State of the Thing

LibraryThing: State of the Thing Dear {NAME}, Welcome to the March 2017 State of the Thing! This month, we've got some site improvements, an introduction to Syndetics Unbound, an interview with journalist Brad Stone, and we're wrapping up our group read of Interpreter of Maladies. If you'd rather receive a plain-text version, [edit your email preferences](. You can also [read it online](. Our State of the Thing archive lives [here](. You can like LibraryThing on [Facebook]( and follow [@LibraryThing]( on Twitter and [LibraryThing]() on Tumblr for up-to-the-minute site news and updates. LC Classifications and Sort We're in the process of sprucing up how LibraryThing handles Library of Congress call numbers and classifications. Sorting by LC call number works properly now, after a bug fix, and we're moving toward having LCC pages, much like our [DDC (Dewey) pages](. This will offer a way to see the classifications of your books at a higher level. Read about the update, and our progress, on [Talk](. Group Read: Interpreter of Maladies We're finishing up our [One LibraryThing, One Book]( read of [Interpreter of Maladies](, but discussion is on-going! Share your thoughts over in the [One LibraryThing, One Book]( group on Talk. Our Next group read will likely be in June, and we're considering what we should read next. If you have suggestions or ideas about what types of books you'd like to see us read in the future for OLOB, join the discussion [here](. Syndetics Unbound Video Back in October, we were proud to announce [Syndetics Unbound](—our new product for libraries, developed by LT and ProQuest. In addition to weekly [webinars]( you can check out [this short video]( that shows off all that Syndetics Unbound can do for your library catalog. TinyCat News [Tiny Tutorials]() Check out our new video series, [Tiny Tutorials](. Every other week, we'll highlight a different TinyCat feature, and walk you through how to use it in 30 seconds or less. This month, we've featured the check in/out system, and how to share items in a TinyCat library via email. TinyCat Webinars We also offer free, weekly webinars giving an overview of TinyCat every Wednesday, at 1pm Eastern. Join us for our next one, next Wednesday, March 1st, at 1pm Eastern. Head over to [this link]( at that time, and look for the TinyCat Webinar. If Wednesday at 1pm doesn't work for you, let us know—we'll be happy to schedule a session for you. [TinyCat]() is the online catalog for small libraries, created by LibraryThing. It turns your existing LibraryThing account into a simple, professional, web-based catalog. We're here to answer your TinyCat questions via email at any time: [tinycat@librarything.com](mailto:tincyat@librarything.com). Stay tuned to our [Facebook]( and [Twitter]( pages for more announcements, or see a recorded webinar from July on our [YouTube Channel](. Interview with Brad Stone Stone, Silicon Valley journalist and best-selling author of [The Everything Store](, is known for his incisive stories on companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, and even Costco. His new book, [The Upstarts]( takes a look at two of the biggest players in Silicon Valley today: Uber and Airbnb—how they began, and how they're changing things. Brad was kind enough to chat with LibraryThing founder Tim about his latest work. Startup founders are used to crafting descriptions of their company of variable length, from a full deck, to an "elevator pitch," or just a few insistent words. So... what's this book you wrote? Haha. The elevator pitches and the self-styled mythologies are often quite different than the chaotic reality. I talked to absolutely everyone who was there at the founding and gestation of both Uber and Airbnb to piece together the dramatic, often conflict-ridden first eight years at both companies. The tales are messy, fun, and awfully instructive about how to do business in the modern age. Whom did you write it for? For anyone interested in business, technology startups, or simply what it took to build globe-spanning juggernauts that have remade how we travel between and within cities. After covering Amazon, I'm guessing you cast around a bit for the next company or companies to cover. What drew you to the stories of Airbnb and Uber? The drama of their respective rises. Unlike the tech companies of the past, these startups had to fight battles in every city they entered. The founders had to be politicians, in a way that previous tech CEOs never did. So there was a nice parallel between the two companies, while their skyrocketing valuations and the impact they were having on cities demanded attention. I feel like the story of Silicon Valley goes in eight- to ten-year cycles, and these two companies have undeniably emerged as the enduring franchises of this last cycle. Honestly, I almost abandoned the book early on—I disliked the companies, the founders, and aspects of their "sharing economy" so much. I didn't and I'm glad—it's gripping and I learned a lot. Your account is no hagiography. Did you like your subjects? I'm impressed by what they accomplished and am a customer of both companies. I've stayed in lovely Airbnbs in Paris, South Africa, Brooklyn and elsewhere and met great hosts in all those places. I take Uber and Lyft around San Francisco and frequently when I travel. Do I like the founders? It's not really my job to like or dislike them. I'm curious about the companies they have built and how they run them. Your previous book, [The Everything Store](, chronicled the rise of Amazon. Amazon, and Uber/Airbnb represent two distinct waves in technology startups, with perhaps another, social wave—Facebook, Twitter and, in its small way, LibraryThing, in between. What distinguishes the companies you've researched, and their founders. And what unites them? No one sits in the same category as Amazon. It's defied all the expectations and allegations of its critics and expanded into an empire that delights customers and frustrates competitors. The founders of Uber and Airbnb are in a way disciples of Jeff Bezos. They are trying to emulate his bold bets on new initiatives, and Uber, I think, has tried to capture its culture of productive friction. But they both still have work to do. Free Books: Early Reviewers are not currently signed up for [LibraryThing's Early Reviewers]( program. You are missing out! Early Reviewers offers free books to members—about 100 titles a month! Since 2007, we've given out over 160,000 books. The catch? Publishers want your honest review. How you review a book won't help or hurt your chances of winning books in the future, but not reviewing your winning will. [» Sign up for Early Reviewers]( The March batch of [Early Reviewers]( books contains 2,711 copies of 107 different titles. The deadline to request a free book is Monday, March 27th at 6pm, Eastern. Look for the April batch around the 3rd. The most requested books so far from the March batch: More free books: Member Giveaways any given time, there are hundreds of books available from our Member Giveaways program. It's like Early Reviewers, but isn't limited to select publishers—any author or member can post books. [Request books, or offer your own](! Hot titles this month - [Hillbilly Elegy]( by J.D. Vance - [The Underground Railroad]( by Colson Whitehead - [A Man Called Ove]( by Fredrik Backman - [When Breath Becomes Air]( by Paul Kalanithi - [Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind]( by Yuval Noah Harari - [Harry Potter and the Cursed Child]( by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany, and J.K. Rowling - [My Name is Lucy Barton]( by Elizabeth Strout - [Six of Crows]( by Leigh Bardugo - [A Darker Shade of Magic]( by V.E. Schwab - [A Court of Thorns and Roses]( by Sarah J. Maas That's it for this month. I'll see you all in April! Questions, comments, ideas? Send them my way. —Loranne (loranne@librarything.com) WHY YOU GOT THIS: At some point you signed up for LibraryThing's monthly "State of the Thing" email. If you'd like to unsubscribe, [edit your profile preferences](. This message was sent to {NAME}. Edit your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from future emails](.