1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Very useful. 2: Good, but became easier to understand as the class progressed. 3: Pre-course readings were important to me as they were explained and broadened during the class. 4: The pre-course readings were very helpful, and I would suggest expanding in the future. 5: Relevant areas of TEI Guidelines could have been specified since they are so voluminous. 6: Very useful -- I would only add a note in future to tell students what is more important, what less. 7-8: Very. 9: Very useful. 10: Very. 11: 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)?

1-2: Yes. 3: They probably will be more useful when I return home; I think that care was taken to help us continue learning after the course. 4: I always want more handouts. I would highly suggest a more organized packet of hand-outs to take away. 5: There were no 2001 materials available prior to the course -- I referred only to 2000 reading list, &c. 6: They were all useful, though the detailed TEI guidelines I needn't have printed out and brought along -- but that was perhaps my mistake. 7-11: Yes.

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

1: I believe managers and systems people benefitted from it more than I did as a beginner. But the course is very informative. 2: Yes - extremely well-presented, so that students from varied backgrounds all benefitted. 3: Yes. 4: I think the level was very appropriate; I only became lost a little on the first day after lunch. 5: Yes. 6: To me, it was. 7-11: Yes.

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

1: Yes. 2: Yes, very important time spent with scanners. 3: Yes. 4: Yes, I think the little field trip put the practical spin to the class. Very helpful. 5: Yes. 6: It certainly was. 7-10: Yes. 11: Mostly.

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?

1-3: Yes. 4: Content corresponded very well. 5: Yes. 6: Yes, to a dot. 7-10: Yes. 11: I think so, yes!

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: The introduction/definition of terms and general explanations. 2: The instructor's command of the material and ability to express the individual issue/items in the context of the big picture and historical context. 3: I found that there was an emphasis on learning rather than perfection and this helps me to learn more easily, i.e. the "projects" were not overemphasized. 4: The hands-on practical creations of e-documents. 5: Helpful, mission-critical content; unflagging enthusiasm of teacher; level of interest of fellow participants. 6: Apart from the expertise and enthusiasm of the teacher, the fact that we had a lot of theory, and could apply this to an actual text. You had the idea that this was all about much more than some game for computer nerds. 7: Working with letters from the collection. 8: DS -- his knowledge, ability to communicate effectively, and enthusiasm. He was able to convey a great deal of information (that was new to students) in a very understandable, clear manner. 9: Clarity and enthusiasm of the instructor. 10: I liked the combining of lecture/question with the significant amount of hands-on work. And of course, DS is great -- cheerful, enthusiastic, willing to answer all of our many questions. 11: 1) Enthusiastic, knowledgeable and articulate instructor. 2) Practical work -- sense of achievement in actually marking up real document.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: Instead of transcribing letters, we could have taken the time to get our hands on other documents much more. The last morning (Fri.) ran too fast with important corrections that we could have done/made ourselves if we had had the time. 2: Longer? We all wanted more experience with what we were learning. 3: The room where the course was held was airless, noisy, and hardly lit. A new room would help. 4: More handouts and have the handouts more organized in a big packet. 5: Ventilation in room. 6: That would be difficult, I think. 7: Please offer a follow-up. 9: Follow-up -- advanced course. 10: Nothing comes to mind. 11: Better room!

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. 2: It was splendid to have actual materials 100's of years old to scan. 5: People had ink pens in proximity to original book pages we were scanning. 6: N/A. 11: N/A.

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: Very good, especially Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday needs to be more advertised (?). The opportunity to meet people is priceless. 2: Very well organized evening options. I especially enjoyed the speech on Monday night. 4: I really enjoyed the Sunday night dinner, and the Bookseller Night was a big hit. However, if possible move the lecture back to 6:30 for those of us who enjoy a bit of exercise. 5: I don't enjoy the cocktail party environment engendered by size of room used for social functions, number of people. I did enjoy getting to know people in my class and neighbors at the hotel. 6: They really contributed to the community atmosphere -- this is a school, not just a bunch of isolated classes. 7: Sunday night dinner and talk were wonderful. 8: All excellent. 9: Very good. 10: All very nice, though I skipped the Thursday evening videos. I especially liked the Wednesday evening Study Night. The Sunday dinner was not particularly great for vegetarians, as the the main veggie dishes (pasta and potato salad) were both starches, but it was tasty. 11: Very, but missed videos!

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

1: It was worth it, but if the candidate already works with XML it's much better (or if he/she is involved somehow with the subject). 2: You definitely get your money's worth. Anyone interested in XML digital library issues will benefit from this course. 3: The course was extremely useful for me on a practical level. It gave me many ideas on how to handle problems in my job. 4: 1) Reading of pre-course materials is very helpful and a good class prep. 2) HTML or other coding experience is a great help in understanding the course. 5: Yes [got my money's worth]. 6: Prepare well, don't arrive exhausted, for you will need to be able to stay alert for hours on end -- it's great fun but it takes a lot out of you. I certainly got my money's worth! 7: A wonderful class; DS is a great instructor. 8: Excellent class, very worthwhile. 9: Yes [got my money's worth]. I've never seen SGML explained so clearly. 10: Yes [got my money's worth]. 11: Certainly [got my money's worth]!

Number of respondents: 11

There were three rare book librarians (28%), two conservator/binder/preservation librarians (18%), one archivist/manuscript librarian, one general librarian with some rare book duties, one teacher/professor, one digital projects manager in a university library, one person working in e-publishing, and one computer specialist (9% each).

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