When the UA Libraries held its first book collecting contest in 2006, more than forty students entered the competition. At the time, some wondered whether enthusiasm for book collecting would endure in future years. Wouldn’t proliferation of digital media cause students to forget about or dismiss the wonder and beauty of books?
That many students entered the University Libraries 4th annual book collecting contest suggests a different outcome. Indeed, UA students still love books and many are aspiring book collectors, ready to engage in collecting over the long run. Our students still understand the unique and special way that books bring meaning to all aspects of culture and society. And, as with book collectors everywhere, they appreciate books as objects of art.
On April 14, 2010, six contest winners were formally recognized in a special reception in Gorgas Library, when Mille Jackson, Associate Dean for Collections, announced with much anticipation the names of the contest winners.