Student bibliophiles honored at Snyder Book Collecting Contest

Nine undergraduate and three graduate finalists were honored, and cash prizes awarded at KU Libraries’ 66th annual Snyder Book Collecting Contest reception April 30 at Watson Library. The contest, established by libraries donor Elizabeth Snyder in 1957, is designed to recognize students' passion for collecting books. 

Cara Broel, an English major from Overland Park, Kan., won first prize in the undergraduate division for her collection, “Children’s Literature: A (Family) History,” featuring titles inspired by her eight-year-old daughter, and a love of books and reading passed down through generations. 

“[My collection] represents the evolution of children’s literature and it also represents the generations of people who, as Fred Rogers would put it, ‘loved her into being’ and the books that they saved and passed down through those generations in the hope that another child in our family would continue to love and read and learn from them. It represents all of our hopes for her and our love of reading and how we hope to pass it on to her.” 

In addition to the opportunity to share a personally meaningful collection, participating in the Snyder contest encouraged a sense of belonging for Broel.  

“I’m a nontraditional student and 20 years older than most of my peers, and it’s a wonderful way of really feeling like a Jayhawk and like I’m part of the KU Community,” she said. 

Emma Russin, a first-year graduate student from Orono, Minn., won first prize in the graduate division for her collection, “Me, My Books, and Mother Earth,” made up of books collected over many years, including a book about killer whales that sparked the beginnings of her interest in the environment as a young person. 

“[Reading that book] made me want to look more into how we look at the world as a whole,” Russin said. “Looking at how we as people have changed the planet that we live on, how we interact with different species, and also how when we change the planet how that affects other people…my collection looks at environmental pollution, animal rights, but also environmental ethics and how we treat social justice in terms of environmentalism.” 

This year was Russin’s second time entering the Snyder contest — she also entered as an undergraduate. 

“I didn’t really know what I was doing, and [my collection] didn’t feel very well rounded,” Russin recalled. “That inspired me to keep on going and do this competition again. And so now I have a collection that is much more well-rounded. It is something that inspired me to pursue graduate work here at KU and now it’s influencing my career as I move forward.” 

Allie Alvis, winner of the Snyder contest in 2012, delivered a keynote address that explored how book collections can represent personal histories and growth, celebrating the experiences collected along with the books. After graduating from KU in 2013, Alvis went on to graduate school in Scotland, studying the history of the book and information management and digital preservation. They have worked at the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives in Washington D.C. in special collections, and as a cataloger for a rare bookseller before becoming the Curator of Special Collections at Winterthur Library. Alvis shares books from Winterthur and their personal collection through social media, with 210,000 followers on Instagram.  

“Allie is a wonderful example of the magic that can happen when you follow your own curiosity and find joy in learning, and they also help create those experiences for others, making rare books accessible to everyone,” said Beth Whittaker, Associate Dean of Distinctive Collections and Director of Spencer Research Library.  

Christian Due, a senior studying Italian and speech language hearing from Gardner, Kan., and also a former Snyder winner, returned to help judge the competition this year. Due’s 2022 winning entry highlighted the history, culture, and language of Rosello, Italy, the hometown of his extended family.   

“It feels great [to return to the contest]. It reminded me a lot of when I won,” Due said. “The contest was really something that helped solidify [Italian language and culture] as a special interest and passion of mine. A lot of the books in that collection ended up helping me out in my honors thesis for my Italian major. Being here again just made me think about how instrumental this contest was, and how I really hope this contest is going to have that same effect on people who participated this year.” 

Second place in the undergraduate division was awarded to Stevie Silverman for “Shelves Aflame with Rock ‘n’ Roll: Examining Rock through Nonfiction and Academic Literature.” Weston Curnow received Honorable Mention in the undergraduate division for “Looking Out My Backdoor: Memories of Home and Homecoming.” 

Second place in the graduate division went to Max Griffel for “Love Across the Ages: Well Loved Poetry.” Audra Ernst was awarded Honorable Mention in the graduate division for “Personal Growth, One Book at a Time.” 

Each winner received a cash prize and a gift card from contest co-sponsor Jayhawk Ink. Cash awards are made possible by an endowment fund created by Mrs. Snyder. First place winners in each division are eligible to compete in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest, which awards a top prize of $2,500.