1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: They were excellent. It would be great if the bibliography of the course books were also available from the RBS Web site. 2: Very helpful since the students' backgrounds were so varied. They provided a common ground of vocabulary and concepts. 3: The reading list is timely and well put together, but very little used during the course. 4: Extremely useful. 5: The pre-course readings were extremely helpful. I had very little knowledge and would have been unprepared without them. 6: A great introduction to the material, and a good point from which to start discussions. 7: Useful, although in some cases dated. 8: Very informative foundation. Did not see the updated syllabus until arrival on campus, though. 9: Useful. 10: Quite useful. 11: 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: The selections were well chosen and very current. 2: Yes, I'm especially pleased to have product information, especially for displays. 3: The course packet and bibliography are gems, and will make excellent reference resources. 4: Very much so (appropriate and useful). 5: Yes -- very useful here and at home. 6: The syllabus will continue to be a very useful reference tool when I return to work. 7: Yes. Bibliographies are always useful. 8: Yes; the workbook was good for note-taking space. 9: Yes -- very useful. 10: Yes -- I will use them in the future. 11: Excellent.

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

1: Very much so -- AS did an excellent job of developing the philosophical framework and filling real life details. 2: Yes. Wonderful instructor and articulate, engaged fellow students, allowed for an exceptionally high intellectual level. 3: The course began at a very elementary level, but it quickly picked up pace and complexity. 4: Yes (extremely so). 5-6: Yes. 7: There could have been interaction and less emphasis on presentations. It was a diverse group that would have benefitted from more give and take. 8: Very. Instructor open to the very basic highly detailed questioning. 9-10: Yes. 11: Exceptionally good.

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

1: George Riser, Heather Riser, and Michael Plunkett all did a great job of painting in the details of what was discussed in class. 2: I enjoyed both of the trips to Special Collections. Each of the staff who spoke with us was very helpful, and it helped bring the real world even more into the picture. 3: We visited Special Collections twice, and these "meat and potatoes" sessions about the Special Collections librarian's duties were some of the most useful hours we spent. 4: Yes, solidified the truth of what was conveyed in class. 5: This was very useful as it put us in "real time" situation and we were listening to different voices. 6-7: Yes. 8: Yes; applicable to the introductory class about acquisitions and public service. 9-10: Yes. 11: Absolutely.

5) What did you like best about the course?

1: I most appreciate the opportunity to have been taught by one of the top professionals in the field. 2: The instructor and fellow students. 3: AS is wonderfully welcoming, knowledgeable, patient, and supportive. She is an excellent lecturer, discussion leader, and mentor. I plan to keep in touch with her in the coming months and years. 4: Content, professor, experience level of other students -- all invaluable. 5: The pacing and structure. 6: The expertise of AS and the open discussions and full participation of the class. 7: My fellow students. 8: The lecture and workbook setup. The hands-on descriptive bibliography portion was a nice snapshot. Interaction by attendees from different backgrounds, both professionally and education-wise. 9: Searching examples out in the catalogs. 10: Interaction with instructor and other students. 11: Instructor/discussion -- it was all excellent.

6) How could the course have been improved?

1: Instead of two assignments and the loss of classroom time for preparation time, more time could have been spent on security, conservation, ethics, &c. with only one assignment -- perhaps with that one assignment chosen from a list covering the major areas of study. 2: Perhaps there would be a way to enforce time limits in a kind way on the presentations. I think the amount of time allowed for preparation and the presentations was fair, but some presentations went way over. 3: Of the 30 hours we spent together, we spent six hours preparing and presenting assigned work. Rather than do this individually, next time assign work to teams of three or four students, so we have more time for class discussion of new material. 4: N/A. 5: Probably less time spent on individual presentations. 6: More time. I think one presentation would have been sufficient as we ran out of time on Friday for final comments and wrap up. 7: Drop one presentation and make the remaining one a group project. Try to focus class time on topics the readings can't cover. 8: Would have been nice to be in the Alderman Library instead of off-site. 9: I could use more solutions and less description of problems -- I am especially interested in low-cost solutions. 10: Less regimentation. 11: Going over initial part a little more quickly (a very minor comment).

7) 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: It never hurts to go over the basics of handling materials. Book snakes could be delivered with the books. 2: None. The instructor was very careful about the handling of the materials, as were the staff in Special Collections. 4: N/A. 7: None. Everything was dealt with expertly. 9: It would have been handier to be in Alderman library.

8) If you attended the Sunday and/or Monday night lectures, were they worth attending?

1: Very much so. 2: All three lectures were wonderful! I did not feel sad that Video Night was actually a lecture -- Greer Allen was terrific! 3: Yes, absolutely. Actually, GA's Thursday night lecture was the jewel, and far more interesting than the "Video Night" it replaced. 4: Monday -- yes, although a bit redundant (personally). GA absolutely! Profession needs as much humor as possible. 5: They were both worthwhile. I had never been here before, so Sunday night was informative. I am interested in photography as history and communication tool so this was lucky. 6: GA's lecture was a pleasure! 7: Yes. Both were excellent. The Thursday GA lecture was especially good. 8-9: Yes. 11: Yes.

9) If you attended Study Night, was the time profitably spent?

1: I regret not having done so. 2: Yes. I liked the variety of materials and the unstructured nature of the evening. 3: Yes. The RBS staff deserve kudos for a wonderful layout and attentiveness to detail! 4: N/A -- doing homework. :( 5: Study Night was the best evening activity. I got involved and never made it to the Pressroom! This is a unique opportunity. I especially enjoyed the binding models. 7: Mostly, TB upbraided an RBS staffer in front of a group of us. That was an unfortunate display; however, I found the materials and interactions worthwhile. 8: I got out of the Study Night a good introduction to Jefferson binding techniques and was awed by the St Jerome item. The study guide was helpful. 9: Yes -- this is the best part of RBS!

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

2: I did get my money's worth. Especially as a general reference librarian with little special collections background. I wonder about some of the more experienced librarians, although they seemed to get a lot out of the class, and I certainly benefitted from having them in the class, sharing their real-life special collections experience. 3: Yes! Plan to spend every waking moment focused on the course! If you wish to see Monticello, plan an extra day! 4: Yes -- cannot put a price on its value. Suggestion -- to have only one online version of the syllabus available. At a late point -- realized two versions existed (online) -- consistency, please! Advice: do your homework before RBS week. 5: I am a visual thinker and AS certainly created a "picture" of special collections for me. 6: YES! YES! YES! I hope that RBS will start its satellite school in NYC next year as traveling to Virginia is a large commitment of time and money. 7: Yes, overall the course could have been more focused and tightly managed, but it was still a good, high level introduction. 8: Most definitely. I will attend future special collections slanted courses. Thank you for having these programs available! 9: Yes -- I really enjoyed this experience. 10-11: Yes.

Number of respondents: 11

There were three rare book librarians (27%), four general librarians with some rare book duties (37%), two general librarians with no rare book duties (18%), one college administrator (9%), and one conservator, binder, or preservation librarian (9%).

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