No. 26: How to Research a Rare Book

19-23 July 1999

1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: They were useful. The Practical Bibliographer was as dry as a bone, but I was glad I had read it when we started. The articles were especially useful, although I thought my interlibrary loan department would never send them to me! I think something on languages (if there is anything) would be most helpful. 2: Useful. They provided a general background for bibliographic theory. It was also helpful to have the sources we would examine in class before we arrived (not that I really looked at many prior to the RBS week). 3: I’m afraid I didn’t get to them, but they didn’t prove to be a hardship. 4: Very useful. I’ll keep them on my desk for reference. They were chosen with thought and care. DK’s bibliography of sources is the result of years of experience. It’s an outstanding compilation. 5: Fine, if a bit basic. Good choices for an introductory course like this. 6: Useful, and they gave an indication of the level the course would be taught at. 7: Yes. 8: The pre-course readings were relevant and useful, and I may read them again when I return, as I’ll get more out of them this time. 9: Helpful. 10: Useful. 11: 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: Yes, they were. These materials were great to have - to know what to expect, and to know how things would be approached. 2: Yes. It was very useful to have this well-organized list of reference sources. 3: Yes. Very clear, very useful, and very funny. I plan to share them with my collegues, and use them myself when I get home. 4: Exceptionally useful. I would have said (before taking the course) that they were worth the price of tuition. Now I know that they were just the first step in understanding the complexities of bibliography. I’ll refer to them often. 5: Very useful. I will certainly use the bibliographic information in the future. 6: Very - both during the class and after. The instructor’s annotations and comments will be very useful in the future. 7: It was worth the bibliography alone. It will be very valuable when used in the future. 8: The course syllabus was appropriate, and it will be useful in the future. I intend to annotate this copy when I return, and I anticipate that it will receive heavy use. 9: Very appropriate - I will refer to them at work! 10: Quite useful. 11: Appropriate and useful, and they will be useful for the duration. 12: Very useful.

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

1: Yes. It was very stimulating and challenging. I truly enjoyed DK, who is so knowledgeable and is wonderfully witty. Although I didn’t have as much experience as many others in the class, I felt very comfortable and I learned tremendously. 2-3: Yes. 4:. It was always fascinating. I learned that bibliographies are written by people, and their stories are interesting and revealing. I learned to approach bibliographies with a mixture of respect and skepticism. This whole enterprise of searching was intellectually challenging. It’s not busy-work. 5: I think so. We had a lot to cover in five days, so I suppose breadth had to be stressed instead of depth. 6: Yes. It was always a little above my knowledge, but it stretched my abilities and it wasn’t daunting. It varied, so someone always knew a little more than the others. 7-12: Yes.

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

1: Our class had a field trip to the Reference Room daily. The time was spent well, searching citations. Everything was made as convenient as possible. 2: Yes. Much of our class time was spent researching in Alderman Reference. It’s a very hands-on, practical approach, and it works. 3: I’m not sure if you can call our many hours in Alderman Reference a field trip, but it was definitely time well spent. 4: Our time spent in the stacks and the Reference Room was exhausting, but exhilarating. 6: Yes. Researching and searching in the Reference Room and stacks helped. Browsing helped, too. 7: The RLIN demonstration via the UVa terminals was helpful. 9: Very well spent. We did spend great amounts of time working on problem sets with DK in Alderman Reference, and we had an RLIN demonstration. 10-12: Yes.

