L-10: Introduction to Special Collections Librarianship
16-20 July 2007 in Charlottesville
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: Very – they covered much of what we discussed, and gave food fro thought and discussion. [There was] a little confusion because of the ACRL website reorganization. 2: The readings were really useful to have, and will be used again. [John Carter’s] ABC for Book Collectors will be a great reference tool for me in the future. 3: They were helpful in setting a framework for the class. 4: The pre-course readings served as a good foundation for the class. They were digestible in both size and content. 5: Good. 6: The pre-course readings gave me a clear foundation for the course. 8: Semi-useful. The reading list had to be updated less than two weeks before the start of school, leaving little time to read beforehand. 9: Good general background, but hard to slog through Carter’s ABC – maybe we only needed to read bits and pieces? 10: Good introduction and common background. 11: I found the readings useful, although there was a problem with availability (but that was the fault of ACRL). 12: Useful – especially as they were referred to in class, and prior familiarity was helpful. 13: I didn’t find that we really needed to have read them. Perhaps if I were a neophyte and didn’t know vocabulary or practices it would have been more necessary to have done the readings. Good stuff, though, to have read.
2) Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class appropriate and useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: Very, especially the articles and bibliography. 2: All the materials handed out in class will be useful when I return to work. 3: Yes, they were appropriate, and will be very helpful when I return home. 4: I will refer to my class materials upon arrival at home, especially the notes I made. The materials by themselves would likely be shelved; with notes and comments from the class and instructor, they came to life. 5: Yes – the specific topics had relevant and up-to-date resources (documents, bibliographies, and websites) that I hope to use, and will refer to. 6: Yes. 8: Yes. 9: Yes! Excellent packet of readings. 10: They will be useful references when I return to the office. 11: Yes – I will have a good reference library of examples and readings to refer to in the future. 12: Yes – the packet of course materials will be very helpful; some good practical examples, as well as website references. 13: We got lots of material in our notebook that, I think, will be useful after I get home.
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: Pretty much the whole, which was great because that’s what a good introductory course should do. Intellectually, it was appropriately challenging. 2: The analysis of the rare books was very interesting and will be of direct benefit to my current work as a reference librarian. (All of my library’s incoming rare book enquires are forwarded to me!) 3: The section on access and public services was of the greatest interest to me. The intellectual level was appropriate. 4: Collection development discussions were particularly informative, as were the various presentations. The intellectual level was appropriate: more time could have been dedicated to current scholarship in the field. 5: Discussions about online resources, metadata, conservation, and “tools of the trade.” Some of the class was review for me, but it was very well thought out, and the intellectual level was high without being hard. 6: I was a bit more interested in the cataloguing and digitization of manuscript collections and papers, than things dealing with rare books. 8: No preference – all was relevant. Yes. 10: I liked getting a broad overview. I have a lot of things to think about, and the first thing I’ll do when I get back is develop a long-range to do list. 11: I found the examples of activities at other libraries to be very interesting and useful for thinking about my own responsibilities. I do wish we could have covered certain subjects more in depth, bu we’d have been in class all night. 12: Collection development discussions, and basic bibliographic description activities. Yes. 13: This course came in at an appropriate intellectual level, but for me, at my stage in career and life, most all of the content was not new. That meant that the conversation and sharing was good for me.
4) If your course left its classroom to visit Special Collections (SC) or to make other field trips away from your classroom, was the time devoted to this purpose well spent?
