1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Those that I could locate and read -- extremely helpful. 2: Very useful. 3: The pre-course reading list was thoughtfully selected and offered a good prep. Perhaps a suggestion can be made to study the terminology of grains before arriving to the class. 4:Very useful. 5: They were very useful, giving broad background information as well as specific vocabulary. 6: Very useful. 7: I read more about the English books -- these materials were easier to get. The course covered mainly American bindings. 8: Very! I read them all and it really helped. 9: Very useful. 10: They provided good introduction. 11: Readings were very 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: Most appropriate and useful -- now and in the future. 2: There was no syllabus but it would have been useful to have one. Other materials very useful. 3: The workbook is great and I'm sure will prove valuable in the future. A brief schedule for the week, particularly since we moved around, would have been a nice addition. 4: Useful. 5: No syllabus, but the lengthy bibliography will be a benefit as I learn more and for when I need reference works, &c. 6: Yes, will be even more useful at home to help train other staff. 7: Yes. 8: No syllabus (which turned out OK). Other materials will prove quite helpful. 9: Extremely useful. 10: Yes and yes. 11: Yes on both counts. 12: Yes.

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

1: Absolutely. SA raised the level of our thinking as well as our consciousness about books and their bindings. 2: Yes. 3: Appropriately high. 4: Yes. 5: Yes. I learned a lot -- with the readings beforehand I felt prepared -- it wasn't over my head. 6-8: Yes. 9: Perfectly. 10: Yes, SA started with general introduction and moved on to more specialized and in-depth topics. 11-12: Yes.

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

1: Our visit to Special Collections especially memorable. What a treat to be able to feast our eyes upon all the landmark volumes pulled out for our attention. Also enjoyed working in the Rotunda. 2: Yes, absolutely. 3: Extremely well-spent. Perhaps one less visit to the Rotunda -- or the opportunity to look at the other students' descriptions of their selected bindings. 4: Yes. 5: Seeing many books helped solidify what we had seen on slides. I felt the time at the Rotunda and at Special Collections was well spent. 6: Very, although again, too much to see in too little time. 7: Yes. 8: Yes. The Rotunda sessions and the Special Collections session were among the course highlights. 9: Extremely well spent. 10: Yes. 12: Yes. The sessions in the Rotunda to describe and discuss books were especially so.

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. 2: Please provide course descriptions during the evaluations. 3-7: Yes. 8: Perfectly. 9-12: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: SA! She succeeded in providing her students with another pair of eyes with which to view bindings -- and highlighted many aspects of the book which one might otherwise overlook or ignore. Her genuineness, warmth, humor, and passion for her subject comes through constantly. She has the characteristics of all great teachers -- the ability to transfer her excitement and enthusiasm for her field to others. 2: SA's teaching method -- divided between slide lectures, class instruction, and examples, and student hands-on experience. 3: The knowledge and personality of the instructor. 4: The teacher's love and enthusiasm for the course material made it come alive. 5: I liked SA's enthusiasm and I liked that some history of the era was brought in during class as well. 6: SA's enthusiasm for the subject. She is obviously quite knowledgeable about the materials, but also manages to convey her love of them to the class. 7: The enthusiasm which SA constantly displays. And the deep knowledge of her subject!! 8: Hearing all the things SA knows. 9: The clear presentation using excellent slides and examples. 10: SA, and the books, of course. SA is a treasure. 11: The combination of visual information as well as lectures. If we weren't looking at real books, we were looking at slides. The constant reinforcement of visual materials is invaluable. 12: The combination of lectures, examining examples, the instructor's incredible broad and deep knowledge of the subject.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: I love the bindings but do not view them as an isolated part of the book. To me they are inextricably bound up with their publishers, as well as designer, &c. A glossary of terms would be welcome. Perhaps a set of clothbound boards with various grains could be assembled for study -- similar to the set of clothbound boards through the decades. Biggest frustration for me was not always knowing the place of publication, publishers, and date of a title. Certainly the long slips in the books could have provided this bibliographical information. 2: I would have liked a little more time devoted to English books -- particularly because so much of the reading was about them. 3: Pitch-perfect course. SA's assistance was a great thing. 4: It is the best course I have taken in a long time -- no improvements recommended. 5: It was great just as it was. 6: Like most RBS classes, only by being longer. 7: There should be another course, or, more information on English and Continental binding. 8: The room got a little stuffy. 9: More air in the classroom. 10: Make it longer. 11: Nothing comes immediately to mind.

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: We were instructed as to the proper handling of books, and plus, since this is a responsible and respectful group -- it would have been preferred if we could have opened books to their title pages at least. 2: No suggestions. Books were handled with care. 3: No suggestions. 4: It was carefully handled. We were cautioned about care of the materials. 6: Perhaps provision of small foam wedges to help support books in the baskets. Sometimes the feature we needed to see was the spine or in an opening, not just on the front or back. 8: None. SA was a great "book police." 11: I was impressed with the degree of care of 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: Enjoyed the special activities -- wished we had the opportunity to hear more evening lectures (i.e. in lieu of Video Night). 2: Bookseller Night -- good, but some dealers in the brochure were not open. 3: All quite enjoyable. 4: I enjoyed them all and participated in all of the offerings. 5: Bookseller Night was very enjoyable. 6: Again, just never enough time. 7: Enjoyable and delightfully social. 8: Good as always. The free trolley is a great plus for Bookseller Night. 9: I especially enjoyed Bookseller Night. 10: Dinner fine, lecture a tad dry, Bookseller Night ok, but some booksellers were unaware RBS was going on and some closed early. 11: Another lecture instead of Video Night would be great. 12: Fine.

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

1: Yes! 2: Yes. A very worthwhile course -- both for professionals and book enthusiasts. 3: Best bargain. 4: Yes -- Reading the required material is so important. 5: Yes. 6: Apply now. 7: This was one of the best things I have done for myself!! Loved it!! 8: Yes -- $ worth. Advice -- read the advance reading. 9: Yes. I got my money's worth! Please remind students a week or so beforehand to bring show and tell. 10: Yes. 11: I'm very satisfied -- the course was excellent, content, delivery, handouts, everything was very well done. 12: Yes!

Number of respondents: 12

There were six rare book librarians (50%), two general librarians with some rare book duties (17%), one full time student (8%), one conservator, binder, or preservation librarian (8%), and two book collectors (17%).

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