8 - 12 October 2007 in Baltimore

1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: They were very useful; it was great background information to have and provided a great base upon which to learn more. 2: Very useful. 3: Very helpful, although we didn’t spend too much time on scripts in class. However, if you read it, you would get more out of the class. 4: Yes, it was useful. 5: Moderately helpful as background before the course began, but not addressed in the classroom. 6: They were useful in order to introduce me into the main problems. 7: Very useful: De Hamel provides an excellent, and very readable historical overview. I wish that I had time to read all of Bishchoff and Derolez, but the selected readings from both books certainly provided the necessary introduction to the course. A Medieval Latin primer might make for a nice supplement.

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: Yes, very helpful and thorough. I might use it forever. 2: Always! 3: Excellent materials! I will find them very useful as reference guides, and for further study. 4: Yes, very useful. 5: Yes. 6: Yes, they were useful. 7: The course workbook was indispensable, especially as an aid in class when working directly with the manuscripts. It will remain an essential reference work.

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: I was interested in every aspect of this course, and the intellectual level was appropriate. 2: The examples in texts were helpful, and the level was great. 3: Everything; except maybe the decorations. I enjoyed studying the book structures and ruling patterns. Decorations are nice too, but I don’t see too many of them in my library’s collection. 4: AD is the main attraction. 5: The guidance towards what to look for when evaluating a manuscript will be extremely useful for my work. 6: The technical aspects related to book analysis. Yes, the intellectual level was appropriate. 7: Of greatest relevance to me was the analytical description of parchment, quire forms, pricking and ruling patterns, and script. The intellectual level was high, and very well managed by AD; he was mindful of our capacities, he pushed, and he was patient.

4) Was time devoted to studying original materials at WAM or JHU well spent?

1: Very much so! Being able to work with original materials made all the difference in the world. Theories/facts were made real by seeing them in the manuscripts. 2: Every minute was well spent! 3: Yes, we are grateful that we were able to handle such wonderful manuscripts. It was very useful. 4: Yes. 5: Yes! 6: Yes, definitely well spent. 7: Goodness, yes. Having class in the Walter’s “war room”, with direct access to original manuscripts, made our learning experience both sublime, and efficient. Thank you, Will Noel!

5) What did you like best about the course?

1: Working with a teacher as amazing as AD, and working with the manuscripts. Amazing. 2: Working with such a variety of manuscripts, and with a genius like AD. 3: AD. He is very knowledgeable and also very kind. It has been a true honor to study with him. 4: AD. 5: Hands-on experience with a large number and variety of manuscripts. 6: The course offers a unique opportunity to study directly the original material. 7: AD, manuscript in hand, explaining things inscrutable to me; and me, manuscript in hand, seeing with new eyes.

6) How could the course have been improved?

1: More time to do homework, but I am torn because I really loved the evening activities as well. 2: Make it longer! 3: Can’t think of anything. 4: Make last day classes last to 6:00 p.m.! 5: Slides should be reserved to the second session; afternoon slides can be very difficult to focus on. 7: Difficult to say; more time on the analytical description of scripts may or may not have helped me, as my knowledge of scripts should have been much better.

7) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the RBS teaching collections and of materials owned by our host institutions. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?

1: I thought everyone was careful, and took very good care of the materials. 2: Nothing I can think of. 3: Nothing. 4: No suggestions. 6: The material was used and conserved properly. 7: We all were aware of the extraordinary privilege given to us, and everyone handled the manuscripts with extraordinary care.

8) If you attended the Sunday reception and/or Monday night lecture, were they worth attending?

1: Yes, absolutely. I enjoyed both. 2: Very much. 3: Yes. 4: Yes. Both were very interesting. 5: Yes. 6: Yes they were. 7: Yes, Will Noel’s Archimedes lecture is ever fresh and interesting, and the reception made for excellent comradery.

9) If you attended the Wednesday evening tour of JHU’s Peabody Library, was the time profitably spent?

1: Yes! 2: It was indeed, though it would have been nice to go into the stacks. We are all adults. 3: Yes. 4: Yes, very much so. 5-6: Yes. 7: Yes, John Buchtel is an excellent guide; I only wish that we could have ascended up into the stacks!

10) 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! This course has really been inspiring; an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life! 2: I got my money’s worth and more. This course was amazing, and I hope that many people can enjoy it in the future. 3: Absolutely. Thank you!! 4: Yes, this course is very interesting, and I would recommend it to anybody interested in rare books. 5: Yes. Given the time limitations, AD did a wonderful job presenting the material. More time given to instruction on what to look for would have made the time spent with the manuscripts more profitable. 6: It was a great experience, and I will recommend to future students. 7: Yes: AD is an excellent teacher, a master of the old school. He is passionate about the “archeology of the book,” and he greatly encouraged, and trained us to be detectives. Just read as much as you can, so that you can ask good questions, and surprise AD!

Number of respondents: 7

Percentages

Leave Tuition Housing Travel

Institution Institution Institution Institution

gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel

100% 71% 71% 57%

I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own

tion time tion myself own housing travel

0% 14% 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% 14% 29% 43%

There were 3 rare book librarians (43%); 2 full-time students (29%); 1 professor (14%); and 1 RBS staff member (14%).