1: Yes – the tour was great, and it was interesting to get the perspectives of working rare book/archival specialists. 2: The visit to SC was very interesting and appropriate as my library is currently in the early stages of planning to redevelop/integrate several reading rooms. 3: It was helpful, but looking at SC books in the classroom was of greater interest. 4: Yes. The most beneficial part of this RBS experience has been getting to understand how other special collections libraries and librarians operate. 5: N/A. 6: Generally, yes. I would have been more interested in a tour behind the scenes that merely staying in the lobby, but I do understand the security concerns. 7: If a “behind the scenes” leg of the tour is possible, I would like to see it added. 8: Yes. 9: No, I thought the tour of Harrison-Small was too focused on the process of requesting an item. 10: I enjoyed the visit but really would have liked to go behind the doors. I do like to see where staff actually work, and the conditions they work under. 11: Yes, the trip to Harrison-Small SC was interesting and helped add perspective to class discussion. 12: The visit to SC would have been more valuable if we had a tour of the stacks, processing areas, &c. – “behind the scenes.” 13: Helpful trip to SC library. It was nice to see their general set-up.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: Working with the books, and interacting with the instructor and students. 2: Rare books analysis; sharing experiences with other course participants; meeting others interested in the same things that I am! 3: AS is a fantastic teacher, and is very knowledgeable. It was great to get to know my classmates, who came from very diverse institutions. 4: The discussions surrounding the course materials. They allowed for a dialogue between the class and instructor, and between class members. 5: The teacher. 6: The other students. 8: No preference. 9: Through overview, meeting colleagues, useful readings and bibliography to take away. 11: Seeing/hearing examples of other libraries activities, procedures, goals, and programs. 12: Classroom interaction and discussion of covered themes and topics. 13: Rubbing shoulders with other folks who have the same focused professional interests as me.
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: More time! 2: ? 3: By limiting the [student] presentations to fifteen minutes, and strictly timing them. I would rather that AS had additional time to teach on Friday. Sitting through thirty to forty-five minute presentations was not enjoyable. 4: More emphasis on current scholarship. 5: Varying from being in the classroom most of the week. 6: No suggestions. 7: The early dismissal to work on the presentations probably could have been sacrificed to cover more material. 8: Less straight lecture time, more hand’s-on time, field trip outside the classroom. 9: The student presentations went way over time. I think they’re a good idea (useful and enjoyable), yet they prevented us from finishing the syllabus. 10: I really came to dislike the break room; too cramped and difficult to have coffee and talk. 11: More time with the collections, and maybe trying to keep presentations by students closer to time limit. 12: More emphasis on acquisitions. 13: Either remove the student presentations on the last day, or absolutely restrict time limits.
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: Classroom handling of RBS rare materials was very good, and the instructor made sure that people were careful, and the class was responsible with the items. 2: No drinks to be allowed on tables when materials are in use! 4: Materials were handled appropriately. Perhaps taking them up in the evenings would be good. In the mornings, everyone had coffee or tea, but had to stash them away from the tables. 5: None. 6: I was fairly content with the handling of the materials for this class.
8) If you attended the Sunday and/or other evening lectures, were they worth attending?
1: Went to about half – they were very good, especially James Green on Monday. 2: Most definitely! Chance to learn and meet others informally. 3: Yes, although the lectures for next week sound more interesting. 4: Yes. 5: Yes – good. 6: Yes. 9: Yes – even if [re: Ian Willison’s lecture] I’m still not certain what is national research librarianship! 10: I enjoyed all the lectures, and the videos too. They contributed to the intellectual atmosphere. 11: Yes – I wish I could stay and hear next week’s too. 12: Attended one – yes. 13: I especially liked the lecture by JG.
9) Did you get your money’s worth? Any final or summary thoughts, or advice for other persons considering taking this course in a future year?
1: Yes. AS is terrific, the course was great, and I learned a fantastic amount. I would definitely do it again. 2: Definitely worth my institution spending the money! 3: Definitely! I hope to be back next year. 4: As long as I put the lessons into practice, yes. 5: Yes – wonderful experience. 6: Yes. 8: Yes. 10: Yes. 11: I think so – it would’ve taken me months to find the time to pull all the resources together from the course packet, or to find the examples of other libraries programs that have given me good ideas to take back to work with me. I wish I could have taken this course in library school; it would have given me better perspective on tailoring my course work to special collections librarianship – and even better preparation for employment. 12: It is a lot of sitting, which probably can’t be avoided, but is a factor that affects attention span and comfort. Shorter sessions with shorter breaks might ease this a bit. 13: Yes, very much so. I’ll be back another year, for another course.
Number of respondents: 13
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
100% 92% 100% 100%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
0% 0% 0% 0%
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 scholarship home
0% 7% 0% 0%
There were 5 librarians with some rare book duties (38%); 3 rare book librarians (23%); 3 archivist/manuscript librarians (23%); 1 music librarian (7%); and 1 conservator (7%).