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The expanded course descriptions (ECD) set forth below are intended to supplement--but not to substitute for or replace--the course descriptions in the Rare Book School (RBS) brochure.
At the end of each ECD is a list of the previous years during which the course was offered at RBS and the names of the instructors. Prospective students for RBS courses are invited to consult the widely-distributed annual RBS Yearbooks, in which students' exhaustive evaluations of all RBS courses offered since 1989 have been published in their entirety. RBS was not held in 1992. Copies of the 1990, 1993, and 1994 RBS Yearbooks are in print and available postpaid for $10 (1990 and 1993) or $15 (1994). The 1995 RBS Yearbook is in the press, and will be available on about March 15th for $15. Copies of the 1989 and 1991 Yearbooks are out of print.
All courses announced in the RBS brochure and ECD will in fact be held. There is no minimum number of students necessary for a course to run; RBS does not cancel courses.
11. LITHOGRAPHY IN THE AGE OF THE HAND PRESS. This course aims to approach the subject from several different directions and to bridge traditional boundaries between printing history, bibliography, the history of printmaking, design history, and ephemera studies.
Sessions will focus on the first half of the c19. They will cover: the invention of lithography; equipment and materials; some early treatises on the process; pictorial prints; lithographed books, music, and ephemera; the spread of the trade in Europe; and the relationship of lithography to color printing generally. Also included will be discussion of: the graphic characteristics of lithography; the development of the process; pictures and letterforms; some leading figures; and questions associated with identifying, describing, and studying lithographed items.
Each topic will be introduced by an illustrated lecture or less formal talk. In all sessions, however, the aim is to be as interactive as the situation and size of class permits. There will be plenty of time for discussion and, wherever possible, items from the University Library will be made available to provide an opportunity for an element of connoisseurship.
The course makes no specific requirements of participants, although some understanding of how lithography works and of the history of graphic images and printing processes is desirable. In their personal statement, applicants should give an indication of their background and interest in the field. Michael Twyman: 93-95
12. PUBLISHERS' BOOKBINDINGS, 1830-1910. The purpose of this course is to develop skills in recognizing and understanding the technical and stylistic components of c19 American book covers. As the microforming and digital imaging of brittle books proceeds in research libraries, it becomes increasingly important to appreciate the book and its cover as they were initially manufactured. Each day, significant bookcloths and endpapers are discarded, because their role in book history is not understood.
The course will provide laboratory sessions in distinguishing between graining, stamping, and embossing on leather, paper, and cloth-covered bindings. The differences between American and English covers will be explored. The BAP collection of clothbound books, intensively built up over the last several years and chronologically arranged, will be used to illustrate the evolution of cover design and its relation to Victorian decorative art and architecture. Special emphasis will be given to identifying ``signed'' bindings--the periods in which they occur and how to look for them. Sue Allen: 84-85 91-95
13. PRINTING DESIGN AND PUBLICATION. This course is directed toward library and museum staff responsible for the appearance of printed materials ranging from simple case labels to elaborately illustrated catalogs.
The course will begin by examining expectations: what constitutes a document of library or museum quality? what fails? The developing doctrine of typographic organization and design calls forth an evaluation of materials, tools, and processes. What types are suitable? What papers? How can costs and schedules be controlled? How can institutional identity and authority be achieved? What software packages can be used to produce good work on equipment commonly found in institutions? A considerable part of the course will consist of an evaluation of examples of museum and library printing supplied by students, the instructor, and the BAP collections.
In their personal statement, applicants should describe their present design/production responsibilities (or opportunities), and state topics that they would particularly like to see covered in the course. Greer Allen: 94-95
14. INTRODUCTION TO RARE BOOK LIBRARIANSHIP. This year, the course is aimed at those with an interest, but little or no formal training, in rare books and special collections librarianship. The instructor welcomes applications both from librarians and from others with an intellectual curiosity in the subject. Class sessions will include lectures and discussion. Topics include: (1) definition and purpose of rare book collections--the determinants of rarity and of value; the appropriateness of rare book collections in libraries; developing criteria for identifying rarities in the general collection; the commitment to security and quality of the collection; (2) collection development--starting from where you are, and ascertaining areas of strength and building to them; relating collections within the library to each other; learning the processes of acquisition (the rare book market and its practices); creating a new field for collecting; building a reference collection to serve the unit; (3) technical processing-- catalogs, calendars, and shelflists; describing individual books and collections; relating the rare book collection to the general collection of the library; elementary repair techniques; conservation and planning for growth; lighting and readers' facilities; (4) relating the rare book collection to its various clienteles and to the public; special interest groups and their needs; the curator in the classroom; preparation of exhibits; use of the media for publicity; Friends of the Library groups; fund- raising activities; publications.
Because student interests will play a considerable factor in each, it will be helpful if students, in their personal statement, describe as fully as possible their present position and state what they would like to get out of this course. John Parker/Daniel Traister: 83-91; Dan Traister: 93-95
15. ADVANCED SEMINAR IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS ADMINISTRATION. This course is a practical seminar in the art and science of administering a special collections unit. It is intended for working special collections/rare book librarians with several years of professional experience, whose present responsibilities are becoming more broadly based. While the course is not focussed exclusively on special collections within academic libraries, there is a bias in that direction (both instructors have spent their entire careers within that setting). The course includes: tactics special collections librarians may use for interpreting needs and objectives to their library and institutional administrations; means for assuring an active role for special collections in the research and curricular programs of their institutions; approaches designed for maintaining an appropriate share of institutional resources; techniques for fund-raising, including the most effective use of friends' groups; and methods for evaluating the success of the strategies selected. Other subjects of current interest covered include: dealing with budget cuts; the administrative issues raised by using technology in special collections; and making decisions on security. Class participation is actively encouraged, and students may be asked to present a case study from their own experience. Samuel A. Streit and Merrily E. Taylor: RBS 86-87 89-91 93-94
16. HOW TO RESEARCH A RARE BOOK. The determination of the character and importance of a rare book usually begins with a search for relevant bibliographical citations. This course will introduce (or re-introduce) students to some of the most important and useful reference sources for the study of pre-1900 printed books. Non- English materials will be emphasized, although no special linguistic facility is required of students, and the course will have no particular historical or subject emphasis.
Group problem sets will be assigned for class discussion, so as to introduce search strategy in general along with specific bibliographical verification techniques. Out of this practical experience, students will (it is hoped) develop insights into the present state and potential nature of our bibliographical record in covering particular historical periods and languages, regional and national literatures, format genres, and subject areas.
The course is aimed at bibliographers, reference and collection management librarians, and catalogers working with rare books in institutions or in the antiquarian book trade. In their personal statement, applicants are encouraged to state what subject or linguistic areas they would particularly like to see the course include. D. W. Krummel: 90-93 95
21. EUROPEAN BOOKBINDING, 1500-1800. The history of bookbinding is not simply the history of a decorative art, but also that of a craft answering a commercial need. This course will follow European bookbinding from the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, using the bindings to illustrate the aims and intentions of the binding trade. A large part of the course will be devoted to the identification of both broad and detailed distinctions within the larger groups of plain commercial bindings and the possibilities of identifying the work of different workshops without reference to finishing tools. The identification and significance of the different materials used in bookbinding will be examined, as well as the classification of bookbindings by structural type, and how these types developed through the three centuries covered by the course. The development of binding decoration will be touched on, but will not form a major part of the discussion.
There will be slide lectures each day. Actual examples from the BAP collections will be used to supplement the slides in three afternoon sessions, and another afternoon will be spent examining finely bound books in UVa's Special Collections. NB: students will in general NOT be able to touch or handle personally the books shown to them in class, because of the fragility and/or value of the material being used--an understandably irritating but nevertheless very necessary policy instituted in order to protect the RBS and UVa collections from collective overuse.
Students are expected to have a sound knowledge of bookbinding terms and a basic knowledge of the history of book production in the period under consideration. The purpose of the course is to encourage an awareness of the possibilities latent in the detailed study of bookbindings and is thus aimed at all those handling books bound in this period, but it has particular relevance for those involved in the repair and conservation of such materials.
In their personal statement, applicants should describe the nature and extent of their bench training (if any) in bookbinding and/or related disciplines, and they should also describe any previous formal or informal historical study in the field. Nicholas Pickwoad: 87 [three times]; 88-93 95 [twice each year]; 94
22. BOOK COLLECTING. This course is intended for serious but isolated book collectors who would like to learn more about the current American rare book scene: about the interlocking professional and social worlds of antiquarian book collecting, the rare book trade, and research librarianship. It is aimed at persons who collect energetically but who currently are not active members of bibliophilic social clubs and who do not participate to any great extent in library friends' organizations. The course will have at least something of a proselytizing bent (the instructors admit to being members of various social and scholarly bibliophilic and bibliographical organizations, as well as a good many library friends' groups; and they are well acquainted with a fair number of book dealers).
Among the questions the course will address: Why do we collect? How can I most effectively use the services provided by dealers, auction houses and other agents? How can I best use bibliographies and other lists in my collecting? What kind of records should I keep? What can I do to preserve books on my own? When professional conservation is required, how do I find it? What should I do about insurance? What are the benefits of professional and bibliophilic organizations and cooperation with libraries and scholars? How should I dispose of my books? What are the tax and collecting implications of sale, gift, and bequest? How can I establish my own program for learning more about books and collecting?
In their personal statement, applicants should describe their book collections and their most active current collecting interests, and state what they would particularly like to see the course cover. Wm P. Barlow, Jr/Terry Belanger: 95
23. INTRODUCTION TO THE CURATORSHIP OF HISTORICAL HEALTH SCIENCE COLLECTIONS. The course will focus on all aspects of the curatorship and interpretation of the varied materials found in historical health science collections. The course will offer comparisons and contrasts in the history of health science collections and programs of varying size and scope, reflecting the institutions of the instructors.
Through lectures, discussions, and field trips, the following topics will be covered: what is rare and important in historical health science collections today; what genres of material should be collected; current trends in scholarship; the highly specialized reference works (both print and electronic) that assist research in the field; the physical requirements for processing, housing, and using rare and special materials (item-level rare book cataloging will NOT be covered in this course); planning appealing exhibits that will highlight the collections; outreach to a variety of constituents; and donor relations, including fund-raising. A special field trip will focus on archives and medical artifacts.
Prospective students should outline their experience and background in their applications. They should address their expectations for the course and suggest topics or problems they would like to discuss. Katharine E. S. Donahue/Joan Echtenkamp Klein: NEW COURSE
24. RARE BOOK CATALOGING. This course is intended for those with a working knowledge of AACR2rev. and of general cataloging principles and practices. Lectures, discussion, and exercises will center around the following topics: the differences between rare book and general cataloging, and why those differences exist; basic concepts of edition, issue, and state; the organization of the cataloging record, including levels of detail and variety of access points; problems in transcription, format and collation, and physical description; recent developments in codes and standards; the uses and requirements of special files; and setting rare book and/or special collections cataloging policy within an institutional context. The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to each of the primary elements of the rare book catalog record, so that students will be equipped to begin cataloging their institution's rare book and special collections materials.
In their personal statement, applicants should give a brief description of the types of materials they expect to catalog. They are also encouraged to mention specific problems they have encountered (or anticipate encountering) in their work, whether of a concrete nature or concerning broader issues in cataloging policy. John Lancaster/Earl Taylor: 83-84; ET: 85; Suzy Taraba/Stephen Young: 86-91; Suzy Taraba: 93-94; Eric Holzenberg: 95
25. VISUAL MATERIALS CATALOGING. This course is intended for catalogers and curators of visual materials who have a working knowledge of AACR2rev. and/or APPM; MARC formats; and of general cataloging principles and practices. The emphasis will be on c19 and c20 prints and photographs being cataloged either as single items or as part of archival collections. Descriptive cataloging will focus on use of Graphic Materials, with comparison to AACR2rev. and APPM. For subject cataloging, we will compare LCSH, AAT, and LC's Thesaurus for Graphic Materials. For access to form and genre, we will compare Descriptive Terms for Graphic Materials with LCSH and AAT. Other topics will include differences between cataloging visual and textual materials, level of detail in the catalog record, the relationship between physical processing and cataloging, and establishing cataloging policy within an institutional environment. The class will make a field trip to LC to visit the Prints and Photographs Division, where presentations will include an overview of cataloging techniques in the digital environment.
Applicants should give a brief description of their experience cataloging rare and archival materials, their current duties with regard to visual materials, and the types of materials they expect to catalog. They are also encouraged to mention specific problems they have encountered, as well as any particular expectations they have for the course. Jackie Dooley: 95
26. INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONIC TEXTS. This course will provide a wide-ranging and practical exploration of electronic texts and related technologies. The course is aimed primarily (although not exclusively) at librarians planning to develop an etext operation, and at scholars keen to develop, use, and publish electronic texts as part of their own textual, research, and pedagogical work. Drawing on the experience and resources available at UVa's Electronic Text Center, the course will cover the following areas: how to find existing etexts; how to use a scanner to create etexts, including digital image facsimiles; the necessity of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) for etext development and use; text analysis software; the management and use of on-line text databases; and the creation of World Wide Web hypertexts.
As a focus for our study of etexts, the class will create an electronic version of a printed text, mark its structure with SGML tagging, create digital images of sample pages and illustrations, produce a hypertext version, and make it all available on the Internet.
Applicants need to have basic Internet literacy (including e- mail). Some experience with the World Wide Web will be an asset. In their personal statement, applicants should assess the extent of their present knowledge of the electronic environment, and outline a project of their own to which they hope to apply the skills learned in this course.
The course will be offered twice (in Weeks 2 and 4) in anticipation of its usual large number of applications. In your personal statement, please indicate if you can take the course in EITHER of the two time slots in which it is offered (by doing so, you will materially increase your chances of being admitted to the course). David Seaman: 94-95
31. HISTORY OF THE PRINTED BOOK IN THE WEST. This course will cover the development of the Western printed book in chronological and thematic sessions via a combination of lectures, workshops, slides, videotapes, and films.
The course is intended for those who have a growing curiosity about the history of books, printing, and the allied arts, and who would like formal classroom exposure to the subject in a well- equipped environment. The instructor emphasizes that this course is aimed at beginners. In their personal statement, applicants should describe the nature of their developing interest in the history of the book and (if relevant) explain briefly the causes of this interest and the purposes to which they propose to put the knowledge gained from the course. Alice Schreyer/Peter VanWingen: 85-94; Martin Antonetti: 95
32. THE USE OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE IN EARLY PRINTED BOOKS. This course is aimed at librarians (including catalog librarians), antiquarian book dealers, and other persons who regularly work with early printed books. The course is restricted to those who have at least an elementary knowledge of the principles of descriptive bibliography. A knowledge of Latin would also be helpful. In their applications, prospective students should indicate the extent of their background in these areas. Paul Needham: 88-91 93
33. THE COMPANY OF STATIONERS TO 1637. For about a century from the 1550s, both the manufacture and the wholesale distribution of printed books in England were largely consigned to a single city and governed by a single trade organization--a situation without real parallel in any other country. This course will explore the origins, nature, and development of that organization: its premises, membership, and customs; its regulations and record- keeping; and its relations with the authorities of city, church, and state.
In their personal statement, applicants are encouraged to mention any topics or areas of special interest. The ability to read English secretary hand, while not a requirement, would be useful. Peter Blayney: 95
34. BOOK ILLUSTRATION TO 1890. The purpose of this course is to teach students how to tell the difference between the various relief, intaglio, and planographic printing methods used in book illustration in the period before the domination of photographic processes. The emphasis of the course will be on process rather than on connoisseurship, on execution rather than design, and on the practical rather than the theoretical.
Almost the sole medium of instruction will be actual examples of original prints drawn from the substantial BAP collection, many of them divided into suites or (as they are known locally) PACKETS of twelve prints all from the same (or a very similar) source. The twelve students in the class study the packets under close instruction, using loups and 30X microscopes (both provided), as necessary.
During the course, students will make and print a linoleum cut, a zinc etching, and an acrylic drypoint. These are exercises in reproductive--not creative--work: no artistic ability of any kind whatsoever is either necessary or expected.
In their personal statement, prospective applicants should describe the extent of their formal and/or informal background in the field. Terry Belanger/Joan Friedman: 83-85 87; Terry Belanger: 88 90-93 94 [twice] 95
35. THE AMERICAN BOOK IN THE INDUSTRIAL ERA, 1820-1940. This course is aimed at scholars, catalogers, collectors, and others whose interest or research is concerned with the history of the book in the United States during the industrial era. The course will focus on the production, distribution, and reception of American books, although British practices will also be discussed as appropriate. No prior knowledge of descriptive bibliography is required, but the course will introduce students to bibliographies and to bibliographical practice and convention useful to the study of books published during this period.
In their personal statement, applicants should summarize their background in the field, and state briefly any topics that they would particularly like the course to cover. Michael Winship: 94-95
36. INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET. Students will be provided with a computer account and ample access to computer facilities for the duration of this course. After an overview of the ways of connecting to the Internet, the class will explore the global resources available on-line. Starting with communications tools such as electronic mail, on-line phone books, and networked discussion groups such as ExLibris, students will then connect to network-accessible information sources such as library catalogs, special collections guides, on-line bookdealers, etext collections, and networked museum exhibits.
Students will be encouraged to consider the practical utility of networked communication to their commercial or academic pursuits (eg how can a book dealer use on-line information to identify what a library lacks? how can a cataloger working in a particular field gain electronic access worldwide to the detailed cataloging records of relevant specialized libraries? how can a scholar get rapid responses by querying others working in the same field?) The course will also include a discussion of the strategies that students may use for providing themselves with permanent access to the Internet after they return home.
Applicants must have a basic familiarity with a microcomputer (IBM or Mac), including facility with a word processing program. In their personal statement, applicants working in institutions should describe the facilities for electronic communications (or the lack of) available to them at work. Self-employed or independent applicants should describe those aspects of electronic communications to which they are particularly eager to have access. David Seaman: 94-95; Peter-john Byrnes/Kelly Tetterton.
41. TYPE, LETTERING, AND CALLIGRAPHY, 1450-1830. This course will attempt to bring together coherently a number of points about the history of letterforms during its period, to survey current scholarship in the field, and to point directions for students' future study. The course presupposes a general knowledge of Western history, and some awareness of the continuity of the Latin script, but no special knowledge of typographical history. James Mosley: 84-86 88 90-95
42. CHILDREN'S BOOKS 1740-1865. This course is directed toward those who have already had some exposure to c18 or c19 English or American children's books, whether as a collector, conservator, dealer, librarian, or in some other capacity. The format of the class will comprise group discussion, symposium and demonstration.
The course's focus will be on the techniques of researching and cataloging children's books and related material in the absence of authoritative bibliographies, and will include unconventional genres such as miniature books, board games, and early mechanical paper toys, as well as chapbooks, original artwork, and manuscripts. One day will be spent in discussing the opportunities now available for research using electronic databases and online library catalogs over the Internet; some background with microcomputers will thus be useful (though not essential) in learning a few basic techniques for approaching the electronic superhighway.
In their personal statements, applicants should describe the nature and extent of their experience in this field, including their present level of involvement with online computer services, and list any topics they would particularly like to see the course cover. Justin Schiller: NEW COURSE
43. RARE BOOK LIBRARIES: A PERSPECTIVE FOR BOOKSELLERS. A knowledge of the way in which institutions view special collections of books, manuscripts, and related materials is essential to a practical understanding of how their rare book departments operate. Bookseller/librarian relations are (like all relationships) essentially personal; but they are also relationships between professionals both of whom ought to be comfortable and confident in their professional roles. The exercise of each role implies mutual expectations and responsibilities that need to be understood fully by both parties.
What should I offer and how should I offer it? the dealer wonders. The answer is complex: the options include visits to institutions, quoting, and sending catalogs. In all cases, the attitude of the librarian toward these methods of merchandising is an important consideration for the bookseller. The rare book librarian's day is not easily typified; still, it can be described after a fashion, and some understanding of what a rare book librarian regards as routine is likely to improve librarian/bookseller relations.
The training of rare book librarians has traditionally consisted of a combination of formal education and on-the-job experience. The training of antiquarian booksellers has traditionally been conducted on a kind of apprentice system. This course is an attempt to provide a bridge between the widely varying training of librarians and booksellers.
This course is restricted to persons currently working in the antiquarian book trade. Prospective students are encouraged (though not required) to enclose a recent catalog (or other sales device) with their applications. In their personal statement, applicants should briefly describe the problems in librarian/dealer relations that they would particularly like to see this course address. Richard Landon: 95
44. INTRODUCTION TO DESCRIPTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY. This course is intended for those who want to develop an understanding of the physical description of books, particularly those books produced before about 1850.
Each class day is divided into four parts: lecture, homework, lab, and museum. Daily lectures concentrate on methods of determining format and collation, and of describing type, paper, illustrations, binding, and the circumstances of publication. Students prepare for daily laboratory sessions in which they work, under close supervision, with progressively more difficult examples of various formats and collations. During the daily museum periods, students have extensive hands-on access to the celebrated BAP realia collections: tools and equipment, samples and examples, self-teaching packages, and the like. Terry Belanger/Donald Farren: 85-87; Terry Belanger/Donald Farren/David Ferris: 88; Terry Belanger/David Ferris: 90-95
45. INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONIC TEXTS. See no. 26.