About the Competition
If you have never visited the Annual MSU Student Book Collection Competition reception held every Spring semester, you have missed a fascinating look at the wide variety of book collectors who attend Michigan State University. Open to MSU students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional), the competition gives students a chance to share their enthusiasm for something we in the Libraries also treasure: the book. The competition awards monetary prizes sponsored by the MSU Friends of the Libraries. Many of the entrants, not surprisingly, state that they intend to use their winnings to buy more books!
Some of the collections submitted to the competition are enormous, and some are quite small. The topics cover the spectrum--history, literature, art, science, religion, regions and cultures, genre literature, leisure activities, children's books, and personal experiences. Even collections that sound like they would be similar are very different in focus and intent.
The diversity of winning collections in past years will give you an idea of the variety of interests of MSU's student collectors. For example, Robin Roots, the 2007 winner, collects children's books. She considers them works of art for the beautiful pictures. In addition, Roots said, "[a]t its best, children's literature can help children (and adults) learn both to embrace those things that make us different while simultaneously rejoicing in those things that make us the same."
The 2006 winner, Tony Fitzpatrick, found himself addicted to science fiction writer Robert Heinlein after reading a few of his books. The "...works have ideas that are, to this day risqué, and many must have been outlandish when published originally. Through his works, Heinlein advocated racial, cultural, and sexual equality and freedom." Tony feels that Heinlein was a positive role model to his readers.
The 2005 winner, Sara Doherty, fell in love with zines and chapbooks after a visit to a bookstore while looking for inexpensive reading material. Zines and chapbooks can cover any topic. Doherty feels, "they uphold noble principles, despite their sometimes shabby packaging; our rights to be heard, unencumbered by copyrights, publishing contracts, and editors." Her interest has led her to write her own chapbooks.
Valerie Reiss, the 2004 winner, is interested in researching canoid carnivores, including the domestic dog, and mustelids, which includes ferrets. Reiss feels "…the most desirable books for my collection are: later editions with the most up-to-date information, scientifically sound or peer-reviewed material, and those containing unique pictures or information as compared to other sources."
