1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Most were good, but the McLean books tend to emphasize English designs, for which our teacher expressed dislike. (However, this dislike led to some stimulating and entertaining exchanges.) 2: One book suggested for general background I particularly enjoyed, Parnassus Corner: A Life of James T. Fields, Publisher to the Victorians. The surveys of bindings with pictures were a good introduction. The articles on specific topics such as cloth grains and colors were more detailed than we needed. SA's coverage is very thorough. 3: Most were excellent, although I could not locate every title even though I tried O.P. dealers, ABE, &c. 4: The bibliography was very helpful -- but I knew, or was very familiar, with most (but not all) of the titles. 5: All were useful in some way. Also, it gave me a chance to order a couple of books our library did not yet have. 6: The pre-course readings were helpful, but the instruction was so enthusiastic and thorough that one might not have to read as much in order to have a valuable experience. 7: Immensely useful. I had no knowledge of bindings or the importance of them. The readings opened my eyes to a whole new world. 8: Very useful; a necessary background for this complex course subject. 9: Most were useful and necessary. The class really solidified my understanding of everything from the styles of the period to the personal biographies of the key players. 10: Very useful -- more useful than for other courses -- well chosen. 11: Very helpful.

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: Yes, thanks for them. 2: Yes. The handouts, excellent, and will be useful references. 3: They will be a valuable asset for many years to come. They will be most helpful in identifying volumes in the non-rare collections. 4: Yes. 5: Very useful and not overwhelming. 6: Yes. 7: All handouts and materials received in class will be invaluable to me. I can't wait to get back to work and utilize all the "tools" SA handed out in class. 8: Yes. 9: Everything will aid in my continuing interest of the subject. 10-11: Yes.

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

1: Absolutely. 2: Yes. 3: Yes -- very stimulating, with excellent classmates. 4: Yes. In every way. 5: It was perfect for me. 6-8: Yes. 9: Intellectual, maybe. Highly interesting and important information. But intellectuals are jerks and SA is not. 10-11: Yes.

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

1: Yes -- beautiful examples. 2: Yes. 3: Inspiring having classes in the Rotunda. 4: Yes. I wish we spent more time in Special Collections. 5: Very. 6: Yes, our visits to the Rotunda and the visit to Special Collections were welcome additions. 7: Trips outside the classroom were both useful and relevant. Our trip to the Rotunda gave us the opportunity to put into practice all that we learned. We got the chance to choose books and give descriptions. 8: Yes. 9: All activities were well planned and relevant. 10-11: Yes.

5) What did you like best about the course?

1: Aside from the amount of useful information, I enjoyed especially the interactions of the class and the questions they raised -- and answered. 2: The week's activities and the subject matter are very well planned. SA's presentations and slides are excellent. The exercises require each class member to participate and reinforce learning. I think the repetition of seeing slides, actual books, &c. will result in my retaining a great deal. 3: The teacher not only knew her material but also presented it in an engaging manner. 4: 1) Sue Allen. 2) The students taking the course. 3) Seeing all the material first hand. 5: Great teacher -- great resources -- and great people in the class. 6: The best part of the course was SA's infectious enthusiasm and passion for these books and their importance. She has a unique way of making everyone thoroughly enjoy the materials, and to show things in such a way that it continually reinforces the course content and its significance. 7: I really enjoyed SA's slides and of course the charming way she presented her lecture to the class. 8: Everything. The content was well presented and reinforced by viewing many books. SA is simply a treasure, and every librarian, book arts student, publisher, printer, and binder should take the course or one like it. 9: The teacher's passion for the subject was inspiring. 10: This is probably the most useful course that I have had at RBS -- one really has a chance to sit "at the feet of the Mistress!" Top notch all the way. 11: SA. She's a wonderful instructor; not only does she KNOW the subject, she knows how to present and teach it in a way that students will remember it.

6) How could the course have been improved?

1: Small logistical things, nothing special. Freedom to browse the collections would have been nice. 2: Can't think of anything. 3: Superb in every way. We needed a little more space. 4: Not much. 5: A more accommodating classroom. 6: It was just right. 7: I learned so much! I don't know how she could have improved it! 8: Perhaps a brief introduction to binding structure and terminology through readings or a pre-course handout. 9: I'm not sure it could be improved. 10: RBS is too protective of the books! 11: Cannot think of any way.

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: If objects (books) are in Mylar sachets they could be (perhaps) handled in safety. 2: Room is rather stuffy. 3: Everyone seemed to exercise great care, and the baskets worked well. Books need to be looked at as objects and not always through slides or PowerPoint. 4: I think you have to be somewhat lenient (and you were) about students handling the material. You have to pick up and examine some of these books to understand them. 5: If we were in a large classroom, books could be spread out for us to view after we pass them around. 6: N/A. 8: I really understand the necessity for the limitations on handling books, but I also feel that if these students cannot handle, they miss an important, crucial aspect of understanding material and technique. 9: I guess you could cover all samples in Mylar. 11: None.

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

1: Yes. 3: Both were informative. The Monday night lecture showed much scholarship. 4: Boring. A total drag! The Bidwell lecture (pace Terry) was an absolute non-starter. That was a specialist paper, not a talk. Everyone was bored to tears. Let him give this at the Harvard Business School, not RBS. 5: Sunday offered interesting and useful information. Missed Monday. 6: I didn't attend Monday -- I enjoyed Sunday's lecture. It's always interesting to hear what TB has to say. 7: N/A. 8: The Monday lecture was more appropriate for print. 9: Sunday was a useful introduction. Monday had nothing to do with the course I'm taking. 10: OK. 11: The Monday night lecture was very informative, but the lecture itself had structural problems -- too many details without demonstration of relevance first.

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

1: Very much so. 2: Yes. 3: N/A. 4: Yes. This was wonderfully well done on both nights. Lots of fascinating stuff. The video of John Benson and his letter-carving shop reduced me to tears. 5: It was a good time to talk informally with others. 6-7: N/A. 8: Yes. 9: Wednesday was well spent . . . useful demonstrations and the knowledgeable staff answer all questions. 10: Yes: this is one of the very, very best parts of RBS -- I could take a full week! 11: N/A.

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

1: Well, it's a lot of money. It's a little like deciding to cough up the money for a book you find -- do you really need it? Can you live without it? I guess I decided I needed the experience at least once. 2: Yes, but hope price stabilizes now. 3: I have taken four courses at RBS, and this was the very best. Bravo! 4: Yes. This was wonderful. I could almost say, forgive the hyperbole, a transcendent experience. I am leaving knowing more about the subject than I would have thought possible. It was not only a memorable learning experience, but also a fun experience. We had a great group of people in this class. 5: Yes. 6: This experience was a joy. Anyone who has the opportunity to work with SA should! The collections beautifully enhance the course, and the course is incredibly interesting, informative, and useful. This is the most valuable week I have spent in developing professionally in some time. It is also going to be a great benefit to my repository. 7: I definitely got my money's worth! 8: Absolutely. Long may you -- and we -- all live. 9: Yes. Make friends early and go out often. 10: As always this is money very well spent -- this is the best vacation that a book worm could hope for. I hope to come here until I can no longer walk. 11: Definitely got my money's worth.

Number of respondents: 11

There were three rare book librarians (27%), one archivist or manuscript librarian (9%), two full-time students (19%), two conservators, binders, or preservation librarians (19%), one researcher and writer in the field of book illustrations (9%), one publisher (9%), and one library assistant (9%).

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