State of the Thing

LibraryThing: State of the Thing Dear {NAME}, Welcome to the July 2017 State of the Thing. This month we've got feature updates, a new group read, and some helpful tutorials for the mobile apps and TinyCat. 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 for up-to-the-minute site news and updates. Your Library in Dewey ve made a handy graphical way to see how your library stacks up in the Dewey Decimal System®. Details are on the [blog post](. See your own [here](. Make sure you're signed in to LT before using this link—or replace "MEMBERNAME" in the URL with your LibraryThing user name. See Tim's [here](. You'll find that, if you post your link to Twitter or Facebook, it will share your full-sized chart. This is a just a preview of a full-fledged feature we'll be releasing soon. You can also explore the [Melvil Decimal System]( on LibraryThing, including our Dewey-Emoji combo—[Demoji](. Questions or comments? Come tell us what you think on [Talk](. Group Read: Homo Deus re back for another edition of [One LibraryThing, One Book](! For August, we'll be reading Yuval Noah Harari's [Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow](. Following on the heels of his hit, [Sapiens](, Harari's latest book looks toward humanity's future, and examines the implications of the abilities humans have acquired over the years. The Guardian has a great [review]( of it, if you're curious. This is our first foray into non-fiction for OLOB, and we think this selection will make for interesting discussions. [» See the blog post to read along!]( Discussion will start on Monday, August 21st, at 12pm Eastern. If you'd like to share your thoughts before then, hop on over to the [First Impressions]( thread, or [Introduce yourself]( to your fellow readers. Common Knowledge Gets a Boost [Common Knowledge]( (or "CK") It includes LibraryThing’s information on book series and awards, important places, author dates and nationalities, etc While it's full of neat information, CK can be a little dense to navigate through. Earlier this month, we revamped the CK Portal and search pages—along with a host of smaller tweaks—making it easier for members to find, add, and edit these details. See the changes in action, and share your feedback on [Talk](. LibraryThing Android App case you missed it, last month, we released our first [Android app](. [» Download it from Google Play]( Our Android app mirrors our [iPhone app](. Among other things, you can: - Browse and search your library overall and by collection. - Add books, CDs, and DVDs by scanning barcodes. Barcode scanning is SUPER FAST! - Add items by searching by title, author, ISBN, etc. - Browse and upload covers, using your device's camera. - Do minor editing, such as adding books to collections and rating them. Major editing is done via link to LibraryThing.com. Tutorial Kristi made a tutorial to show how simple it is to catalog your library using the mobile app. [Check it out!]( Free Accounts We're giving away free lifetime memberships to anyone who signs in to their existing LT account, or registers for a new account using either of our mobile apps. Sign in (or sign up!) and you'll be automatically upgraded. TinyCat News Tutorials Check out our new video series, [Tiny Tutorials](. Every other week, Kristi highlights a different TinyCat feature, and walks you through how to use it in 30 seconds or less. This month, we've covered the customizable ["Ask About This" button]( and kicked off a new series detailing how important features on [LibraryThing for TinyCat Users](. Weekly Webinars We also offer free, weekly webinars giving an overview of TinyCat every Wednesday, at 1pm Eastern. Join us for our next one, this Wednesday, July 26th, 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](. 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 July batch of [Early Reviewers]( books features 1,850 copies of 64 different titles. The deadline to request a free book is Monday, July 31st at 6pm, Eastern. Look for the August batch around the 7th. The most requested books so far from the July 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 - [Norse Mythology]( by Neil Gaiman - [Hillbilly Elegy]( by J.D. Vance - [Homegoing]( by Yaa Gyasi - [Everything, Everything]( by Nicola Yoon - [The Underground Railroad]( by Colson Whitehead - [Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind]( by Yuval Noah Harari - [Dark Matter]( by Blake Crouch - [Commonwealth]( by Ann Patchett - [Harry Potter and the Cursed Child]( by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany, and J.K. Rowling - [The Sellout]( by Paul Beatty That's it for this month. I'll see you all in August! 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](.