Justin G. Schiller No. 42: Children's Books 1740-1865 5-9 August 1996

1. How useful were the pre-course readings? 1: Some more than others, but a good basic list which we reviewed and discussed the first day of class. JS added titles throughout the course. I am leaving with titles for a sound reference collection, one of my goals. 2: Very useful in locating as many of the available books as possible. 3: Very reflective of the course content. Provided a good overall reading and reference list for a study of the field. 4: The readings were useful, though rather difficult to obtain. Perhaps the readings could be prioritized?. 5: The historical background category was very beneficial for juvenile materials. I would suggest adding some background material on older books in general: handmade paper, how books were put together, signatures, illustration techniques, etc. 6: The reading list could, I think, have been expanded to include some specialized works on printers, publishers, and illustrators. This would have helped during the class discussion of these books. 7: I would have liked a more extensive list. 8: Very useful so that all students began as close to the same line as possible. 9: The pre-course readings were extremely helpful to gain a bit of needed knowledge that was necessary to understand the course material. 10: 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: Everything we viewed, examined, and evaluated in class was appropriate, useful, and aesthetically pleasing! 2: Particularly useful in the future will be the course notes I took. Will transcribe them immediately so I won't lose any information hastily written down. 3: The syllabus could have been a bit more explanatory, but it was adequate. 4: Very useful. 5: Yes. The handout of Internet addresses for online reference material and library databases will be very helpful. 6: The syllabus was rather brief and could have been expanded. 7: The only criticism I have is that I wish we had been provided with a very detailed bibliography. This would have been far more useful than the discussion/critique of sources we had for our first session. Having just met, everyone was too shy to speak up at the discussion. Also, handing out photocopies of the catalog format would have been a nice touch. Also, a list with definition/vocabulary of terms such as moveable, etc. 8: Extremely relevant to my job. 9: Yes. They were extremely thorough and useful. 10: Yes.

3. Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate? 1: Absolutely; the content was rich throughout the five days. 2: Intellectual level was the highest and very challenging. It energized the entire class to put forth its best effort. 3: Yes. It managed to cover the necessary information without confusing the issues. 4: It was extremely challenging and enriching. The course was extremely well organized, beginning with evaluating references to handling and cataloging books, analyzing a single book on our own, exploring online resources, visiting a bookseller, and hearing experiences from the instructor. 5: Yes. 6: On the whole, yes. 8: Very stimulating. 9: Yes. I was really challenged this week. 10: Yes.

4. If your course had field trips, were they effective? 1: The day we spent exploring the Interloc and the Web was enlightening, rewarding, and thoroughly worthwhile. While I enjoyed the visit to the Reislers (and found several books) and appreciated their hospitality, next time I'd rather go on to DC and LC! 2: I feel it was very rewarding and in direct relationship to the purposes of our study. 3: We visited a bookseller in Virginia. The examples we were able to see at the shop were very useful as supplements to what we had previously discussed in class. Quite well planned; also a great lunch! 4: It was very interesting, and it was an opportunity to see novelty books and other unusual items. 5: Yes, but too bad the bookseller we visited was so far away. 6: The field trip gave an opportunity to see examples that were not readily available here; however, it did take a full day. 7: We went to visit a collector/dealer whose specialty is different from JS's and it gave us a more complete overview. 8: Yeswe had a show and tell on very interesting material combined with time to hunt for books on our own. 9: The time devoted to field trips was useful. It's too bad that our trip was two hours away (four hours of wasted time). Maybe next time we could fit in a trip closer to UVa. 10: Time was very well spent. A real eye opener.

5. Did the actual course content correspond to its RBS brochure description and Expanded Course Description (ECD)? Did the course in general meet your expectations? 1: The course description understated/underestimated the course contentin other words, the course itself far exceeded my expectations and hopes. 2: Far exceeded all expectations, which were already the highest. 3: Very much so. 4: The course exceeded all my expectations in many ways, save for the knowledge that I would be very impressed with the expertise of JS. 5: Yes. 6: Essentially, the course did correspond to the printed description. I think a bit more time could have been devoted to an analysis of the reference sources (both print and online) to have made those sessions more useful. 7: More than met my expectations. Actually, it was great that JS is a dealer because he could comment on the value/rarity of particular bookswhich was of interest to me. 8: Rightly or wrongly, I had perhaps expected more of a historical bibliography of important children's works during the period, but in fact really enjoyed the emphasis on cataloging which tended to iron out the differences in individual classmates' experiences 9: The course exceeded my expectations. JS was excellent, and the mix of people in the course was perfect! 10: It did.

