May 13, 2019

Winners of the Elmer Adler Book Collecting Prize
The Friends of the Princeton University Library recently gathered at Prospect House and announced the winners of the 94th annual Elmer Adler Undergraduate Book Collecting Prize, pictured above. From left to right: Katarzyna (Kasia) Krzyzanska '22, Marina Finley '19, Ryan Ozminkowski '19, Sergio De Iudicibus '20, and Julia Ilhardt '21.

 

Congratulations to Marina Finley '19, Ryan Ozminkowski '19, Julia Ilhardt '21, Sergio De Iudicibus '20, and Katarzyna (Kasia) Krzyzanska '22!

 Written by Minjie Chen, Metadata Librarian, Non-Roman Collections, Cotsen Children's Library

The Friends of the Princeton University Library gathered at Prospect House on Sunday, April 28 for their spring dinner and for the announcement of the winners of the 94th annual Elmer Adler Undergraduate Book Collecting Prize.

Among this year’s submissions, the most noticeable feature is an unusually diverse range of subject and format that have fueled the youthful passion of budding collectors. In addition to regular books on various topics and genres, this year’s contest has also attracted collectors of miniature books, Blue ray movies, music box discs, vinyl records, and other types. The judging committee had great joy learning so much from this eclectic range of essays.

A second feature that emerges from these essays is how often collecting is about human relationship. Interwoven with their history of collecting “curios” is frequently a story about their treasured relationship with family members, shared memories, experiences, and interests with parents and grandparents, and friendship with like-minded peers and teachers.

The 94th Elmer Adler Undergraduate Book Collecting Prize is awarded to five student collectors this year for their essays that, in the opinion of the judges, have “shown the most thought and ingenuity in assembling a thematically coherent collection of books, manuscripts, or other material normally collected by libraries.”

READ MORE on the Graphic Arts Collection blog.