1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Not necessary as in pre-requisite, but I was very glad to have read them nonetheless. 2: I suspect more useful afterwards. They arrived a week or two before the course -- perhaps a mention of "the ignorance" factor TB spoke of Sun pm would take the pressure off and allow one to be more rested when arriving, instead of trying to cram it all in beforehand. 3: The pre-course readings were most helpful for background, but because most of the books had to be acquired through ILL there was not enough time to go through them all -- I'd like to have the list sent earlier. 4: Very. Had I not covered some, the details would have come very slowly. But the list holds many ideas, too, for further reading, context evaluation, &c. 5: Very useful. 6: Received reading list 5 weeks prior to course. Two weeks' vacation in this period, and managed only to read 50% of material -- all useful. 7: Was familiar with all but two, but those were quite informative in background info. 8: The readings were substantive, excellent, but perhaps it might be possible in the future to suggest (or have available) some of the titles at time of application. It's difficult to find the time to read as much as one would like between acceptance and beginning of class. 9: Great. Good to have read material. At least some. Didn't get it all read. 10: Very useful for background info. since I knew little about the subject. 11: All of the readings were helpful. 12: 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: Absolutely useful. 2: The materials were terrific; I shall refer to them often and hang the timeline over my bench. 3: The materials will be invaluable for further study. 4: Yes, both in class and after. And additions could be made from other materials discussed during the week. And it was so current with just-off-the-press material, too. 5: No syllabus; outline of some sort would have [been] helpful. 6: The bibliography will be very useful in the future. 7: Yes. 8: Excellent. 10: Yes. 11: Yes, for both. 12: The course materials will be very useful when I get back.

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

1: Yes. Very rich, but no assumptions about previous knowledge that was not fully justified. 2: Very much so. 3: Absolutely. 4: Excitingly so, with sources from the "Great Bibliographers" and a scholar before you at work so that you feel as though you are hearing the latest discoveries -- and even helping to make a few in class at times. 5: Yes, indeed. 6: Just right. 7-8: Yes. 9: Yes. It was just right for the students of this class that had a variety of backgrounds. 10: Yes. 11: Entirely, and what a load! 12: Right on the money!

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

1: Our "trips," prepped by in-class slides and lectures, were the jewels of the class. They brought the information to life. 2: The trips to the Rotunda (nice that it was thrice and not once) and Special Collections were very helpful, for the hands on and critiquing experience (and daylight!) 3: The visit to Special Collections and the Rotunda were essential to our study of these books, for they presented a broader picture than we could have gotten otherwise. 4: Thoroughly. Classroom material was of a high quality but seeing landmark works in as-issued form contributed significantly. 5: Of the highlights of the course, this ranks on top. 6: Classes held in the Rotunda were very instructive. 7: I think the back and forth to the Rotunda may have been a bit "inefficient" in re: use of time but understand that scheduling was probably an issue. 8: Yes -- seeing the actual books talked about in class and handling books appropriate to the period was its own learning experience, a valuable aspect to the course. 9: It was fun to touch and discover in the Rotunda. 10: Yes -- very useful to see other books in the other collections. 11: Extremely. 12: Definitely.

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, but I was somehow expecting more on the preservation of publishers' bindings. This may have been wishful thinking. Actually, the information covered will go far toward informing preservation decisions. 2-3: Yes. 4: Yes -- filling your promises and my dreams! 5-10: Yes. 11: Right on target. 12: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: SA's enthusiasm and vivid, clear use of language! She was also willing to consider new ideas and tactful with students who really weren't on the right track or didn't see something. Oh yeah, I more than learned what I was hoping to -- I became a convert! 2: SA, naturally. She is a treasure! and presents the material in a very warm, accessible and exciting manner. I love the words she chooses -- they are elegant, clear and spot on -- her enthusiasm of the subject is absolutely infectious. 3: SA's experience and scholarship coupled with her organization and finely produced slides, made the course valuable, understandable and enjoyable. 4: Both the marvelously rich materials (books, bookmaking material, illustrations, slides) and the experienced, well-prepared, patient scholar-teacher who makes it all work together -- and she's even better than I had heard. 5: SA, of course. 6: SA's gentle command of the subject matter. The BAP collection is a great support in this class. 7: SA's boundless enthusiasm for the field. Despite the thousands of covers/books she has examined, she still is able to express joy and surprise at seeing another. She is very supportive of others' work in the field and extremely generous with her time and knowledge. 8: SA's depth (and breadth) of knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject. She communicates clearly the essence of whatever aspect of the subject she treats. Her appreciation of and alertness to a myriad of details -- cloth, binder, engraver, &c. suggest how to approach and learn from the book itself. 9: The teacher, SA, was delightful! She knows her subject well and was able to teach us so we should be able to recognize any c19 cloth binding and date it accurately. She was well organized and her slides were well done. The variety of backgrounds of the class members also contributed to this class's success. 10: SA! Her enthusiasm for the subject is infectious. 11: Thoroughness, attention to detail, intellectual command of the subject, all with good cheer. 12: SA. All the books available for examination.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: This is, of course, gilding the lily, but in addition to our "sample" books by decade, it would have been nice to see 10 or so books from each decade turned front cover out. 2: Can't really imagine how. 3: I can think of no way the course could have been better -- SA was a joy as a teacher and our class was a pleasure to work with. 4: Time-travel -- a careen back to the binderies of the c19 so that we could see, up close and personal, how it all was done. (But I'm not sure I really want to try that rabbithole.) 5: Handouts re: course content (just a few). 6: Perfect as is. 7: Perhaps a short session or readings to give those unfamiliar with the history of leather/gold tooling design a sense of how the cloth designs were linked to these earlier. 8: I'm not sure the course could be improved but wonder given the ground covered if it might be possible to break out late bindings and offer a course through 1800s and then another through 1920. 9: Excellent class! 10: Not sure I quite have grasp on the diff. between Eng. and Am. bindings -- but I'll keep looking and reading. 11: Well-honed!

8) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the BAP's teaching collections and of materials owned by UVa's Special Collections. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?

1: I was surprised that we weren't encouraged to wash our hands after breaks. I watched several people who ate and later, albeit carefully, handled material we were allowed to touch. Admittedly, the sink is in an awkward location. 2: Line the bottom (underside) of the bamboo trays -- sometimes people stack them on top of other trays (with items in them). 3: Carefully done, with the baskets used for passing materials a great idea. 4: More cradles, so that medium-rare books can be looked at without the boards flopping open to 180 as they are prone to do. 6: None. 7: I believe all materials were carefully and respectfully handled in BAP and SC. (Though SC needs to address some items housed in slipcases). 8: It's useful for students to really handle some of the books and perhaps it might be possible to have more of those. 9: I can't think of an improvement here. Everything is so well organized. 11: Students in this course all seemed to know how to properly handle the material.

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

1: I enjoyed it all and made a point to participate in everything. The Vade Mecum has the wrong page number in the evening activities for the explanation of the booksellers (35 not 27). 2: I enjoyed all of it -- the variety was pleasant and like that it was optional. One suggestion -- to have evening activities (except for Sun. and Tues.) begin 7/7:30 to allow one to eat dinner and catch breath before rushing on to next event. 3: The Sunday tour was informative and enjoyable; the Sunday Night dinner a good introduction to everyone; the evening lectures excellent; the Bookseller night expensive because of books bought and the Rotunda exhibition worth the several times, exclusive of class, I took to go through it. It would be nice to have our name tags put on strings so our clothing is not damaged by pins. 4: I couldn't make them all (work requires some evening and weekend time, too). Still I've never wasted a minute at any of them -- and the staff are so helpful and gracious about helping you make the most of these opportunities! Their work makes a huge difference at every stage. 5: I enjoyed all I took part in -- there didn't seem to be enough time to do it all, would have liked to attend study night -- this is a great idea. 6: Did not find the evening activities very substantial. I would have enjoyed hand-press printing demo and tour of the Alderman Etext Center -- unaware that these were offered. 7: I was glad to see the BAP collections available for 'study night' and look forward to using them again in future. 8: I enjoyed all the activities. 9: Would have liked the hand-press printing demonstrations. 10: I loved RBS study night -- Sunday dinner was a good introduction -- I didn't feel I had enough time Tues. night to see many booksellers. 11: All worthwhile.

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

1: I did not know enough before the class to select items from my collection for show-and-tell, which we were asked to do. Don't know how that could have been different. I absolutely got my money's worth and my institution spent its money well, also. 2: It gets rather warm and stuffy in this room in the afternoons. Definitely got my money's worth -- loved it, loved it, loved it! Advice? Take it (the class)! 3: I would highly recommend the course and thought it worth every penny of my own money, for I shall use the knowledge gained from this time on. 4: a.) Don't put it off -- the sooner the better! b.) In multiples! 5: Highly recommended -- worth the money and Thomas Jefferson too. 6: 1.) Try to get hold of the reading list well in advance of the course and read, look, read ... come well rested. [The advance reading lists for all RBS courses are available on the BAP's Web site.] 2.) Yes [got my money's worth]. 7: Yes. 8: Do it! A great resource -- RBS -- a worthwhile experience meeting the faculty and fellow students in combination with the actual class learning. A unique forum (Thank you to all for a great week). 9: I recommend this class to anyone with an interest in book history. You come away with much excitement about the subject. I can hardly wait to get to my own library collection and more book stores to test my new knowledge. Can't wait to share my enthusiasm. 10: Yes, definitely. 11: Highly recommended for anyone interested in c19 books. 12: The more people that can take this class, the better the professions (librarians, book collectors, book dealers) will be.

Number of respondents: 12

There were four conservator/binder/preservation librarians (33%), three antiquarian booksellers (25%), two rare book librarians (17%), one general librarian with some rare book duties, one book dealer, and one retiree working on a collection (8.3% each).

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