6. What did you like best about the course? 1: The challenge of working with books and being asked to "catalog" them. And being in the presence of JS (and Dennis David). 2: The instructor, who, with his intellect, charm, modesty, and encouragement, made his students relaxed and eager to learn from him and to feel that he might be learning from us. A diller, a dollar/A children's book scholar/A dollar, a diller/It's Justin Schiller. 3: The instructor! His enthusiasm, knowledge, and care for the students and the materials was refreshing. The content was well planned to involve both tradition and technology. I now feel that I am aware of the latest trends in collecting and cataloging children's books. Although the course did have a plan, it involved quite a bit of discussion and interaction. I feel the same exact syllabus with a different mix of students would result in a different course. (This is neither pro nor con, just an observation.)4: The instructor, JS, had seemingly little difficulty in filling the hours, which went by so quickly we often had to be reminded by RBS staff to break. 5: Highlights included hands-on exposure to a great variety of early children's books and JS's lectures/stories about the buying and selling of rare books. His many years of experience and love of the material add to the high quality of the course. His review of important reference sources throughout the course was very beneficial. 6: The opportunity to see and handle in our class the original items; the mix of students worked very well and provided an opportunity to learn from each other as well as from the instructor. 7: Seeing and handling the books, especially the paper toys. The Internet session was extremely helpful. It was a great mix of people. 8: The handling and cataloging of the books themselves. The introduction to all the research facilities available. JS's very personal approach to the course content. 9: I enjoyed the hands-on opportunities of touching the books and getting a chance to catalog them first hand and having the expert here to help. 10: The instructor. JS is an excellent teacher. He knows more about early children's books than anyone, and his enthusiasm is reflected in his lectures. He took great care that we should learn as much as possible and have an enjoyable time as well in the course-related activities.

7. How could the course have been improved? 1: Already answered in no.4, above. 2: Some of the best results were worked out spontaneouslyan example of real cooperation and enthusiasm. 3: More planned session with the Internet resources. 4: Difficult to say. I really see no room for improvement. 5: Add material (in the preliminary reading or a lecture early on) about general book history of the era covered. 6: As I indicated earlier, I think the reading list could have been expanded and that some analysis or evaluation provided. The sessions online could have been structured better. I think it would have been useful to provide a brief summary of printing techniques and illustration processes for those in the course less familiar with these aspects. 8: Felt it was very good as it was, in terms of content, style, and pace. 9: I can't think of anything other than the day we went to the computer lab. The class members really had varied abilities, which caused things to drag a bit. I wonder if a requirement should be Internet experience if we would be using it. Some members of the class had never used a computer before!

8.Please comment at will on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class, e.g. Sunday afternoon tour, Sunday night dinner and videos, Bookseller Night, tour of the Etext Center or Electronic Classroom, printing demonstrations, evening lectures, &c. 1: I attended only TB's this time. 2: Nice evening entertainment. 3: They were interesting, though I actually missed Brett Charbeneau's lecture, the one I was most interested in. 4: I found TB's lecture to be very timely and provocative. I enjoyed it immensely. I attended another one about which I will simply say that listing quotes for 30 minutes was not up to the caliber of RBS curriculum. 5: BC was informative and inspiring! 6: I especially enjoyed the lecture by BC. JKG's lecture was disappointing. As usual, TB's was provocative. 8: Found JKG's lecture slightly long. TB's was very enjoyable. 9: Not that enjoyable. TB's lecture was the worst in terms of a speaker. You would think he was a better speaker. 10: Wonderful.

9. Any final thoughts or advice for other persons considering taking this course in a future year? Did you get your money's worth? 1: Enough said: YES! JS is a marvelous teacher. It was a privilege to be with him, to learn from him. 2: Assess one's own level of interests and capabilities. This course requires some prior knowledge of the subjectit's not for just spectating! 3: I am very satisfied with the results of this course and with RBS in general. The course content as well as the relationships and contact with other students and the instructor are extremely helpful and enjoyable. 4: I am taking so much new-found knowledge and appreciation with me. As I was asked, I will say I got my money's worth, although a price cannot be placed on JS's knowledge and enthusiasm and the experiences I had with my classmates. I hope to return next year. 5: If I hadn't done a lot of the preliminary reading, I would have been at sea. Future students should prepare as best they can. 7: Yes, oh, yes. This was the fourth consecutive year I've attended RBS, and this was far and away the best course yet. 8: Yes. I had a wonderful time and feel enthusiastic about putting what I've learned into practice! 9: Excellent! You get your money's worth and then some! 10: I am grateful to have had this opportunity and hope to come again. I would urge interested people to come to RBS, but for curators of early children's book collections in particular would say that you learn things here that they don't teach anywhere else.

Number of respondents: 10

PERCENTAGES Leave Tuition Housing Travel Institution gave me leave Institution paid tuition Institution paid housing Institution paid travel 70% 60%* 50%* 60%* I took vac- tion time I paid tui- tion myself I paid for my own housing I paid my own travel 10% 20% 40% 20% N/A: self- employed, re- tired, or had summers off N/A: self employed, retired, or exchange N/A: stayed with friends or lived at home N/A: lived nearby 20% 20% 10% 20%

*One student (10%) was funded by an existing grant account.

There were ten students, three rare book librarians (30%), two antiquarian booksellers (20%), two general librarians with some rare book duties (20%), one collector (10%), one collector/volunteer curator (10%), and one rare book/manuscript librarian/archivist (10%).