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 did correspond, although I really didn’t know exactly what the course would be like until I took it. We followed the course description, and worked from the course materials sent to us. 2: Yes, quite so. 3: Yes. 4: Yes. We discussed the problem of the title of the course, but we didn’t come up with a better one. This course gave me exactly what I needed, and more than I expected. 5: Yes. 6: Yes. It was well-structured and informative, following a well-developed and intelligent plan. 7-8: Yes. 9: Exactly. 10-12: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: I learned tremendously, and can continue to expand my base of knowledge about problematic subjects. I would absolutely recommend DK to anyone interested in bibliographic materials. The class members really enjoyed one another. 2: DK’s sense of humor, and his obvious interest in his students’ lives and careers. 3: Getting familiar with sources I’d heard of, but never used. The best thing about this particular class was the camaraderie DK fostered amongst the students. We learned a great deal, with and from one another. 4: DK, of course! He’s an extraordinary librarian and teacher, and a delight to work with. I did not expect to laugh so much in the process of learning and searching, and the whole session turned out to be a mixture of awe-inspiring knowledge and just plain fun. 5: It provided a place for variously knowledgeable students who work in the field to examine a basic (but comprehensive) set of bibliographic tools. 6: The instructor’s teaching skills, knowledge, and humorous kindness; the opportunity to use the reference materials within a good library; and the enthusiasm of (and collaboration with) the other students. 7: 1. DK: he is very knowledgeable, but not condescending. He provided a wonderful teaching environment. 2. Meeting colleagues from all over. 8: Tough to answer. The instructor was very good: knowledgeable, approachable, and he has a wonderful sense of humor! The course covered all areas equally, and nothing was omitted. The instructor’s method of teaching the material was great - he made this course very enjoyable! 9: DK’s presentation of this course was humorous, enlightening, and inspiring. We also developed great camaraderie in the class due to the challenging problem sets. I hope I will see all of my classmates again. 10: DK is a man of great erudition, humor, and kindness. I learned a lot in a short time, and I would have relished the opportunity to have him for a full semester. 11: The knowledge, professionalism, kindness, thoroughness, and intelligence of the instructor. 12: DK’s near-omniscience.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: I really wouldn’t have changed anything. 2: The standard complaint seemed to be the "feeding frenzy" when examining sources for completing our problem sets. I’m not sure there is a solution, since the point is to gain exposure to all of them. If the class had been split into groups, I don’t think we could have seen as many. Besides, it forced one to make friends quickly. 3: DK could divide the problem sets so that half of the class could do one set, and another half the other set. At times, you couldn’t lay your hands on the book you needed. 4: I honestly can’t think of a way. Even the toughest - and potentially most dreary assignments - were enjoyable, and the atmosphere of the class fostered cooperation rather than competition. 5: I spent perhaps 20-30% of my search time looking for materials rather than consulting them. If at all possible, it would be good to bring in more materials from the various parts of the library, and perhaps place all of them (with us) in a secure area. This way, the focus would be tighter on the sources. 6: Fewer problems in one or two of the sets. 8: No suggestions. 9: I’d like a "Part II": more sources, maybe (c20 Asia and Africa). 10: Given the severe time constraints, it would have been impossible to structure the course to satisfy everyone. I would have preferred more class lecture and discussion, and fewer library exercises, but I can understand that people with different learning styles might prefer the class as it was structured.

8) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the BAP’s 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: It would be nice if they could be gathered together (but then we couldn’t see other materials that weren’t on our list). 4: They (the books) were generally well-handled. There was sometimes not enough table space in the Reference Room for the twelve of us, but we perched on stools and wrote on the tops of shelves. It was fine. The books were brought to us from Special Collections.

9) Please comment on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class, eg Sunday afternoon tour, Sunday night dinner and videos, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, &c.

1: Bookseller Night was a bust because it took the bus 45-minutes to come. I enjoyed the lectures and videos. My plane was delayed, so I didn’t take the town in on Sunday. The Rotunda exhibit was excellent. 2: All of the extra-curricular activities were thought out and worthwhile. When you are a returning RBS student, some of the events are repetitive. I think the lectures should be held at 5:30 so that evening activities (boozing) can begin earlier. Lecture attendance should be optional. 3: The lectures were great. 4: Evening lectures were enjoyable. It’s always a privilege and a pleasure to visit the Rotunda. I enjoyed the Special Collections exhibit. The staff were all helpful. 5: The activities I chose to attend were useful. Daniel Traister’s talk was definitely provocative. 6: Fine. 7: A perfect balance - not too many activities and not too few. It was nice that these activities were optional. 8: All were enjoyable, and the quality of them was representative of the work done by the RBS staff. The staff does a terrific job of scheduling events - they started on time. 9: Sunday Night Dinner and videos were great, with very friendly people. Good lectures, especially Daniel Traister’s. Two of us missed Bookseller Night due to slow vans. 10: The entertainment was enjoyable and interesting.

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

1: Yes, I believe the cost is reasonable, but I wish you had more scholarships for others who don’t have the type of support my institution gives me. I would advise people coming here to be ready to work. Bring sunscreen. Meet everyone you can! 2: It’s somewhat overwhelming to have to synthesize nearly 500 reference sources in five days, but the exposure to so many is worthwhile. It’s a lot of work, but not as much as Descriptive Bibliography. If that course is childbirth, this is merely pregnancy. Seriously - classmates were great and I hope to maintain contact with many of them. 3: Take it - it’s wonderful. Yes, I got my money’s worth. 4: Yes [got my money’s worth]. 5: I think so. The networking potential is greater than any learning potential (it’s only a week, after all - albeit an interesting one). I can see why students come back, although every year would seem a bit much for me. 6: Make sure you check your institution’s reference materials before you come so that you can decide what new sources to explore. Try not to use RLIN while searching, and use as many specialized sources as possible. Yes [got my money’s worth]. 7: The campus is beautiful! 8: I would highly recommend this course. As mentioned above, the instructor is great - you learn a lot, and I know I got my money’s worth. Anyone taking this course will not be disappointed. 9: Rest a bit before arriving. Work with your classmates on the exercises. Socialize after class and at lunch. There were very kind and interesting people in this class. Definitely worth the money and time. 10: It was money well spent. 11: I went away with the knowledge and resources I had hoped to gain during this week. It was a good and worthwhile experience.

Number of respondents: 12

There were seven rare book librarians (58%), three rare book library assistants (25%),

one general librarian with no rare book duties (8%), and one art museum library administrator (8%).