L-10: Introduction to Special Collections Librarianship
21-25 July 2008
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: Very useful. 2: Useful to be aware of, not essential. 3: Very useful. 4: Useful; some did not serve as narratives, but rather as reference texts. 5: Very useful. They provided a good (and brief, thankfully) introduction to the direction the course would take. I appreciated not having a lot of pre-class reading. 6: Very useful in providing a background for discussion. 7: Appropriate, perhaps overly general. 8: The pre-course readings were very helpful, they were well suited to the topic and provided a good foundation for this subject of the class. 9: The readings were useful and helpful background to the course. 10: Very helpful to set the stage. 11: The pre-course readings were very useful for quickly understanding what was being discussed or referred to in class. The amount of pre-course reading was realistic. 12: The readings were pertinent; in certain cases, such as Carter [ABC for Book Collectors], I wished we could have used them with slightly more frequency. 13: The pre-course readings were very useful as general background information and to support classroom discussion.
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! 2: Yes; very, very useful. 3: Yes. 4: Yes. The Handbook was a great resource. 5: I think the course packet will be extremely useful, and AS did a nice job of highlighting particularly important aspects. 6: YES. They were useful for class discussions and well continue to be useful as reference material upon my return. 7: Appropriate. 8: The workbook is a treasure for me of useful and practical information. It will go in my desk drawer at work and be used as a reference. 9: Yes, the materials were extremely useful. I will refer constantly to the course guide materials and resources listed. 10: Yes. The list of readings, the associations and other contacts, and the general information presented in the course materials will be key to my further investigation, and make it easy to share with others. 11: Definitely. Yes, I will be reviewing and consulting the syllabus. It also allowed me to pay more attention, rather than scrambling to note everything down. 12: I’m sure that the course book will continue to be a resource for a long time. 13: All of the materials distributed were useful, and I will continue to use them as a reference.
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: Rare books information, and opportunity to handle and discuss. The RBS 3-D Carter collection was great! 2: Yes, very appropriate. The tasks (practical) were of great benefit. More of these would have been very good. 3: All aspects of this course were helpful to me. Yes, the intellectual level was appropriate. 4: I came seeking a larger intellectual basis to tie together many individual strands in order to develop a Special Collection at my institution. This course has given me exactly what I was hoping for. 5: It was all very useful. I have limited experience, so the class content was all relevant, as well as the contributions of other class members. 6: The entire course gave me a great content for Special Collections work that will be applied when I return home. The intellectual level of the course was wonderful and resulted in some very good course discussions. 7: The course served as an overview and was thus appropriate. It would have helped significantly if the course description said “If you have experienced 1+ years of education/training in the past 10 years, you don’t need this.” 8: The intellectual level was stimulating; classmates were well chosen and added significantly. Instructional applications will be the most useful to me in a practical sense. I can’t wait to implement some of the ideas. 9: Everything was extremely relevant to my work. I found the intellectual level to be just right. 10: The most useful were the general overview at the beginning on what is special collections, the background on rare books and actually handling them, and security and ethics. 11: The physical analysis of the book (two hands-on experiences), the conversations re: archivists and rare book librarians, and public service operations from photocopying to signing out items. 12: I was most drawn to our engagement with books from the RBS and UVa collections, and also appreciated the thoughtful and candid analysis of current issues and debates within the discipline. 13: All of the content was of great interest and of direct relevance. The intellectual level was very appropriate; some of the most relevant for me were discussions on the importance of reference, outreach, donor relations, and PR.
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! 2: Yes, although there was a lot of overlap with the lunchtime hour at SC. 3-5: Yes. 6: Yes. It’s always great to learn from other professionals in the field and the SC staff were wonderful, honest, and informative. 7: Yes. 8: Yes, the time was well spent. It was important to see other facilities; how tasks are divided among staff, and for students to hear how others view theirs jobs. 9: Yes, the trips to SC and the Digitization Lab were useful. I wish we could have seen the SC stacks, though. 10: Yes. 11: Yes, the trips/tours of SC public services and Digitization Lab were very worthwhile. 12: N/A 13: Yes, the hands-on work with the collection was very helpful, including discussions, and the accompanying worksheets were great.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: Not getting graded; learning just for the sake of learning (having spent 7 years taking graduate school courses). 2: AS was very informative and well-prepared; it never felt like we were wasting time on an irrelevant topic. 3: The classroom exchanges with the other attendees, who had very valuable information to share. 4: Good interactive teaching style, and very good classmates. 5: The broad approach; the hands-on exercises were very helpful, too. Also, having UVa Special Collections staff do a show and tell was great. George [Riser] is a great presenter. 6: The camaraderie that developed among classmates and the discussions about issues we all face. 7: The Books and book-related activities. 8: The instructor. This was a very well-organized and thoroughly comprehensive course. 9: The pace was very good. A lot of material was covered in a timely way, and helpful links and readings for future research were provided. I also appreciated all of my classmates, as we respected one another, and where each person was in their career and experience with Special Collections. 10: The teacher; she is so knowledgeable and professional. She was extremely well-prepared each day and guided our discussion beautifully, skillfully making each person feel important to overall goal of sharing experiences and learning from those. 11: The instructor and her organization, of course. Her style was very personable and knowledgeable. Organization and coverage of content was clear and comprehensive. I enjoyed the mixture of lecture, guests, trips, hands-on, and discussion, including the mixing of groups and courses. 12: AS’s teaching was always dynamic and well organized; I appreciate her expertise and attention to the students very much. The tour of the Harrison-Small SC Library, and in particular George Riser’s wonderful presentation, was also a treat. 13: I appreciated very much the generosity and outstanding professionalism of our instructor. She really made it a terrific experience and brought the expertise and experience of every member at the table to light. Her presentations were extremely clear, thorough, and enlightening. (Please offer additional classes for us, AS!)
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: Sorry, no suggestions. 2: Less overlap in the hour/field trip; more practical hands-on exercises would have been nice. 3: I think it was fine as is. 4: Keep it like it is. 5: Having the board at the front of the room. 6: Can’t think of any way. It was very well balanced and informative. 7: An overall goal/project of some kind; less lecture, more discussion; more group interaction; no joint classes with other courses. 8: I can’t think of anything. 9: I can’t think of anything to improve it. 10: More hands-on regarding manuscript processing. