1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Somewhat useful. 2: Generally good. Probably more than necessary. R. Cave text seems out of date, but there may be nothing more appropriate. 3: Extremely useful for some much needed background information in my situation. 4: Very useful. They were clearly carefully selected and served the dual purpose of introducing themes relevant to the course and giving all members of the class a common body of knowledge from which to draw. This was particularly relevant, as we are from quite different institutions and backgrounds. 5: Very -- good overview that we could then build on and not waste time with basics. 6: Quite useful -- well- chosen, not too many, and not duplicative. 7: Fairly useful in order to get our discussions off the ground. 8: Very helpful. 9: The pre-course reading gave an excellent introduction as one who had better knowledge of the subject. 10: Very excellent. I am relieved that they were important since I cleared my calendar to read the class materials. I have two stacks of things to get back to now that this is finished. 11: Moderately useful/relevant to class directly -- very interesting, however, on the whole. 12: Useful in bringing me up to date in what's happening in the field.

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: Materials distributed were appropriate. Particularly the bibliography will be very useful at home -- Lots of material to add to our reference collection -- Hope there will be time to read it ! 2: Yes, very helpful. Got what the syllabus promised, many key "reprints" included, and many additional resources listed in bibliography. 3: As a student, the bibliographies, especially those items which have been starred throughout the course, will be invaluable. 4: Yes -- useful both during the course and will undoubtedly be useful afterwards -- particularly the bibliographies. 5: Course booklet will be very useful for reference -- the bibliography is extensive. 6: Very much so -- both now and in the future. 7: Yes, the information provided was wonderful and will be very useful. 8: Yes. The bibliography included will be of continued use. 9: Yes. 10: Yes. Definitely plan to use materials later. 11: Very useful in and out of class -- course booklet and materials will be reference item at work! 12: Yes.

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

1: Yes, the intellectual level has been a delight. 2: Yes. 3: Given my situation, at times I was at a loss because I have a limited amount of experience from which to draw. (Something, of course, I will have to work towards.) 4: Absolutely. 5: Yes. 6: Perfect. Instructor did an excellent job pitching content to our level ... esp. challenging because we had such diverse backgrounds. 7: Yes, very much so. 8- 9: Yes. 10: Yes. Very challenging. 11- 12: Yes.

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

1: Yes. 2: Yes, visiting Special Collections was time well spent. 3: Excellent field trip! 4: Yes. 5: Very well spent, though I would have liked a little more time in the SC department. 6: First visit to UVa Special Collections was extremely worthwhile. Second visit was mixed ... interesting to hear about building project but public services info ran a bit long.7: Yes, it gave us an idea of what other collections are struggling with, how they handle their collections. 8: Yes -- great -- very helpful. Thanks to the Special Collections director and librarian! 9: Yes, we were able to see the actual materials on shelves and able to ask questions of the staff. 10: Yes. Many concepts discussed in class arose in the talks and tour. 11: Yes -- very valuable "field trips." 12: 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: Pretty well. 2: Yes. 3: As much as our limited time here in class allowed for. 4-5: Yes. 6: Absolutely. 7- 9: Yes. 10: Very good correspondence. 11: Yes -- course and instructor very well-suited to each other and class as a group. 12: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: It was fabulous to listen to the question and comments of people from other, widely-varied institutions. 2: AS clearly very knowledgeable and articulate about both the practical and theoretical components of Special Collections. She also has a very user-centric approach which I greatly appreciate. Active engagement of students in discussion good for all. 3: From a non-professional point of view, I truly enjoyed listening to all the varied positions and the issues associated with individual institutions. 4: AS is a marvelous teacher: knowledgeable, organized, articulate, and personable. She has a most impressive ability to evoke interesting comments from the members of the class and to recall pertinent comments and experiences subsequently. She made each of us feel valued and intelligent. This is a remarkable quality that simply cannot be taught. 5: The content was comprehensive, up to date and very relevant to my needs. Probably the best thing was AS -- her intelligence and teaching ability made the course even better than I hoped for. 6: Instructor! She was great -- content was well-chosen and she facilitated discussion expertly. Also a very warm and generous person who went out of her way to answer individual questions and concerns. 7: Ability to discuss various questions/problems raised by different institutions. Also the hands-on approach with field trips. 8: The instructor -- her willingness to share her personal knowledge, experiences, and institutional practices. 9: AS was a wonderful instructor with a good wit and depth of knowledge on the subject. She kept a good pace and allowed for much discussion on each issue. 10: Survey nature. Lack of requirement for previous knowledge or experience. 11: The opportunity to share with others and hear about programs, ideas, &c. in other libraries. 12: Great discussion among colleagues and expertly directed and refocused by AS.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: Perhaps it could take place over a two week period and include some hands-on experience -- applying the concepts? 2: I would drop the student presentations and the associated use of class time for preparation. I would rather spend the time getting into greater depth on some of the topics covered. I would also like to see more hands-on, like on Monday finding entries for texts in relevant bibliographies. Supporting materials and supplies would also help otherwise oral explanations, particularly on the "tools of the trade" and conversation overviews. 3: Not a stranger to hard work, I wished we could have had more of an "applications" element involved, so that those of us new to special collections could learn from all levels. 4: I can't think of anything. 5: Though the projects presented by the participants were interesting, I felt that time was lost where AS could have been teaching or we could have been in the SC department of UVa. 6: Really the only thing is that student presentations went on too long. Perhaps next time, instructor could emphasize the time limits a bit more, and students could be a bit more mindful of time limits. That said, presentations and the discussions they engendered were very worthwhile ... just a bit too long. 7: At this time I don't have any suggestions. 8: Less time spent on students' projects and anecdotal information so more time could be spent on some topics that were rushed. 9: My discussion about conservation issues. 10: Honestly, not sure since I am really new to the topic. 11: N/A.

