RBS 2004 Course Evaluation: Donors and Libraries

Susan M. Allen and William P. Barlow, Jr

12-16 July 2004

1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Pre-course readings were very helpful in establishing the background for topics addressed in the course. Some of the sales catalog readings were less helpful than others. The pieces by WB and Alice Schreyer were particularly good. 2: The point of some of the readings became apparent during the course, but it might be helpful in the future to set them in context or explain their purpose in advance. I did not find the material on exhibits to be of much use, and I had to obtain all of it on interlibrary loan. 3: Useful and appropriate. 4: Very much so -- realizing that there is no one source that covers this subject. 6: Interesting; not particularly useful. It seems that we spent little time discussing Basbanes’ Gentle Madness, a large portion of the reading. I would recommend some general development material if the course is offered again. 7: Very useful for the technical points covered. 8: Very useful. I’ll continue to refer back to them and look for more by some of these authors. 10: Very useful. 11: They provided an excellent context for understanding. 12: They were 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: Materials were very useful. It is one of the virtues of this class that such sophisticated materials can be given out. Very helpful indeed. 2-3: Yes. 4: Course syllabus not available until last day -- would have been helpful at beginning, but instructors kept well to outline. 5: Yes, but I’d like to have a copy of the syllabus for this course for the 2005 class. 6: No syllabus was offered at the beginning, which I found frustrating. We are being provided with complete notes at the end. 7: Excellent and unique syllabus. 8: Will be so since they were distributed (along with the instructors’ notes) on the last day. 9: Yes, very useful. 10: Useful in class and will certainly be useful later on also. 11: The syllabus is an excellent tool for future reference purposes. I greatly enjoyed the handouts and related articles. 12: We were not given a syllabus at the beginning of the course. I would have liked one.

3) What aspects of the course content were of the greatest interest or relevance for your purposes? Was the intellectual level of the course appropriate?

1: This course is a marvelously stimulating discussion of special collection administration and donor relations. Indeed, it touches many vital areas of special collections (e.g. security, collection development,&c.). It makes an excellent complement to other RBS courses on special collections and is the most advanced of the three. 2: The intellectual level was appropriate. Information on negotiations and understanding tax implications was very relevant to my needs, as was exposure to the points of view of both librarian and collector. 3: The most specialized component of the syllabus concerning tax law was the most useful to me, as this is the most difficult information to obtain in layman’s terms elsewhere. The intellectual level was appropriate, though I would say the syllabus would be most useful to those at the beginning or early-middle part of their careers. 4: Tax implications - complex and deadly dull to some of us but so important. A wonderful mix of collectors, librarians, and development people - definitely a good intellectual mix. 5: The tax consequences (WB’s booklet was worth the price of the course alone). 6: Talking with collectors about their concerns. Intellectual level was appropriate. 7: High intellectual level where appropriate. For myself, all aspects were necessary and of great interest. 8: The portions of the course that really focused on gifts of materials and relations with the donors of these materials. Intellectual level of course was appropriate. 9: Tax; appraisal. 10: Intellectual level was extremely appropriate. Nice division (roughly 50/50) between “Donors” and “Libraries” -- which is what I had hoped for since I fall into both categories! 11: Donor relations and understanding development processes. The open discussion with examples made the level just right. 12: Building rewarding relationships with donors. A surprise was the helpful tax information. The exchange of dialogue between the participants provided a wealth of insight.

4) If your course left its classroom to visit Special Collections or to make other field trips away from your classroom, was the time devoted to this purpose well spent?

2: Yes. 3: Yes, we made a trip to SC during its final week in Alderman Library. I was grateful to the staff for welcoming us to see collections during a time of chaos and stress related to the building move [to new quarters in Harrison/Small]. 4: SC staff at wit’s end because of the move; probably could have been better except for that. 5: Absolutely, particularly since SC was busy with the library move. It was wonderful that they took the time for us. 6: Yes, nice trip to SC. 7: Yes. 8: Yes, this was great. In addition to seeing amazing items, the discussion about the donors was quite helpful, and it provided an additional context for viewing the materials. 9: Yes. 10: The presentation by the Head of SC [Michael Plunkett] was excellent, partly because the instructors had requested that the material he showed us emphasize significant donors and their collections. 11: Yes. The trip to SC allowed us to see the results of successful donation. 12: We went to SC and spent 1.5 hours. I could have stayed a bit longer. The stuff was helpful.

5) What did you like best about the course?

1: The session on tax implications of donation -- not immediately a compelling subject -- was excellent. This is extremely important information that is difficult to obtain elsewhere. I am very pleased to have taken this course, and I consider it to have been of great professional benefit. SA and WB work very well together and are both extremely knowledgeable. 2: The exchange of ideas and experiences, the imparting of expert advice by the instructors, and exposure to multiple points of view (librarian/collector). 3: Good, common-sense information clearly presented with good will and good humor. 4: Discussions among participants, networking, strong camaraderie -- learned many new things. 5: The interchange between all the students and the instructors. 6: Discussion with others about their experiences with the acquisition of collections. 7: Didactic teaching followed by round-table discussion including personal experiences. 8: The interaction with others in the course and the instructors. 9: Class discussion. 10: The instructors and the group participants and the course materials -- glad to have collectors/donors and people in the book trade and librarians teaching and attending. 11: The atmosphere between librarians and collectors. 12: The instructors and participants plus the use of role-playing as a pedagogical tool. Next time [illegible text-Ed.] the tax lecture.

