No. 43: Rare Book Libraries: A Perspective for Booksellers
5-9 August 1996
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No. 43: Rare Book Libraries: A Perspective for Booksellers 5-9 August 1996 |
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1. How useful were the pre-course readings? 1: They had good supplemental information to augment what we discussed in the course  which covered a wide period of bookseller/institutional relations. 2: I applied for and was accepted late for the course, but I have to say the list was a history of the antiquarian book trade and looks excellent. I will try to find some of these books and read them in the future. 3: Very useful. I read almost all and found new bookseller biographies to collect. 4: Very useful. 5: They were useful as a reminder of the literature of bookselling that exists. However, some were hard to locate and/or access. |
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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: Absolutely. I've learned of new topics and new means of conducting business which I will bring back home. I've learned about books I hadn't known about before and will endeavor to read them. 2: Yes, the syllabus provided a general outline for discussion. 3-4: Yes. 5: The syllabus served as a general springboard for discussion. |
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3. Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate? 1: Absolutely. A sophisticated instructor and a sophisticated and intellectually curious class with each side offering useful and informative insights. 2: Yes, broadened my knowledge extensively. 3: Yes. 4: Yes. It could be made more intellectually rigorous, but I don't think intellectual rigor is really the point here. 5: Yes. |
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4. If your course had field trips, were they effective? [The class went to Special Collections in Alderman Library and to Blue Whale Books for an Interloc demonstration.] 1: Yes indeed. The overview of Special Collections and all its various departments was thorough and well coordinated. 2: We visited Special Collections for a tour, which was very relevant and interesting. A session on Interloc was also terrific. 3: Yes. The field trips were very useful. 4: Very well spent. 5: Yes. |
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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: Yes. It met every expectation. I had opportunity to meet with many people having expertise in different areas of rare books (ie, librarians, conservators, booksellers, collectors) who were willing to discuss candidly their experiences. 2: If I'd filled this out Monday evening, I'd have said no, but by Friday most definitely. RL was a wealth of information. 3: Yes. 4: The course exceeded my expectations. RL is a goldmine of information about bookselling history, the current trade, and rare book librarianship. 5: Yes. It did present the perspective of the institutional library. |
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6. What did you like best about the course? 1: I liked the anecdotes. It was truly interesting to get filled in from both sides of the bookseller/institutional relationship: what each side's expectations and responsibilities are and how best to accommodate each other. 2: Provided some truly practical information about cultivating rare book libraries as clients. Also gave great insight about professional library jobs, budgets, and goals. We touched on many subjects I found of great interest but wouldn't have thought to ask about auction houses, forgeries, quoting strategies. 3: Getting an insight into rare book libraries and their relations with booksellers. Collections, libraries, and booksellers put into the context of the rare book game. 4: I liked hearing about which institutions were active and in which fields. Naturally, we got the most information about Toronto, UVa, and UCLA (via James Davis)--excellent information that would take an awful lot of chatting on the phone to find out. 5: The stories about the trade, discussion of university collections, and analysis of auctions. |
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7. How could the course have been improved? 1: I can't think of much. RL obviously loves his occupation and discusses it with much relish and appreciation it is truly reassuring that there are librarians like him in the rare book world. 2: Initially, RL's delivery was rather monologish. With questions, etc., which he addressed gladly, to encourage this process a bit earlier, RL might ask the class some questions to generate interaction. 3: With a second instructor to provide a second opinion. 4: I could have had more expensive books to quote! 5: The room we met in was terribly dreary. Would it be possible to hear from any other special collections librarians who might be in residence? (Perhaps this is logistically impossible.) |
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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: They were varied and enjoyable; humor and information were well combined. 2: J. Kevin Graffagnino's lecture on book quotes was somewhat enjoyable but a bit self promoting. Brett Charbeneau was very amusing. TB was good but depressing. 3: The ones I liked best were CB's for its enjoyability and TB's for the information about the rare book field. 5: OK. It makes a very long day. Enjoyed TB's style and brevity. |
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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: I would recommend it to anyone. What you receive in return for your tuition is ten fold. 2: I'm sure I've learned a lot. 3: Just show up. You'll be surprised. 4: This course is extremely useful for relatively new booksellers who want to deal with institutions, especially in rare material. Advanced booksellers might find much of it superfluous, whereas complete novices might find some of it over their heads. It's assumed you know something about books if not bookselling. 5: Yes, I got my money's worth. |
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Number of respondents: 5 |
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There were five students, four antiquarian booksellers (80%) and one antiquarian bookseller/student (20%). |