1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Very good -- the broad, practical suggestions and notes on the specific texts by the instructor were very helpful in selecting important works to read with limited time. 3: I read four of the general surveys JM suggested and am very glad I did. 4: Fine -- not over onerous -- Carter very good introduction to subject and to instructor's viewpoint. 5: Very -- and well-edited so as not to scare one off from the huge topic. 6: Superb reading list. 7: Excellent survey pre-course readings. Very helpful. 8: Very, though difficult to read/absorb all when one works a 75+ hour week, hence absolutely essential texts should be starred whenever possible. 9: Useful. 10: The readings will be more useful after the class. The visual aids in class cleared up many concepts. 11: Useful, but somewhat hard to find. 12: Excellent! 13: The readings were spot on.

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: The syllabus and reading lists are great! A valuable resource for future work. 2: Yes. I would put the various name lists together and mark what the plates were. 3: Quite fantastic. I will consult the workbook's bibliography quite often I'm sure. 4: Excellent -- will be extremely useful in future (bibliography and comments on it; short discussions; slide list). 5: Yes -- extremely -- almost worth, by itself, the price of admission. A great resource for future explanations of the topic. 6: Excellent course book, and other handouts. 7: Useful in class and will be in years to come. 8: Yes. 9: Will be very helpful for me at home. 10: I expect I will consult this annotated reading list and other notes frequently when answering questions about type. 11: Appropriate and useful. 12: Quite useful. 13: Yes.

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

1: The professor may have thought we all had more knowledge than we actually did. The wealth and command of his knowledge was overwhelming for amateurs like me -- but I still learned a lot. It just meant I didn't participate in class as much as I usually do. 2: Yes, very much so. 3: JM was engaging and provocative in such a rich way that I feel confident that for all students, whatever their background, a satisfying link was made. 4: Yes indeed -- directed at just the right pitch for a class of diverse levels and interests. 5: High level, very appropriate. 6: Yes -- and sometimes vertiginous. 7: Yes. 8: Very. Given the complexity of the subject, the overview/summary was nothing short of outstanding. 9: Yes. 10: Yes. A little too lofty at times. 11: Assumed basic knowledge -- appropriate. 12: High! Professional! Good! 13: Yes.

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

1: Yes -- important to view the actual items, after seeing slides and xeroxes and text descriptions. Type cast demo was invaluable. 3: Yes, definitely, though perhaps more time (a whole afternoon or morning?) would have been better. 4: Visit to Special Collections seemed a bit rushed, but of course valuable to see scale of actual objects. Very wise to split class into two sections (therefore, 6-7 per session). 5: Yes, the time was well spent. Although JM's slides are tremendous, there is no substitute for seeing the real thing. 6-9: Yes. 10: Quite. 11: Visit to Special Collections divided class into two groups, one of which stayed in classroom half the time. 12-13: Yes.

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 think we needed a more basic introduction to typography -- doing some letter-drawing might be fun and useful. 2: Yes, it did. 3-4: Yes. 5: Yes, it corresponded very well to its description. 6-10: Yes. 11: Course content as advertised. 12: Yes. 13: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: Teacher's knowledge, great sense of reference materials, humor, other students. Typecasting was great. Also handling type materials, molds, &c. Finally a first-hand view of things. 2: JM knew his topic thoroughly and was able to change the flow as the class questions moved along. 3: Oh, you know, being inspired by an eloquent and charming man who knows an awfully scary much, that kind of thing. 4: It was a rational, deeply considered overview of a complex (and fundamental) subject by an authority who "has it all" at his fingertips (in his fingertips). Most valuable for me. Also appreciated the treatment of the interactions of script and type throughout the period. 5: The instructor's lecturing style, wit, broad range of knowledge. 6: Instructor's grasp of a complex field and ability to draw together many strands into a comprehensive and fascinating narrative. 7: Wealth of material delivered in relaxed atmosphere (really) with perfect match of pre-course readings and excellently useful "workbook." 8: JM's style and breadth of knowledge. 9: Extended period of time covered. Well-illustrated. 10: As usual, the best part is the personal views of a working scholar frankly expressed. 11: Slides and some longer anecdotes. 12: Instructor. Great knowledge and graciousness in communicating it. 13: For someone with minimal experience in the field, it was quite an eye-opener.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: Make it more of a basic course -- emphasize the big names and kinds of type -- leave all the specialized details for an advanced level. 2: Looking at slides and keeping the room so dark was difficult. If the slides could be scanned and copied, it would help. We could take better notes. 3: No significant suggestion besides the above-mentioned longer visit to Special Collections. 5: I would suggest, since JM's points and arguments are so well constructed for such a complex topic, that he not be so encouraging of student's interruptions. 6: Ten days, rather than five, would have been more appropriate to the range of material studied. 7: Two screens and two projectors. Or split screen slides. Far easier for comparison for those of us who are far from experienced with variations of type. 8: Comparative slides viewed at one time would have been very useful/instructive. 11: Turn on lights when slides not being shown. Create handouts that outline "first principles" of identification. Some sessions were rambling -- but once on track, always interesting. 12: Excellent! 13: More labeled examples photocopied and placed in workbook.

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: None. 4: For single sheets in mylar: great to have the mylar as protection, but I continue to be distressed at how many people pick up single leaves of paper with one hand and leaving so-called "divots" in the paper (the old "thumb in the palm" routine). 5: None. 6: The typo examples all have dates on their mylar folders, which makes it impossible to play dating games. 12: Good. 13: Not concerned at all.

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, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, Video Night, Study Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, printing demonstrations, &c.).

1: See #5. Love Bookseller Night, and Sunday night supper. Video Night and lectures could be improved (although I attended both). Didn't get to see the exhibit (due to lawn construction). 2: I always looked forward to the Bookseller Night. However, I did not find much this time in the stores. 4: Study Night a great idea. 5: A very nice balance of activities. The two evening lectures are quite enough. 6: All very pleasant. Lectures good. 7: Appreciated Sunday lecture (rather than Thursday). All outside class activities thoroughly worthwhile. 8: Enjoyed all in which I was able to participate. 9: Variety of enjoyable events -- Monday evening lecture and Rotunda exhibition, plus Sunday afternoon tour especially good. 10: Nothing this year to rival Greer Allen's entertaining lectures. Good stuff, but not Greer. 12: Very good. 13: Fine.

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

1: Yes -- as usual, I had a great time; enjoyed my classmates; profited greatly from both teacher and classmates; good networking. 2: This was a wonderful week! The weather was perfect. My class was extremely well-versed and we covered many topics that had not been part of the professor's original structure and time planning. I am so glad that I was able to come. P.S. The staff and my class were extremely helpful when I had a problem with my medication! Thank you! 3: Do take this. It's a unique opportunity. It's beyond a question of money. 4: Excellent. (People should do the reading beforehand.) 5: A RBS must. 6: Read and understand at least the basic texts, and keep to the subject -- type, lettering and calligraphy -- when asking questions in class. Love the subject, and enjoy! 7: Yes, I got my money's worth, probably more than my money's worth. Typically RBS; I am leaving with overwhelming enrichment and the desperate need to return. 8: Yes [got my money's worth]. 9: Useful and enjoyable. 12: Yes. 13: Got my money's worth.

Number of respondents: 13

There were 7 rare book librarians (53%), 2 general librarians with some rare book duties (15%), 1 antiquarian bookseller (8%), 1 book collector (8%), 1 independent scholar/curator of graphic arts (8%), and one other (8%).

RBS Home