D. W. Krummel
44: How to Research a Rare Book [L-020]
16-20 July 2001

1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: The readings were helpful. Just orienting myself to the bibliographies on the list was most beneficial. 2: Useful but not essential. 3: Somewhat. 4: I found the list of bibliographies too overwhelming to browse. I wasn't sure what I was really looking for. 5: Good overview of bibliography and specific difficulties that arise. 6: Very useful.

2) Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?

1: YES. My list is now annotated, and will be immensely helpful in the future. 2: Very much so. 3: Very useful. I know that I will refer to the syllabus often. 4: Yes. The list and chart of bibliographies will be a valuable resource. 5: Yes, organized by area (geographically) and it will be useful and easy to access later. 6: They were appropriate and useful to the class and will be appropriate and useful in the future.

3) Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate?

1: It was. 2-4: Yes. So much better than the prep we got in library school. 5: Appropriate to the nature of the topic. 6: Absolutely.

4) If your course had field trips, were they effective?

1: N/A. 2: Very much so. The time spent searching for citations was invaluable. 3-4: N/A. 5: We spent hours in the library tracking down citations. The hands-on was vital to the course. 6: Yes, very well spent.

5) Did the actual course content correspond to its RBS brochure description and Expanded Course Description (ECD)? Did the course in general meet your expectations?

1: Yes, it did. 2-4: Yes. 5: Yes, I think the description was accurate. 6: Yes, perfectly.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: The small size, which resulted in a more personalized course. We received full attention of the professor. It was a very comfortable atmosphere. 2: The information was useful, and the learning atmosphere was friendly and supportive. 3: DK's evaluation of the sources. I enjoyed working on the problem sets and seeing the sources and their quirks. 4: Actually working with so many of the bibliographies. I had heard of many of them before, but I had never had the chance to use them, which is the only way to really understand how they work. 5: Exploring the variety of bibliographies in Alderman library. Getting familiar with non-English sources. 6: I particularly appreciated the thorough coverage and range of sources. It was very helpful to have such a broad range, since my collection covers a variety of topics.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: It would help to have fewer citations on each assignment, allowing us to really delve into the sources. An accompanying sheet of acceptable results for each problem would help -- especially for further study when we return home. 3: I would have liked a little more time to work on the problem sets. 4: Perhaps less time spent in the lists of bibliographies, especially on sources that were not as useful to our searching, and more time spent searching and discussing search methods. 5: By trimming the number of citations (daily problem sets) we were given to verify so as to better learn a manageable number of sources. 6: The titles to be located could be a little less difficult. The point is to be familiar with the source and not to be frustrated in the process.

8) Please comment on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class (e.g. Sunday afternoon tour, Sunday night dinner, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, Video Night, Study Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, printing demonstrations, &c.).

1: The Sunday night dinner is a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow classmates in a relaxed atmosphere. Bookseller's Night was not well organized. 2: The Sunday night dinner provided a good opportunity to get acclimated to RBS and to ease into the regimen. Bookseller's Night was enjoyable and the trolley was very convenient. 3: As before, the week's activities were carefully arranged and enjoyable. I didn't attend all but appreciate having the options available. 4: All were fine. 5: All add value to the RBS experience, especially in terms of getting to know people. 6: The Sunday evening dinner is too expensive. The Tuesday evening Bookseller's Night is appreciated, but some booksellers closed too soon.

9) Did you get your money's worth? Any final thoughts?

1: Absolutely! 2: Yes. 3: Definitely. 4: I was not prepared for how exhausted I would be, or how fun and relaxing the week was. It's like a pleasant vacation at boot camp. 5: Yes, it's always worth the money. 6: The increase in tuition may be necessary, but it is becoming more of a deterrent each year.

Number of respondents: 6

Percentages

Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution gave me leave Institution paid tuition Institution paid housing Institution paid travel
83% 83% 83% 83%
I took vacation time I paid tuition myself I paid for my own housing I paid my own travel
17% 17% 17% 17%
N/A: self-employed, retired, or had summers off N/A: self-employed, retired, or exchange N/A: stayed with friends or lived at home N/A: lived nearby
0% 0% 0% 0%

There were four rare book librarians (66%), one general librarian with some rare book duties (17%), and one general librarian with no rare book duties.


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