LibraryThing: State of the Thing - March

LibraryThing: State of the Thing Dear {NAME}, Welcome to the March State of the Thing! In this issue we invite librarians to see us at the Public Library Association conference in Columbus, announce some improvements to our AI-powered Talpa Search feature, interview translator Karen Emmerich, highlight our List of the Month, shine a spotlight on our TinyCat Library of the Month, and give a shout out to all of our wonderful helpers. We also serve up lots and lots of book world news, all of our regular columns, and 2,808 free Early Reviewer books! You can like LibraryThing on [Facebook]( and follow [@LibraryThing]( on Twitter, [librarythingofficial]( on Instagram, and [librarythingofficial](librarythingofficial) on Threads for news and updates. LibraryThing at PLA The Public Library Association’s [2024 Annual Conference]( is set to begin on April 3, and LibraryThing founder Tim Spalding ([timspalding]() and head librarian Abby Blachly ([ablachly]() will be in attendance! Tim and Abby will be showing off the catalog enrichment service [Syndetics Unbound]( that we co-developed with ProQuest, as well as [Talpa Search](, our exciting new AI library search. They will have some Talpa, TinyCat, and LibraryThing swag to give out, so be sure to stop by. The PLA Conference is being held in Columbus, OH from April 3-5 this year, at the [Greater Columbus Convention Center](. You can find Tim and Abby at booth #1843! (Send Tim a message on LibraryThing or email tim@librarything.com to make sure to connect with them.) Talpa Search We've renamed our LibraryThing search option "AI Search" to "Talpa Search," and made it better. Speed. The underlying search system has gone from a median of 5.6 to 2.3 seconds. The speed is also more reliable (The standard deviation of result times went from 2.96 to 0.5 seconds!) Accuracy. Talpa is better overall, with new sub-systems based on subject systems (like Library of Congress Subject Headings) and "tag mashes," making Talpa as helpful for subject queries as for "name-that-book" queries. We invite everyone to [try it out on LibraryThing]( and to visit our stand-along Talpa.ai site. If you're not a librarian, tell the librarians in your life about it—you can send them [this blog post]( come and give us your feedback on these improvements over in [Talk](. Translator Interview: Karen Emmerich LibraryThing is pleased to sit down this month with award-winning translator and scholar [Karen Emmerich](, an associate professor of comparative literature at [Princeton University]( whose focus is on modern Greek literature and on the theory and practice of translation. Her 2017 study, [Literary Translation and the Making of Originals](, examines translation as a process which goes beyond the transmission of an original work from one language to another, one which transforms and expands the work into its new language. Her own translations include [Good Will Come From the Sea]( by [Christos Ikonomou]( (2018), [Before Lyricism]( by [Eleni Vakalo]( (2016), [The Scapegoat]( by [Sofia Nikolaidou]( (2015), and [Why I Killed My Best Friend]( by [Amánda Michalopoulou]( (2014), among many others, and she has been the recipient of translation grants and awards from the NEA, PEN, and the Modern Greek Studies Association. In 2019 she won the [National Translation Award]( for [What’s Left of the Night]( by [Ersi Sotiropoulos](. Emmerich’s new translation of [Alki Zei’s]( 1963 novel, [The Wildcat Behind Glass](, which follows the story of a family in 1930s Greece that is torn apart by the rise of fascism, and which is considered one of the classics of modern Greek children’s literature, is due out this coming May from Restless Books. See an excerpt below, and the full interview [here](. Q. Before we get to issues of translation, talk to us as a reader. What was your reaction when you first read [The Wildcat Behind Glass](? What makes Alki Zei’s story so powerful that her book has become a classic? Karen. I first read the novel many years ago, as part of my research for a different translation: Amanda Michalopoulou’s [Why I Killed My Best Friend](, which tells the coming-of-age story of two young girls in Greece in the 1970s and 1980s who are growing into their friendship and also into lives of leftist political engagement. Alki Zei’s [The Wildcat Behind Glass](, written in the 1960s and set in 1936, is a key point of reference for the two girls in their political awakening. So