1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Useful for getting acquainted with names and general style. 2: Very appropriate. 3: Fantastic! I only wish I'd read even more! 4: Very useful. 5: I was very familiar with the bulk of the readings, but I imagine they would be useful as introductory material. 6: I wish I had more on typography, since that was the focus of the course, instead of the calligraphy and graphic design pre-course readings. It would have been helpful to pre-train my eye to see typographic detail more readily. 7: Very helpful. 8: Extremely appropriate and 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: Very useful, very detailed, great reference and bibliography. 2: Yes -- perfect almost. 3: Very useful. This will be a resource, for reference and reading. 4: Yes -- I intend to re-read some things as I think I will better understand things now. 5: Yes, the syllabus was extremely useful and I'm sure I will refer to it extensively. 6: Yes, especially after returning home. 7: Yes, especially the bibliographies. 8: Fully appropriate.

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

1: Excellent, high level but with enough basic explanations when needed. 2: Right on the mark. 3: Very stimulating, very engaging, both political and historical. 4: Yes. 5: Yes, it was just right. 6: Yes. 7: Yes, challenging and informative but still comprehensible. 8: Yes.

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

1-2: Yes. 3: The visits to Special Collections, and to cast type, were essential!! 4: Yes! 5: Yes, certainly. It was good to see the books as the teacher narrated. 6: N/A. 7: Excellent. The typefounding demonstration was helpful to really understand the process. The visit to Special Collections was essential to see actual copies of the writing books, type specimens, and typography in early printing. 8: Yes.

5) What did you like best about the course?

1: The knowledge of the instructor, quality of the slides. 2: The instructor and his treatment of the subject -- his knowledge and presentation coupled with his willingness to stop and further explain, answer questions, &c. 3: The instructor is fantastically knowledgeable. The material is riveting, and he has prepared it well. The students in the course also had a great deal to offer, especially the printers. 4: Visit to Special Collections to see the books, and demonstration of making type was excellent. Now I finally understand! 5: The erudition brought to the subject of the course by the teacher. The lecturing style was very good and invited me to think about things in new ways. 7: JM's knowledge of typography, history of type founders, and how it relates to developments in general European history and society. 8: Quality of students. Firm factual basis of course. Informal but disciplined atmosphere.

6) How could the course have been improved?

1: More comparisons between type from same period to see differences. More comparisons between great and average type to see what makes great type great. 2: With a few more specific clues to type identification. 3: More, more, more. 4: I would have liked more time to browse through the reference books kept in the classroom. Perhaps when the construction is finished, and (hopefully) the classroom will be closer to Alderman library, that room could be open on Study Night, too. 5: It seemed just fine. 7: ? No ideas. 8: Already excellent.

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: No suggestions. He didn't use much original material. 2: None. 3: We were a model of restraint. 4: Everything was very carefully handled by both teacher and students. 5: No suggestions. 7-8: None.

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

1: Yes, both lectures were entertaining and enlightening. 2: I found this Monday lecture disappointing, condescending, and somewhat lightweight. 3: Absolutely excellent, both. Not to be missed. 4: Yes. 5: Not overly so, though some of the information in the Sunday lecture was helpful. 7: I attended Monday night's. He was interesting and amusing. 8: Yes.

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

1: Yes, Linotype demonstration was interesting, and seeing the leathers was also of value. 2: Yes. 3: N/A. 4: Yes. 5: I did not attend. 6: It would have been helpful to have more information about the Audubon prints. 7: Did not attend. 8: Yes.

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

1: Yes. 2: Yes, best course I've taken yet. 3: More than money can buy. I recommend this course highly!! 4: Yes -- it's worth it and it is enjoyable. I will never look at an ampersand in the same way again...! 5: Yes, I think I did get my money's worth. I would encourage the school to add the second part of the course next year. 6: Yes. 7: Yes, you will learn a lot. 8: Yes.

Number of respondents: 08

There were six rare book librarians (75%), one general librarian with some rare book duties (12.5%), and one full-time student (12.5%).

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