1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Very useful. 2: Helpful for background material and as list to consult when doing research in the future. 3: Very useful. Some of them NOT at my institution so could not consult in advance. 4: Extremely useful. 5: Very useful. 6: The reading list was very useful in providing focus and background before arrival in Charlottesville and RBS. 7: Very useful, and the bibliography will remain useful for several years to come. 8: Some very, others not at all for this specific course. But all were applicable to printing history, which was helpful for general background. 10: Very. 11: I found the pre-course readings gave a good overview for the class.

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

1-2: Yes. 3: Yes -- useful in class and afterwards. 4: Yes they were, and I look forward to making even greater use of them in the future. 5: Very useful. 6: Yes, very useful. 7-9: Yes. The reading list will be very helpful, and the syllabus described the topics in a way that will help refresh the memory after. 10: Yes -- having bibliographies on the Web is a great help. 11: Course syllabus was good. Little other material was distributed.

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

1: Yes. 2: Yes. We saw many kinds of material and learned a great deal from the instructor about printing and the history of ephemera. 3: Yes. 4: Yes, entirely. 5: Entirely appropriate. 6-7: Yes. 8: Yes. Very. 9: Yes. The questions asked were difficult and thought-provoking. 10: Yes. 11: Very! The instructor did a great job encouraging the exchange of ideas, and the students responded.

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

1: Very well spent indeed. 2: Yes. We saw many different examples of ephemera and learned about collecting ephemera. 3: Most definitely. Cal Otto's collection and his hospitality were very much appreciated. 4: Very well spent, if a little long. 5: Superbly well spent = two trips to CO's collection/home. 6: Very well spent. Seeing CO's collections helped nail down the American side of the ephemeral equation. It provided hands-on experience relevant to the course. 7: It was very valuable. 8: Yes. Absolutely. Invaluable. Enjoyable. 9-10: Yes. 11: Extremely 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?

1-11: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: Hands-on work discussing production processes. Discussion of items in historical context. 2: The background instruction in printing methods. 3: The instructor; the instructor's excellent lectures with slides. A good group of people attending -- lots of different viewpoints presented. The opportunity for "show and tell" by participants. 4: The instructor and his lectures and slides. 5: There were many things to enjoy: the instructor's depth of knowledge, the variety of experience and sincerity of interest brought to class by the attendees, the course material and instruction. But BEST -- a sense of kindness, cooperation and goodwill among all in the class. I think the instructor deserves credit for this splendid atmosphere. 6: The interest and breadth of knowledge brought to the course by the instructor as well as other members of the course. The intense discussion helped to clarify a number of points -- it was very useful to my work. 7: The originality of the subject; the range of materials presented (slides to documents); the clarity and pertinence of the teaching; MT's extraordinary mastery of the subject and ability to order and communicate an approach to the subject which was both theoretical and immensely practical. 8: Its variety. We learned about processes of printing, history of ephemera via specific case studies, and saw countless examples from slides and actual artifacts. Discussion was interesting as well. 9: Encouragement to contribute to the conversation; the teacher's openness to hear the students' opinions on the topic. 10: MT's knowledge and ability to convey it. 11: a) Having a recognized expert teaching the course. b)Interactions with other members of the class. c) Seeing CO's collection and having his input. d) Teacher's good humor. e) Fantastic slides.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: N/A. 2: More information on the ways libraries and museums collect and organize ephemera. Also handouts with information -- names and addresses of organizations, websites, libraries and museums specializing in ephemera. 3: Even though this was the first time MT has taught this course, it was excellent. 4: Only to have a sequel! 5: Two weeks! 6: There could have been more ephemera from the United States. 7: By inventing a 28-hour day! 8: More time! In another week we could've covered printing processes more in depth (e.g. photogravure), more American material and spent more time discussing terminology and cataloguing practices. How about a part II?? 9: As the course was taught in modules, possibly some could be tailored to the particular group attending each session to offer more of a variety in the realm of ephemera. 11: It was perfect! I wonder what you will do when you don't have access to CO's collection in the future.

8) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the RBS 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: N/A. 4: Everyone was respectful of the materials. 5: No suggestions. 6: Some of the materials should have been backed with board -- specifically the large chromo sheets from Germany of 59 each. 9: Gloves. 11: None. Class members were very careful in handling the materials.

9) 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:Greer Allen lecture a great treat -- other activities enjoyable as usual. 2: Always stimulating. 3: I'm always too tired in the evenings to do much. 4: I wish the evening lecture would start earlier (the amount of time between end of class and start of lecture seems awkward to me). All the booksellers were charming hosts and Gilliam's ham biscuits and other refreshments were a special treat. 5: Highest quality all 'round. 6: The bookstores in the community are just amazing, as were the lectures. 7: The atmosphere was extremely welcoming and stimulating. 8: GA's Monday lecture was really enjoyable -- smart enough but not too taxing. Bookseller's Night was also good, but being open later would've been even better. 9: One lecture. Interesting and not too long. Perhaps it should start at 5:30 so the reception would not go into dinner time as much. 10: Always pleasant [Bookseller Night].11: I would have liked another lecture of the quality of GA's.

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

1: Definitely got my money's worth. I enjoyed learning about other participants' collections and seeing examples from them, so would recommend people taking the course to contribute this way if possible. 3: This course will greatly enlarge anyone's conception of the rich field of ephemera! It's also astounding to learn that collections of ephemera are likely to exist in many, many repositories -- private and public, large and small. 4: I certainly got my money's worth, although I didn't find the main text (Encyclopedia of Ephemera) in time to read it before class. I recommend doing that if possible before class. It was also helpful to me to have had the [RBS] History of Lithography course before this one. 5: I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's one of my best RBS experiences. I got much more than my money's worth. 7: a. Don't hesitate. b. It was worth every penny -- and would have been even if I had paid for it out of my own pocket. 8: MT's course was terrific, and he should teach it again. He clearly put in much thought and effort, and we were rewarded. Five stars! 9: This is a great intro course. It is really more about exposure to the materials and to raise questions about the topic. This course will not solve your problems, so don't expect that. It will give you the relevant questions which need to be decided by each person or institution. 11: Yes [got my money's worth]. Don't miss the opportunity of taking a course from MT. He's a fantastic teacher!

Total number of responses: 11

There were seven rare book librarians (64%), one archivist/manuscript librarian, one general librarian with some rare book duties, one museum employee (but not in a museum library) and one book-collector (9% each).

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