from the start I understood Zei’s book not only as part of a tradition of politically engaged literature for children, but also as a widely-read “classic” with the power to shape children’s experiences of their current realities. I immediately fell in love with [The Wildcat Behind Glass](, and I’ve been wanting to translate it ever since. Zei’s novel has so many things to recommend it: crisp, engaging writing; a story that pulls you in and keeps you moving in unexpected directions; compelling characters; and social and political commentary that feels incredibly important in our current moment, which is witnessing such a distressing erosion of democratic structures. For me, a book for young readers dealing with the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s felt like an important project to undertake. Visit the blog to [read the whole conversation](. List of the Month Come join LibraryThing’s List of the Month project, as we create a new thematic book list each month. Like all of our [Lists](, the List of the Month draws upon the knowledge of the LibraryThing community, while also aiming to provoke discussion around each theme. See our [wiki page]( for a complete List of the Month list, and join us over in [our latest Talk thread](, where we announced this month’s list. March List of the Month. In honor of Women's History Month, our List of the Month this March is devoted to the [Best Biographies of Notable Women]( that we have read. Each participant may vote on ten titles, and may define "notable" as they choose. For the purposes of this list, we define "biography" expansively, to include autobiographies and memoirs. Head over to our list of [Best Biographies of Notable Women]( to add your top ten choices Check out other recent Lists of the Month: - February [Favorite Animal Non-Fiction]( - December [Top Five Books of 2023]( - November [Great Films Based on Books]( - October [Witchy Fiction]( - September [Books We’d Want on a Desert Island]( The Talk of LibraryThing What conversations are going on in our groups? - Members are discussing the recent [Atlantic Great American Novels]( list—already added on the site as a [Notable List](—over in [Talk About LibraryThing](. - Begun at the end of 2023, a discussion of [Short Fiction]( being read in 2024 is ongoing amongst members of [Club Read 2024](. - A discussion of [Where in the World They Are]( in their reading is being undertaken by members of [Reading Globally](. - Members are sharing their [March 2024 Reads]( over in the [Literary Snobs]( group. Speaking of Groups, if you’re new to LibraryThing, there’s a group for that: [Welcome to LibraryThing](21)! Helpers What is LibraryThing without its members? LibraryThing has some of the best people around, helping to improve the site for themselves and for the larger community—making us the best bookish site out there. From dedicated helper groups like [Combiners!]( and [Spam Fighters!](, to the guidance provided by long-time members when newcomers have questions in [Talk About LibraryThing](, [Frequently Asked Questions]( or [Bug Collectors](, our members are always helping out. They add an enormous amount of valuable information to the site, filling out Common Knowledge fields on author and book work pages, adding cover images and author photographs, and improving features such as [Series](Nseries_controller), [Recommendations]( and [Awards](. Roll of Honor. Each month we call out some of the top contributors from the last month. So… special thanks this time go to [bismarckfairy]( (work combiners and series edits), [leselotte]( (work combiners and edition separators), [DuncanHill]( (work combiners, author combiners and author “never”-ers), [SimoneA]( (work combiners and Common Knowledge contributors), [sneuper]( (work combiners), [Themis-Athena]( (work combiners, author combiners and work author edits), [ptimes]( (edition separators and work author edits), [Seelentaucher]( (edition separators and work combiners), [mirva]( (cover uploading), [EaglesTraceLibrary]( (cover uploading), [Jazz1987]( (work author edits, distinct author and Common Knowledge contributors), [GwynethM]( (work author edits, work relationships and Common Knowledge contributors), [Ghost_Boy]( (work author edits, work relationships, series edits, and Common Knowledge contributors), [vibesandall]( (adding media reviews), [Brett-Woywood]( (author picture contributors), [geophile]( (tag combiners and all helper voting), [Heather39]( (tag