About the Book Collection Contest
What is the book collection contest?
The Cornell University Library and Library Advisory Council Book Collection Contest is an annual competition for Cornell students interested in books and book collecting.
It is an essay contest where Cornell students are asked to write about their collections and their interest in collecting books and things. Students submit a descriptive essay about their collection and its formation. They also provide a bibliography that lists up to 50 items from their collection and a 10 item wish list of what they would like to add to their collection.
Collections on any subject are welcome. Each collection will be judged on the imagination, ingenuity, taste, and discrimination displayed in its formation. Primary consideration will be given to how well the collection reflects the student’s stated goal in creating the collection, and to how well the written essay articulates the substance and scope of the collection.
What is book collecting?
Although many of us are avid readers, admirers, and accumulators of books, overflowing bookshelves do not necessarily qualify as “book collections.” Book collecting is the gathering together of books (and perhaps other related materials) on a unified, thoughtfully chosen topic or theme. In other words, book collecting is the planned, rather than haphazard, accumulation of books. Fortunately, the themes or topics available for a book collector to pursue are infinite, limited only by your imagination and your budget.
Who can enter?
All currently registered Cornell students at the Ithaca campus are invited to enter the Spring 2009 Book Collection Contest. Undergraduate and graduate students will compete in separate competitions.
When is the contest?
Register for the contest now and submit a completed entry by Monday, March 2 at noon.
Why do you sponsor a book collecting contest?
Because books still matter.
Introduced in 2003, today's Book Collection Contest continues the tradition of the Arthur H. Dean and Mary Marden Dean Book Collection Contest, which was held in Uris Library for undergraduate students from 1966 to 1987. Mr. and Mrs. Dean were private collectors and generous benefactors who supported the Cornell University Library in many ways. With their book contest they sought to "stimulate the love of books among Cornell’s students."
The same is true today. The Library Advisory Council sponsors our book collecting contest so that current Cornell students have the opportunity to express their interest in books and to display their aptitude in assembling book collections.
The Library Advisory Council's efforts to foster and promote a continued interest in books and book collecting is extended to the national level by Fine Books & Collections magazine's Collegiate Book-Collecting Championship. Cornell's success in the the first two years of this competition suggests that we have a thriving book culture here in Ithaca.
Why collect?
Book collecting can be an absorbing and enjoyable form of self expression. Although some have purchased books for financial investment, this strategy frequently backfires, as subjects and authors experience extreme swings in popularity—and marketability—over time.
Driving many collectors is an awareness that their endeavors can change our understanding of history. When thoughtfully chosen, books, manuscripts, and other documents are collected and preserved, they can determine what future generations can know, or not know, about an individual, a historic event, or any subject at all. Above all, book collecting should be fun.
Where can I find out more about book collecting?
Here are a few selected web resources and books about book collecting, rare books, and book sellers:
Book Collecting:
These Web sites offer large compilations of links to (mostly) useful information on book collecting, rare books, and the care of books:
Rare Books:
Learn about the organization and services provided by America’s largest organization of antiquarian booksellers:
Book sellers:
These three web sites are among the best that offer the ability to search for millions of used and rare books for sale online:
Selected books about books and book collecting:
Although there are many books published about book collecting, (explore on your own by typing “book collecting” as a subject search in Cornell’s online catalog) the following five titles provide an excellent introduction to the subject.
Olin Library Call Number: Z987 .B28 2002
Olin Library Call Number: Z1006 C32 1995, also in Rare and Mss.
Olin Library Z987 .C32; second copy in Kroch Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections.
Olin Library Call Number: Z987.5.U6 A35x 1999
Olin Library Call Number: Z987 .B719; second copy in Kroch Library Rare Book Collections
