75: Rare Book Cataloging [L-30]
18-22 July 2005
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: The pre-course readings were very useful and relevant for the course. The priority laid out on which materials to read first and which ones to leave out if we ran out of time was particularly helpful in preparing for the class. 2: The readings were extensive but essential, given the amount of material covered during the course. 3: The pre-course readings were a must! Some of the areas -- like signatures -- were a bit confusing, but it was like taking a language course before visiting a country. 4: They were extremely helpful in providing a solid foundation of what was to be taught. 5: They were useful (necessary), but difficult to digest without the instruction and practice RBS provides. 6: Exceedingly useful and absolutely necessary. 7: It was extremely useful to have read everything before attending. 8: Very -- although one doesn’t understand or remember everything, the list permits you to come prepared. 9: Fairly useful. I am at an age where I do not retain information for long, so I need to re-read most things. The time between registering and coming to class allowed me to refresh my recollection of what I had read. 10: All the readings made more sense during the class. 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, the syllabus was clearly laid out at the beginning of the week. In-class exercises were very valuable in illustrating rules and concepts, and the worked examples distributed at the end of the week will be a very valuable reference when I return. 2: Class materials were focused on the content covered during the course. I expect to use them for reference in the future. 3: I am especially thankful for some of the charts that were passed out and examples of corrected work which we can take and use back home. I’m also thankful to have a DCRM(B) copy. 4: Yes! They will be excellent resources to refer to when I return to work. 5: Absolutely. I wish the course had been two weeks long, to ensure both broader and deeper introduction to the topic. 6: Yes. 7: I am certain I will be using the rules and syllabus, as well as DJL’s examples, in my work. 8: Yes. 9: Yes. Examples are always useful. (That memory issue again.) 10: Yes. I plan to use them when I return home. 11: Yes, extremely so.
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: Of greatest interest and relevance were the new DCRM(B) rules, their differences with AACR2 practices, and the implications of using these two sets of cataloging rules for different materials in an appropriate way in my library. The level was just right, and it was very much related to us as working catalogers. 2: Even if I don’t catalog rare books myself, the class has given me a better sense of the details involved. It will help me to decide what materials warrant DCRM(B) treatment. 3: Actual transcribing of material, which gave us a sense of how we’ll do our day-to-day work on the project. The instructor was very open to questions and clearly got points across -- she didn’t go on unless we all understood or if the material would be covered later. 4: I was fascinated by the depth of the descriptive aspects of rare book cataloging. I had never done some of these things (e.g. signatures) and was amazed by the complexity, but reached an understanding and grasp of DCRM(B) through the exercises. The intellectual level of the course was appropriate. 5: The application of specific rules for chosen materials, and explanation of the logic underlying the rules. I was concerned that I would be out of my depth in class, but the intellectual level proved okay. 6: Yes, the intellectual level was appropriate. Of greatest interest were: signatures/collations; transcriptions with i/j, u/v/w; and learning to transcribe title pages with more proficiency. 7: All was relevant and interesting. I enjoyed cataloging “my” book to use all I had learned during the week. The level of instruction was fine. 8: All of the material in the course was relevant to cataloging, including demonstrations and explanations of printing/binding techniques; without such knowledge, you can’t describe the item in hand. The intellectual level was directed at beginners with some reading on the subject and cataloging experience at least with other formats, so it was appropriate as announced. 9: We covered all the salient points of rare book cataloging. Yes, the intellectual level was appropriate. I did not feel any of it was over my head or a waste of time. 10: Handpress-period book cataloging. Yes, as a librarian without a “real” librarian position, I think this was very helpful for my current assistant position and my professional future. 11: Yes, the intellectual level was appropriate. DCRM(B) description/transcription, collation, and the practicum were most relevant and interesting.
4) If your course had field trips, were they effective?
1: Yes, very much so. The talk/demonstration by David Vander Meulen provided me with a greater appreciation of why concepts from descriptive bibliography would be relevant and important for rare books, and why rules in rare book cataloging are set up to capture such information and concepts. 2: This part of the class was directly relevant to projects at my library. I understand for the first time why collection of multiple issues of a work is important and how they can be cataloged to reveal their differences. 3: I enjoyed going to SC to view items we would not have been able to cover in class -- time well spent. The lunch field trip was fun. 4: Very well! We visited SC, and the demonstrations and lecture were very relevant. It put into perspective how rare book cataloging assists bibliographers in their work. 5: Absolutely. I was initially concerned that we were being taken to SC to watch catalogers catalog (“My God! She’s choosing the original punctuation option!”), but in fact the demonstration was logically related to the topic we were discussing. Plus it was just fun. 6: Absolutely. It illustrated concepts we had read about. The trip to SC to see issues and states was a perfect illumination of our readings. 7: Our field trip to SC was really helpful in seeing the differences in editions and issues. 8: Yes. 9: Yes. I appreciate opportunities for field trips. One person is never an expert at everything, so hearing from someone who specializes in an aspect or two is great. 10-11: Yes.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: I enjoyed the collegial environment throughout the week, where we could learn from catalogers who are more experienced, and from each other. 2: The SC visit was especially enlightening for me. The rest of the class was challenging. I would never believe I could learn so much in a week. 3: Excellent teaching, and the interesting challenge. 4: Learning about how to determine if a book was a folio, duodecimo, &c. The transcriptions were difficult because I seldom catalog these types of materials (Latin, handpress), but I found this rewarding to learn. 5: Learning the rules from someone intimately involved in their development. DJL is as pleasant as she is knowledgeable. And I very much enjoyed the historical underpinnings incorporated into the course content. 6: It was taught by a highly skilled, master rare-book cataloger who additionally has a fabulous sense of humor. 7: The instructor made the learning of this intricate subject flow well. I also liked working on actual books. 8: Hands-on practice; and the instructor’s explanations of the thinking and objectives behind the rules. I can read the rules, but without this context it is difficult to remember or understand as well. 9: The chance to ask questions and to hear everyone else’s questions plus the answers. 10: Everything -- it was so interesting, I did not want it to end. 11: Hands-on experience with actual rare books, especially the practicum.
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: I especially liked the additional opportunities made available to benefit from RBS through the evening programs, but it was a little taxing to cope with both the homework and attend all of the evening programs. Otherwise, I learned a great deal from being at RBS this week. 3: The amount of homework was more than I thought we’d have -- it felt like I had little or no free time, especially with evening sessions, too. 4: I don’t think it could be! DJL did an excellent job of teaching the class DCRM(B) and conveying to us the importance of what to add to the record and how to decide what could be left out. 5: Good facilities, but the temperature inside was consistently, unpleasantly cool -- which is not directly to the question, but that’s what I’m going with. DJL can occasionally be short with people. 6: I honestly have no suggestions. 8: Suggestion: from giving over 25 workshops in the last six years in serials for SCCTP, while I know PowerPoint is cliché, I think some prepared slides with graphics for some of the sections would help the instructor pick up the pace. It’s difficult when you have to juggle two or three manuals at once and direct 12 people to look in several different places, while at the same time keep to your path. 9: I suggest that people look for examples that stump them -- like difficult collations -- and bring them to class. The examples selected by the instructor may not include some horrendous task waiting for us back home. 10: The only thing I could think of is if there were transparent copies of the examples in the RBS workbook for the overhead projector. 11: Since c19 machine-printed books have distinctive characteristics, I think it would be useful to include some examples in the workbook.
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: Better book cradles perhaps might help, but it would be hard not to contribute to damage since the class wouldn’t be the same without access to the teaching collection. 3: No suggestions -- well done. 4: No suggestions -- it seemed to be handled properly. We were well-instructed in the care of the materials. 5: The instructor used the classroom environment to emphasize proper care and feeding, as a tacit lesson to use with our own collections. 6: None. 7: None. I appreciated being given a copy of the Folger’s practice to take back home. 8: We were well-instructed on the proper treatment of materials. 9: No suggestions. 10: None. 11: None -- precautions were taken, and one can’t catalog an item without handling it.
8) If you attended the Sunday and/or Monday night lectures, were they worth attending?
1: Yes, very much so, including the opportunity to meet the faculty and other participants. 3: Sunday gave us a background of the school, which was interesting. I did not attend Monday’s lecture. 4: Yes! Both were excellent lectures! 5: I’d pay money to observe the baleful Belanger stare. (Which, in effect, I suppose I did.) But it’s interesting to hear how RBS negotiates with external reality. Didn’t attend Monday. 6: Absolutely. 7: Yes. 8: Problem: it is difficult to juggle homework and presentations. I would request that the classroom might be kept open half an hour or 45 minutes after class (or before the next day’s session begins) to enable use of reference books and loupes, &c., to get homework assignments done. 10: The Sunday night lecture really welcomed everyone to RBS. 11: Yes.
9) If you attended Museum Night, was the time profitably spent?
1: I attended the Tuesday evening programs, and I enjoyed them all, especially since I would not otherwise have had the opportunity to learn about those areas in our cataloging class. 3: I attended Jane Eyre and the ProScope demo, and could have spent more time on each. Our problem with evening sessions was finding time to attend around supper and homework. I meant to see the videos Wednesday, but missed the trolley. 5: I attended parts of both, both of which were interesting. Besides, why else does one attend RBS? 6: All evening events were beneficial, especially video night on Wednesday. 7: Yes, then stayed up later with homework, which was fine. 10: I attended the events on Tuesday night and wish they were just a little longer, because they had so much information to share. 11: Did not attend.
10) Did you get your money’s worth? Any final thoughts?
1: Yes. I got my money’s worth and, I think, a lot more than I expected, and I would recommend it to anyone else interested in this sort of training. 3: I definitely got my money’s worth and would highly recommend the school. Plan to be kept very busy. 4: Yes! Thanks to all of you for an enlightening time! I look forward to returning! 5: To the extent that one learns things here in a logically encapsulated form that would be difficulty to learn otherwise, and from instructors who know what they’re on about, then yes. But it is very expensive in absolute terms. Bring a wrap -- it gets chilly. Listen very carefully at all times. Anticipate petty failures and oddly satisfying successes. 6: Absolutely! Thank you to everyone for making this a professional development experience of a lifetime. 7: I got my money’s worth and look forward to returning. 8: Yes! I highly recommend it! We can read and teach ourselves, but it saves a lot of time and errors in records on our part to have an expert jump-start one into the area. 9: Yes, I got LSTA’s money’s worth. Last time, too. Thanks for the opportunity to be a part of RBS again. 10: Yes, yes, yes!! I just loved it down here in Virginia. 11: Yes! Do the reading. Don’t worry about being embarrassed by what you don’t know -- everyone is there to learn.
Number of respondents: 11
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
91% 82% 82% 82%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
9% 9% 9% 9%
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
0% 9% 9% 9%
There were five rare book librarians (46%), three general librarians with some rare book duties (27%), two general librarians with no rare book duties (18%), and one library assistant senior (9%).