combiners and all helper voting), [lynnaj]( (tag combiners and all helper voting), [xaagmabag]( (tag combiners and all helper voting), [parlerodermime]( (tag combiners), [LazloNibble]( (tag combiners), [omarotto]( (publisher series edits), [davidgn]( (Awards and Honors), [kleh]( (Common Knowledge contributors and edition separators), [kirstenlund]( (all helper voting), [itstheblob]( (all helper voting), [Spiderstitch]( (rating recommendations), and [Dariah]( (translation). Hot on LibraryThing Here are some titles that have been particularly hot on LibraryThing in the last month: - [The Women]( by [Kristin Hannah]( - [A Fate Inked in Blood]( by [Danielle L. Jensen]( - [Three-Inch Teeth]( by [C. J. Box]( - [Listen for the Lie]( by [Amy Tintera]( - [The Hunter]( by [Tana French]( - [Bride]( by [Ali Hazelwood]( - [Wandering Stars]( by [Tommy Orange]( - [The Teacher]( by [Freida McFadden]( - [End of Story]( by [Daniel Mallory]( - [After Annie]( by [Anna Quindlen]( - [The Prisoner's Throne]( by [Holly Black]( - [First Lie Wins]( by [Ashley Elston]( - [Murder Road]( by [Simone St. James]( - [Heartless Hunter]( by [Kristen Ciccarelli]( - [Anita de Monte Laughs Last]( by [Xochitl Gonzalez]( - [The New Couple in 5B]( by [Lisa Unger]( - [House of Flame and Shadow]( by [Sarah J. Maas]( - [Never Too Late]( by [Danielle Steel]( - [Fate Breaker]( by [Victoria Aveyard]( - [Fangirl Down]( by [Tessa Bailey]( Free Books from Early Reviewers! Our Early Reviewers program pairs publishers and authors looking for reviews and book buzz with readers looking for their next great read. This month, in conjunction with [our interview with translator Karen Emmerich](, we’re pleased to feature [The WildCat Behind Glass]( by [Alki Zei](, translated by Emmerich and offered by [Restless Books](. In anticipation of next month’s interview we’re also featuring [As the Sparrow Flies]( by [Chad Corrie](, the first in the new dystopian young adult [Sojourners Saga]( series, offered by [Dark Horse Books]( (who are participating in Early Reviewers for the first time); and our very first giveaways from another program newcomer, [Harbor Lane Books](. Explore the full list and [sign up to request books](. [The Swan Harp]( [As the Sparrow Flies]( [The Wildcat Behind Glass]( [The Marble Queen]( [I Disappeared Them]( [The Further Adventures of Miss Petitfour]( [The Desk from Hoboken]( [Marriage and Hanging]( [Holy Smoke]( [The Color of Sound]( [Nein, Nein, Nein!: One Man's Tale of Depression, Psychic Torment, and a Bus Tour of the Holocaust](21-One-Mans-Tale-of-Depression-Psychic-Torment-and-a-Bus-Tour-of-the-Holocaust) [Tenderloin]( [Her Part to Play]( [Humanizing Classroom Management: Restorative Practices and Universal Design for Learning]( [Circle of Sawdust: A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem and Magic]( [Crossing Divides: My Journey to Standing Rock]( [For a Lifetime]( [Birdhouse Jesus]( [Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology](C3%BAtiverse-Anthology) [We Refuse to Be Silent: Women's Voices on Justice for Black Men]( Our March batch of Early Reviewers has 2,808 copies of 154 books. The deadline to request a book is March 25th, 6pm Eastern time. Did you win a book recently? When you receive your book, make sure you head over to your [Books You've Won]( page to mark it received. After you've read your book, add your review to LibraryThing. First, add the book to your LibraryThing catalog. Then click the pencil-shaped "edit" icon next to the book, or click "edit book" from the work page. Type your review into the Review box, and click "submit" to save it. Reviewing your books gives you a greater chance of winning books in the future, while neglecting to review lowers your odds. For more information, visit the [Early Reviewers Help Page](. Book World News: In Memoriam - [Phil Baines](, British graphic designer and typographer, [has died at 65](. - [Kate Banks](, American children’s book author, [has died at 64](. - [Ellen Bernstein](, American rabbi and environmental activist, [has died at 70](. - [Alan Brownjohn](, British poet, novelist and critic, [has died at 92](. - [Leonard Everett Fisher](, American artist and illustrator, [has died at 99](. - [Ramona Fradon](, American comics artist, [has died at 97](. - [Charles V. Hamilton](, African American political scientist and activist, [has died at 94](. - [Petra Mathers](, German-born American children’s author and artist, [has died at 78](. - [Malachy McCourt](, Irish American actor and author, [has died at 92](. - [Steve Miller](, American science fiction author, [has died at 73](. - [Alvin Moscow](, American journalist, author and memoir collaborator, [has died at 98](. - [Herman Parish](, American children’s author, [has died at 71](. - [Akira Toriyama](, Japanese manga artist and character designer, [has died at 68]( - [Dan Wakefield](, American novelist, journalist and screenwriter, [has died at 91](. - [Steven M. Wise](, American lawyer and animal rights activist, [has died at 73](. Freedom of Expression The [American Library Association]( (ALA) recently announced that [2023 had seen a 65% increase]( in the number of unique titles that had been targeted for removal in libraries, compared to 2022. They reported that 4,240 titles were challenged in schools and libraries, a sharp increase from the 2,571 titles challenged the previous year. They noted a slight decrease in the number of tracked challenges—down to 1,247 from 1,269 in 2022—although the number is still well above the 729 challenges tracked in 2021. They also noted that while challenges in prior years were often individual affairs, involving a single title, organized efforts have now resulted in many challenges involving multiple titles. There is also concern that books are being censored without formal challenges. In New York City, the [Gothamist published]( images of hundreds of books removed from a Staten Island elementary school. Many of the books bore post-it notes suggesting why the titles were removed, including "Teenage girls having a crush on another girl in class" and "negative slant on white people." The New York City Department of Education is [investigating the incident](, "to understand what happened in this situation." In other ALA news, the association's [Unite Against Book Bans]( initiative [unveiled their new Book Resumes](, a resource to help those fighting book challenges and bans, in late February. These [Book Resumes]( are easily printable PDF documents which include information about a book’s significance and its educational value, and which can be shared with school administrators, book committees and members of the public. In our [September 2023 issue]( of State of the Thing we reported on a number of state libraries which had [disaffiliated themselves from the ALA](. Legislators in nine other states were urging their state libraries to disaffiliate with the national organization at that time. In the latest news, a new Georgia bill that would force all school and public libraries in the state to disaffiliate with the ALA [has passed the state Senate](, and is headed to the House. The conflict in Gaza continues to roil the book world. The literary magazine [Guernica]( has recently found itself in the news, after [publishing and then retracting an essay]( by Israeli translator and peace activist [Joanna Chen](. In “From the Edges of a Broken World,” Chen explored themes of coexistence and the search for common ground between Israelis and Palestinians. Guernica pulled the essay after ten of their staffers resigned in protest, [apologizing for publishing the piece]( and promising a more “fulsome (sic) explanation.” A group of authors has [signed an open letter]( declaring their decision to boycott the upcoming [PEN World Voices Festival](, due to what they describe as an inadequate response on the part of PEN America to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This follows upon [an earlier letter in February](, signed by over six hundred authors, demanding that PEN America respond to the situation. In late February, celebrated children’s author and Newbery Honoree [Adam Gidwitz]( tweeted about being [disinvited from a school visit](, set up to promote his new book, [Max in the House of Spies](, which addresses the Kindertransport in World War II. In [an essay written for the Jewish Book Council](, Gidwitz wrote that the school in question, located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, canceled the event because of his book’s subject matter, and “recent events in the world.” In other cancellations, bookstores in San Francisco, Winnetka, IL, and [Book Soup]( in Los Angeles [have all canceled book signings]( scheduled for Stranger Things star [Brett Gellman](, who has been promoting his new short story collection, [The Terrifying Realm of the Possible: Nearly True Stories](. Gellman, a vocal supporter of Israel, [characterized]( the cancellation as "giving into antisemitic intimidation." Book Soup [wrote]( that their motivations had been "grossly mischaracterized" and that "The threats and expressed concerns had escalated, and amidst the current charged environment the event became a safety risk we were not willing to take." Book World News: Awards Awards and Prizes. The [International Booker Prize Longlist]( has [been announced]( with thirteen books translated from ten languages in the running for the prestigious literary award. The judges selected “books that speak of courage and kindness, of the vital importance of community, and of the effects of standing up to tyranny.” These include: [Not a River]( by [Selva Almada](, translated by [Annie McDermott](; [Simpatía]( by [Rodrigo Blanco Calderón](, translated by [Noel Hernández González]( and [Daniel Hahn](; [Kairos]( by [Jenny Erpenbeck](, translated by [Michael Hofmann](; [The Details]( by [Ia Genberg](, translated by [Kira Josefsson](; [White Nights]( by [Urszula Honek](, translated by [Kate Webster](; [Crooked Plow]( by [Itamar Vieira Junior](, translated by [Johnny Lorenz](; [A Dictator Calls]( by [Ismaîl Kadaré](, translated by [John Hodgson](; [The Silver Bone]( by [Andrij Kurkow](, translated by [Boris Dralyuk](; [What I’d Rather Not Think About]( by [Jente Posthuma](, translated by [Sarah Timmer Harvey](; [Lost on Me]( by [Veronica Raimo](, translated by [Leah Janeczko](; [Mater 2-10]( by [Hwang Sok-Yong](, translated by [Sora Kim-Russell]( and [Youngjae Josephine Bae](; [The House on Via Gemito]( by [Domenico Starnone](, translated by [Oonagh Stransky](; and [Undiscovered]( by [Gabriela Wiener](, translated by [Julia Sanches](. The [Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize](, awarded annually to the best non-fiction work published in the UK in the previous year, [has gone this year]( to [Julian Jackson]( for his [France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain](, described by the judges as a book “asking profound, historical questions about how to act in impossible circumstances.” Also in the UK, the [Wingate Foundation]( has [announced the 2024 winner]( of the [Wingate Literary Prize](, awarded annually to “the best book, fiction or non-fiction, to translate the idea of Jewishness to the general reader.” This year’s winner is [Elizabeth McCracken](, whose novel, [The Hero of This Book](, which chronicles a writer’s relationship with her Jewish mother, was described by the judges as “a thoroughly involving read that wrestles with memory, illness, place and identity,” one that is “moving in every sense. The winners of this year’s [American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards](, given out in multiple categories, [have been announced](, with eighteen authors to be honored in a ceremony this coming May. The Christopher Lightfoot Walker Award, given biennially to recognize “a writer who has made a significant contribution to American literature” went this year to [Darryl Pinckney](. The eight winners of the Arts and Letters Awards in Literature, “honoring exceptional accomplishment in any genre,” include [Luis Alfaro](, [Lan Samantha Chang](, [Ama Codjoe](, [Boris Dralyuk](, [Elisa Gonzalez](, [David George Haskell](, [Michelle Huneven](, and [Elizabeth McCracken](. The Katherine Anne Porter Award, for “a prose writer whose achievements and dedication to the literary profession have been demonstrated,” has gone to [Gayl Jones](, while the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award for exceptional prose style has gone to [Andrew Holleran](. The Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction has gone to [Taylor Koekkoek]( for [Thrillville, USA: Stories](, while two Thornton Wilder Prizes for Translation have gone to [Charlotte Mandell]( and [Michael F. Moore](. Please see [this announcement]( for the complete list of winners. In Australia, the [MUD Literary Prize](, given annually during [Adelaide Writers Week]( by the philanthropic [MUD Literary Club]( to a debut literary novel by an Australian writer, has [been awarded]( to [Girl in a Pink Dress]( by [Kylie Needham](. The judges praised the book for its “intriguing exploration of the sexual politics of the art world.” The 2024 [Erasmus Prize](, awarded annually by the [Praemium Erasmianum Foundation]( to “a person or institution that has made an exceptional contribution to the humanities, the social sciences or the arts, in Europe and beyond,” [has gone]( to Indian author [Amitav Ghosh](. He was selected for “his passionate contribution to the theme ‘imagining the unthinkable’, in which an unprecedented global crisis – climate change – takes shape through the written word.” The winners of this year’s [Audie Awards](, given out by the [Audio Publishers Association]( (APA) in recognition of outstanding audiobooks and spoken word entertainment, [have been announced](. Audiobook of the Year went to [Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story]( by [Bono](, narrated by the author and published by Penguin Random House Audio, while Best Audio Drama was given to [Third Eye](, written by [Felicia Day](, performed by a cast of ten, and published by Audible Originals. The winner in the Autobiography/Memoir category was [Making It So: A Memoir]( by [Patrick Stewart](, narrated by the author and published by Simon & Schuster Audio; while the winner in the History/Biography category was [Goodbye Christopher Robin: A. A. Milne and the Making of Winnie-the-Pooh]( by [Ann Thwaite](, narrated by [Simon Vance]( and published by Tantor Audio. See the complete list of winners [here](. English PEN has [announced the 2024 recipients]( of its PEN Translates Awards, which provides funding for the translation of many award-winning books. Twelve books from eleven regions and ten languages were selected, including “Mammoth” by [Eva Baltazar](, to be translated from the Catalan by [Julia Sanches](v); and “Wolf Sanctuary” by [Zdravka Evtimova](, to be translated from the Bulgarian by Yana Ellis. For a complete list of winners, [see this announcement](. The winner of this year’s [BIO Award](, given out annually by the [Biographers International Organization](, to “a distinguished colleague who has made major contributions to the advancement of the art and craft of biography,” [has been named]( as [Kai Bird](. The author of five biographies, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning [American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer](, which he co-wrote with [Martin J. Sherwin](, Bird was praised by the award committee for having “scaled the heights of biography,” and for being “an inspiring and approachable mentor to many first-time biographers as the Director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography.” The winners of the [BolognaRagazzi Awards](, given out in multiple categories by the [Bologna Children’s Book Fair]( (the world’s largest and most prestigious children’s book event), [have been announced](. The winner in the Fiction category was [Kintsugi](, written and illustrated by [Issa Watanabe](; while the nonfiction winner was [Myko: Kompletní zpravodaj ze světa hub]( by [Jiří Dvořák](, illustrated by [Daniela Olejníková](. The Opera Prima category winner was [Ko darÄ«t, ja esi kails pilsētā](, written and illustrated by [Aleksandra Runde](. Please see [this announcement]( for all of this year’s winners. The 2024 winners of the [Ezra Jack Keats Awards](, named for classic picture book creator [Ezra Jack Keats](, and given out annually by the [Ezra Jack Keats Foundation]( in celebration of “exceptional early career authors and illustrators who portray the multicultural nature of our world,” have [been named](. The winner in the New Writer category is [Anne Wynter]( for her [Nell Plants a Tree](, illustrated by both Wynter and [Daniel Miyares](; and the winner in the New Illustrator category is [Sarah Gonzales]( for her work on [The Only Way to Make Bread](, written by [Cristina Quintero](. Additional Award News This Month: Winners. [The Clark Fiction Prize]( | [The Golden Kite Award]( | [The Gordon Burn Prize]( | [The Montana Book Award]( | [The Nero Book Award Gold Prize]( | [The Weatherford Award]( | [The Writers Prize]( Shortlists / Finalists. [The Aurealis Awards]( | [The CBCA Book of the Year]( | [The Helen Bernstein Excellence in Journalism Book Award]( | [The J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize]( | [The LA Times Book Prize]( | [The Mark Lynton History Prize]( | [The Nebula Award]( | [The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards]( | [The PEN/Faulkner Award](25252FFaulkner-Award-Finalist) | [The Publishing Triangle Awards]( | [The Republic of Consciousness Prize]( | [The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature]( | [The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration (Greenaway)]( | [The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing]( Other Book World News Library and Literary News [Canada Reads](, the annual “battle of the books” competition hosted by Canadian public broadcaster, the [CBC](, has come to a close, and it looks like the winner this year is [The Future]( by [Catherine Leroux](. Translated by [Susan Ouriou](, the book was championed in the competition by poet and screenwriter [Heather O’Neill](, who was herself a winner in 2007, for her [Lullabies for Little Criminals](. In good news for fans of Colombian author [Gabriel García Márquez](, the author’s final novel, which he worked on for a number of years before his death in 2014, and which he eventually abandoned, [was published]( earlier this month. [Until August]( was to be destroyed, according to its author’s wishes, but García Márquez’s sons decided to publish it instead, a choice which has ignited [some debate]( in the literary world. In other publication news, the collected poems of [J.R.R. Tolkien]( will be [released by HarperCollins this coming September](, in a three-volume work that will include the famous author’s published verse, as well as some seventy-seven previously unpublished poems. The editors of the collection discuss their work in [this blog post](. The BBC has reported that the London Underground poem archive—the posters and memorabilia from [Poems On the Underground](, a public art project begun in 1986—have been [donated to Cambridge University](. TinyCat [TinyCat]( is the online catalog for small libraries, created by LibraryThing. It turns your existing LibraryThing account into a simple, professional, web-based catalog. Follow [@TinyCat_Lib]( on Twitter and [tinycat_lib](tinycat_lib) on Threads for the latest TinyCat news, and be sure to check out [LibraryThing’s Youtube channel]( for a range of TinyCat tutorials. of the Month. TinyCat’s featured library in February was from the life plan community, Ingleside at King Farm (IKF), located just outside of Washington, D.C. IKF’s collections are actually two separate libraries managed by a volunteer committee, many of whom are former librarians. Library Committee Chair Judy Sandstrom sat down with Kristi this past month to answer her questions about [the IKF library]( and their work. Q. Who are you, and what is your mission—your “raison d’être”?: Ingleside at King Farm is a life plan community of about 500 residents in Montgomery County, Maryland, about 10 miles from Washington D.C. When it opened in 2009, the then about 300 residents donated books from their personal collections and a volunteer library committee developed a database record of the library. New construction in 2019 brought an additional 200 residents, a new location for the library, and additional retired librarians. At that point we were able to migrate to TinyCat and expand our collection. Very soon after Covid hit and we had to modify our lending practices. Library access was closed, and residents sent email requests to the committee. Books were signed out and placed in bags outside the library for pick up. Thankfully we are back to normal library operations. We manage two libraries totaling 4000+ books and DVDs, one for independent living residents, the other for assisted living residents who are housed on a separate floor. The library is managed by a committee made up in large part by former librarians from various types of libraries: public, school, law, and federal, as well as volunteers who love libraries. You can find the [full interview on our blog](. TinyCat Webinars. To learn more about TinyCat, join Kristi for a live demo Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern. Webinars are now on Zoom, so make sure to use our new [link to attend](. You can also check out our playlists of Tiny Tutorials on [LibraryThing's YouTube channel](, where Kristi walks you through various features of TinyCat in 30 seconds or less. If you'd like to schedule a webinar at another time or if you have other questions about TinyCat, you can reach Kristi at tinycat@librarything.com. Wait, That's It? That's all I have for the Thing this month! If you have any suggestions, or ideas for improving State of the Thing, please reach out to me at abigailadams@librarything.com. Past issues of State of the Thing are available in our [SOTT Archive](. Happy reading, Abigail PS: If you'd rather receive a plain-text version, [edit your email preferences](. You can also read it [online](. This message was sent to {NAME}. Click to [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from future emails](.