Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting Winners Announced

April 22, 2003 -- Harvard students Phoebe Kosman, ‘05, and Roland Lamb, ‘06, have both been awarded first prize in this year’s Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting, sponsored by the Members of the Board of Overseer's Committee to Visit the Harvard University Library. Finding overwhelming merit in both Kosman’s entry, ‘To Arlie’: An Intergenerational Collection of Early 20th Century Boys’ Books, and Lamb’s entry, A Personal Encounter with Philosophy, the jury decided it was appropriate to grant two first place awards. Anna Harkey, ‘04, won third prize for her entry, Out of Thin Air: A Collection of Old Time Radio Books and Memorabilia.

Roland Lamb, Phoebe Kosman, and Anna Harkey are honored for their book collecting efforts.

Students were asked to submit an annotated bibliography and an essay that spoke to issues such as early collecting efforts, influence of mentors, the experience of searching for items, organization and care of items, and future direction of the collection. A total of 19 students declared their intention to enter the competition and eight handed in their work for consideration. The jury consisted of Heather Cole, Librarian of Hilles and Lamont Libraries, Mary Beth Clack, Research Librarian in Widener Library, and Suzanne Kemple, Associate Librarian and Head of Reference in Hilles Library.

The Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting was established in the spring of 1977 to recognize and encourage book collecting by undergraduates at Harvard. Cole, who has coordinated the competition since its inception, annually selects a new jury from among Harvard College Library staff with noted bibliographic expertise.

This story appears courtesy of the Harvard College Library Communications Office
http://hcl.harvard.edu/news/
Copyright © 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College