Hecht and Colclasure submit award-winning entries.

Each year the UCR Library’s hosts the Adam Repán Petko Student Book Collection Competition to encourage students in reading, as well as in the creation of their own personal libraries and book collections. The collection’s submitted this year showcase the diversity of student interests and represented a wide array of topics from children’s literature, fantasy, and historical fiction to political biographies, social organizations, and renowned women authors. 

Tikva Hecht took first place in in the graduate division for “Books I’ve Held On To: Stories and Poems from my Childhood.” Through the use of captivating descriptions Hecht was able to illustrate the distinct patterns and shared impressionistic illustrations woven throughout her collection and its underlying theme of “displacement.” Hecht's collection provides a brief glimpse into her childhood and the imaginary journeys that have influenced her writing.

Carol Colclasure was awarded the top prize in the undergraduate division for her entry “Works of Wonderful Women.” Colclasure’s collection featured an extensive number of books on the topics of female liberation and intellectualism that she began collecting at a very young age. These early bibliophilic endeavors have led Colclasure to a literary life as well, through her current studies in literature and writing.

The winners of the 2015 Adam Repán Petko Student Book Collection Competition were honored at a ceremony held in Special Collections & University Archives on May 14, 2015 where they were presented with an award certificate by University Librarian, Steven Mandeville-Gamble. All entrants were also presented with a book, courtesy of the UC Press, that closely matched their collection’s topical area. Dr. Edward C. Petko, the competition’s benefactor, provided brief remarks for the winners as well as their fellow entrants to close the ceremony. Hecht and Colclasure, as winners of this competition, will both be eligible to compete in the upcoming National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. 

For more information on the annual Adam Repán Petko Student Book Collection Competition please visit our website.