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: I think we did fine with this. 2: There were no cradles in the room or explanation of best methods of handling, for those of us new to rare books. 3: No suggestion in this situation. 5: No problems. 7: No suggestions; everything was handled well. 8: No suggestions -- seemed ok. 9: None. 10: Seemed fine to me. 11: N/A -- I think all worked well.

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's lecture was superb! Downtown and trolley ride were also great -- good relaxation opportunity. 3: I found the Bookseller Night to be most enjoyable as well as informative. Also the lectures were entertaining and educational. I was unable to attend Video Night. 4: I missed the tour and was working on my presentation Thursday. I loved the lectures, and the dinner was a pleasant way to meet the RBS participants. 5: The lectures were great, especially GA. I missed the videos, but would try for them next time I come. 6: N/A. 7: I did not participate in most activities because they were scheduled too close to the end of class, and little time was left for dinner. Also, I needed time to get outside and walk as well as thaw out from the air conditioning. 8: Evening lectures and Sun. dinner were very enjoyable. Would have liked to see videos, but "homework" assignment prevented it. 9: The lecture by Nicolas Barker was wonderful! 10: The class was intense, and I had homework to do. I had difficulty getting things done and being where I needed to be on time. Probably recommending that students bring laptops for drafting would be good. I would have liked to have an open forum on Double Fold. 11: All were wonderful -- and great opportunities to meet and socialize with other RBS classes. 12: Tour was useful and dinner a nice opportunity to meet people, as were the breakfasts and breaks. Evening events should start later (say around 7:30 or 8) -- didn't attend several because didn't have enough time to re-energize after class.

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

1: Yes -- but I think I expected a bit more variety over the week. It would have helped, for example, to have had one session each day either away from the service table or enjoyed in some sort of processing activity. 2: Yes, but see comments on improvements. 3: As a person not wholly involved yet in special collections, I cannot fully say at this point. 4: It was wonderful! 5: Very much worth the money. I very much hope that AS will continue with this course and perhaps develop others. 6: Absolutely yes! I am a return visitor to RBS, and it is always intense, stimulating, and fascinating. And it's a great bargain. Content and instruction of this class is outstanding. I would love to work for AS!!! 7: I think this was well worth the trip. 8: Highly recommended. I leave with many insights and ideas. 9: Yes; it was well designed. 10: Yes. The recommendation of coming well-rested is good. 11: Yes! Future students: get rest before you come -- it really is quite exhausting!! 12: Yes.

Number of respondents: 12

There were four rare book librarians (33%), one archivist or manuscript librarian (8.5%), four general librarians with some rare book duties (33%), one full-time student (8.5%), one director of special collections programs (8.5%), and one half-time employee in a research center/archive (8.5%).

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