcode scanners for $5
Custom barcode labels starting at $5
Beautiful enamel pins for $3
All the stickers you could want, starting at $1
$4 off sticker bundles and $5 off pin bundles
1 Epiphany is also known as Little Christmas, the night before Orthodox Christmas or the day after the Twelfth day of Christmas—twelve LibraryThing pins would make the perfect gifts for your loved one, would they not?
2 Prices do not include cost of shipping. Shipping is included on Store pages.
TinyCat District is here! Libraries with multiple locations or branches can now manage their accounts in one place. We created new tools and features for TinyCat District that will simplify your setup, billing, and reporting.
TinyCat District offers:
Synced collections. Copy your catalog across branches with a few clicks.
Shared branding. Customize your brand across branches.
Group billing. Simplify your payment process.
Grouped reports. Review information about your district and individual branches.
Each TinyCat District “superadmin” can manage the source collections, branch memberships, grouped reports, shared branding, and billing across the district.
You can choose your billing setup. With regular “branch billing,” each library branch pays for their own account. If you choose “group billing,” your district’s superadmin can submit a single payment for all branches. Accounts with group billing may be eligible for a discounted rate!
Currently, TinyCat District is offered to libraries with five or more branches. If your library is close to five branches but not quite there, reach out anyway to see if you’re eligible!
TinyCat turns nine this month! Since 2016 more than 37,000 small libraries have signed up for the best user-friendly and affordable library management solution, powered by LibraryThing.
To celebrate, all TinyCat merchandise is on sale in the LibraryThing Store and we’re giving away pins, stickers, and tote bags too.
TinyCat Store Sale
All TinyCat merchandise and barcode scanners, including stickers, pins, and coasters, are on sale now through Friday, May 9. Check out what’s for sale in the LibraryThing Store.
TinyCat Giveaway
The winner of our giveaway will receive a free, heavy-duty cotton tote bag with the TinyCat logo! The first 25 submissions will receive a TinyCat sticker and pin for participating. The giveaway is open to TinyCat libraries with paid staff or volunteer accounts.
How to enter:
Take a photo of yourself with your library; either your favorite bookshelf or the building. If you would rather not be in the photo, include a furry friend instead! Make sure it’s a photo you won’t mind us using in promotional posts.
