11: Introduction to the History of Bookbinding [B-10]
5-9 January 2004
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: They were helpful as a first familiarization, and were useful in integrating some of the material as it was presented. (And one piece, “Onward and Downward...”, was particularly interesting. 2: Very relevant and useful to content of lectures. I may make some suggestions to JSvL directly about additional literature and a recent publication. 3: Very useful. They provide one with a good background on the subject. 4: Very useful. 5: Pre-course readings were difficult to get hold of, but were very interesting and relevant. 6: It would have been helpful to annotate the list i.e. the readings were about diverse subjects. It would have been helpful to know what to focus on on each. 7: Very useful. 8: Useful. But since it was introductory, I will need to read them again.
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. (Particularly the latter as there was little time in class to use them.) 2: Yes. They could be improved, and I understand that JSvL will be continuously developing them over time. I believe this is only his third session. 3: Yes, they were. I will use them for my own work (bibliography, descriptive guidelines, etc). 4: Yes, excellent reference materials and bibliography. 5: Yes, very useful handouts and syllabus. Great time line. I will use the guide to describe bindings in my work. 6: Yes. 7: Yes. Handouts are wonderful! 8: Yes.
3) Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate?
1: Certainly. 2: Yes--some things I knew very well already, but much I didn’t. We all seemed to be able to communicate very well and most capable of getting along well with one another. 3: Yes, it was. The course was an introduction, but it contained sufficient depth in a wide range of topics (history, terminology, techniques, etc). 4-6: Yes. 8: Yes.
4) If your course had field trips, were they effective?
1: Yes, superbly. 2: Yes, very much so. 3: Yes, the time spent in Alderman Library was absolutely wonderful; excellent examples from the collection were shown. 4: Time at Special Collection was extremely useful. 5: Time spent in Special Collections was a wonderful learning experience. JSvL chose interesting bindings to view. 6: Absolutely. It is very important to see the real thing. 7: We visited Special Collections at Alderman Library. Very worthwhile. 8: Yes.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: I liked the sessions devoted to publisher’s bindings and in the Special Collections--devoted to looking firsthand at actual bindings. I thought the instructor was excellent. Very personable while highly professional. 2: The camaraderie of us (students and JSvL). JSvL is a very engaging and pleasant instructor. He has a great field of knowledge and experience, but also defines what he doesn’t know or defers to the expertise of others. 3: The instructor. He managed to make the subject very enjoyable; students’ participation was also very useful. 4: Excellent instructor who presented materials systematically insofar as possible, answered many, many questions, and shared his assessments and perceptions of bindings very generously. 5: JSvL. 6: The trip to Special Collections and taking a rubbing. 7: JSvL! His personal stories added in now and then were delightful. 8: The hands-on experience–looking at real books and not slides. The descriptions and the rubbings.
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: I would have appreciated slightly more attention to technique and slightly less to looking at slides in the historical survey. 2: Binding techniques or demos could be helpful. Perhaps relevant video. Better projection for slides or use PowerPoint. 3: Some of the slides need to be replaced. 4: It was awkward with Clemons opening later than the start of class, since the building was locked until 9 AM and the tunnel route was always necessary. Perhaps a library attendant at the desk, or RBS staff at the door around 8:30 AM. 6: Annotate the time line a bit more with short characteristics of each style. 8: Perhaps a breakup of activities. It was hard to spend an entire day looking at slides.
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: None. 2: At times things were hurried, and it seems some materials were casually handled. We had many problems with the slide projector, which ate into class time. 3: [No suggestions.] 4: Classroom handling has in fact been improved since my last visit (although it was always good). 8: I think we were very careful.
8) If you attended the Sunday and/or Monday night lectures, were they worth attending?
1: Not really. 2: Yes--very interesting. 3-4: Yes. 5: Yes, both lectures are worth attending. 6: Not really, but Monday was a fallback, because the original speaker was ill. 7: They were basically the same lecture. 8: This year they were the same lecture. They were worth attending.
9) If you attended Museum Night, was the time profitably spent?
1: Not really, but this may reflect more on me than on the instructors (missed much of Wednesday, and spent the time on Thursday watching two mediocre films). 2: Absolutely. Only there’s not enough time to really “read” material in RBS. 3-4: Yes. 5: Museum night is a great opportunity to view parts of the RBS collection. 6: On Wednesday, it would have been nice to really see the collection, rather than such a small piece. Thursday NOVA [film] was good. 7: Yes! 8: Yes.
10) Did you get your money’s worth? Any final thoughts?
1: Yes. 2: Yes. I would like to continue my involvement in RBS and assist whenever possible. It is very worthwhile. 3: Yes. Yes, I would recommend this course for anybody interested in books. It is not necessary to be directly involved in rare books, particularly for the introductory courser. 4: Yes. I highly recommend this course. JSvL has broad historical and art history knowledge which provides the context for the development of bookbinding. Excellent overview of the history of bookbinding. The book description exercises at the start and finish of the course were very useful. 5: I enjoyed this course very much. I feel I have gained a wealth of knowledge. I have received more out of this week than expected. 6: Oh, yes. 7: Yes. Beware, RBS is addictive! 8: I believe I got my money’s worth. I hope to return--but the coffee is just awful.
Number of respondents: 8
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
75% 63% 50% 50%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
0% 25% 38% 38%
N/A: self- N/A: Self- N/A: stayed N/A: lived
employed, re- employed, with friends nearby
tired, or had retired, or or lived at
summers off exchange home
25% 12% 12% 12%
There were two rare book librarians (25%), one general librarian with some rare book duties (12.5%), two full-time students (25%), two conservator/binder/preservation librarians (25%), and one retiree (12.5%).