6) How could the course have been improved?

2: Provide the tax handout in advance. Set advance readings in context or select more informative items. Advise students in advance to identify subjects of research so that they can have more complete information at hand. 3: It would be helpful to have a basic outline and course syllabus at the beginning of the class, rather than at the end, but I’m sure the instructors know this and were operating under the constraint of developing a brand-new course. 4: More encouragement for discussion, less lecture. 5: Using handouts instead of lists on the flipchart. 6: Drop the section on starting a friends group. Add a syllabus. A panel of library donors willing to share their experiences giving to a library. Panel of development officers sharing their experiences. 7: Syllabus in pre-course reading; not a criticism as syllabus was developed during course and will be available for future classes. 8: For people without much fund-raising background, reading all of the Steele and Elder book might have moved the first two days along more quickly. 9: More collectors (better balance of collectors/librarians). 10: It was just about right -- the instructors expressed concern about the timing and the structure of this brand-new course, but everything worked out very well. 11: An opening discussion of the weekly schedule. 12: Tax info was difficult to navigate. Add clearer definitions between book and manuscript collections, and make it more balanced in those areas. Give a syllabus on the first day. Have role playing with the tax lecture.

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?

9: Statement should be made up front that assistant was to turn pages and students were not to touch materials. This was unclear to me. Attempts to open materials by assistant were not thought out in advance -- that is, what items could safely remain open -- [this] would have been useful in one or two cases. 11: Even more access to unusual donations might have been helpful.

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

1: Yes. The lectures are always worth attending. 3: Yes, TB’s State of RBS Talk, however many times I’ve heard it, remains listenable and I think an essential component of introducing newcomers. I was surprised that the Malkin Lecture had no special reception beyond the usual wine and peanuts. 4: Excellent, keep them coming. 5: Absolutely. Mirjam Foot was super! 6: Sunday was very interesting. Monday was very specialized and beyond my interests. 7-9: Yes. 8: Yes. Both were good. 10: Yes, the Monday night lecture. However, it would have worked out better if the slides had been shown on a bigger screen - they were very hard to see from the back of the room. 11: The Sunday lecture was informative and entertaining. I did not attend the Monday night lecture. 12: Yes. Mirjam Foot is always outstanding. TB is always on top of things with the RBS lecture. I never skip it, even though I’ve heard it twice. Always something new.

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

1: Yes indeed. The Museum Nights are especially delightful in objectifying much of the information one receives in class. In many ways the Museum Nights are vital parts of the week’s course. 3-4: Yes. 5: Yes. It’s a delight to see the RBS collections grow over time. 6: Moderately so. 8: Yes! 11: I attended both, which were well-arranged and informative. TB’s demonstrations were the highlight. 12: N/A -- had to do research for thesis this year.

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

1: An excellent course -- to be recommended to all administrators of special collections. I believe it was especially beneficial to collectors in the class. One of its great virtues is the combination of librarians and collectors; this creates a great dynamic and is highly instructive. 2: Yes. Bring examples of your institution’s donation-related forms to the class. 3: Yes. RBS is a wonderful experience, and I think this course a worthwhile addition to the schedule. 4: Superb -- this course is very much needed and should be continued. 5: Yes. This is a wonderful course and should be made a permanent part of the RBS curriculum. WB is a natural teacher, and SA will be much more effective the second time. It was a great launching! 6: Yes, indeed! I think with minor modifications, this class would be even better. 7: More than money’s worth. Just keep going. 8: I absolutely got my money’s worth. This was a great course and should be even better the next time around, as the instructors will have taught it -- and taught it together -- previously. 9: Yes. Wonderful opportunity. 10: Yes. I think this “combo” course would be very useful for other collectors, donors, and booksellers. 11: Yes, this was a very beneficial course that will help me improve our institution’s donor relations. Students next year should be prepared for the tax discussions and to discuss specific examples from their institutions. I highly recommend this course for future RBSers! 12: Yes, a million times over. RBS helps me fulfill my professional mission more completely. I will attend classes for years to come. Yes, I would advise others to take this course. However, make a clearer description of the course. I did not expect so much emphasis on book collecting.

Number of respondents: 12

Percentages

Leave Tuition Housing Travel

Institution Institution Institution Institution

gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel

75% 50% 66% 66%

I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own

tion time tion myself own housing travel

0% 8% 17% 17%

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% 42% 17% 17%

Among the 12 students, there were two directors of special collections (17%), two rare book librarians (17%), four archivist/manuscript librarians (33%), two collectors (17%), one development officer (8%), and one antiquarian bookseller (8%).