If you have never visited the 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!

The MSU Student Book Collection Competition offers students an opportunity to share their enthusiasm for books and their personal interests with others. All topics and genres are welcome. Participants submit a short essay describing the focus and contents of their collection, and an annotated bibliography of its contents or a selection of 50 titles from larger collections. For information on entering this year's competition, go to the entry form. Finalists display their collections in the Main Library for final judging, followed by a reception. The first place collection will be awarded a $500 prize, and the second place collection will be awarded $250. All other finalists will receive a $100 award. The first place collection will also be automatically entered into the Collegiate Book-Collecting Championship, a national competition sponsored by Fine Books & Collections Magazine with a top prize of $2,500.

The MSU Student Book Collection Competition reception, at which you can see the collections of this year's winners and finalists displayed, will be held on April 11, 2006 at 3:30 p.m. in the Main Library. You can see the essays and annotated bibliographies for previous winners and finalists by clicking on the links below.

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, 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."

The 2003 winner, Elizabeth Priester, is interested in Germany. Her interest began when she visited her great aunt whose parents were German. Her older books belonged to her great aunt. Priester said, "They are a part of my German heritage, which I feel I am keeping alive by studying and teaching German."

For information on entering this year's competition, go to the entry form.