Why Emma Boettcher’s ’Jeopardy!’ win became a celebration for librarians

For much of Emma Boettcher's life, "Jeopardy!" had been a mostly private passion-one the University of Chicago librarian rarely brought up in casual conversation. That changed in dramatic fashion this past summer. Five months ago, Boettcher  ended the second-longest winning streak in the "Jeopardy!" history , cutting short 32-time champion James Holzhauer's bid at the regular-season winnings record. Since that episode aired in June, the 27-year-old has found a new excuse to talk about a show that she has loved and studied for years-and given her fellow librarians a reason to brag. "It's kind of funny," Boettcher said. "It used to be this weird-you know, not quite hobby-but this interest of mine for many years. Now, if someone comes up and asks, I can say, 'What do you want to know' Let's talk.'" She returns to the screen on Nov.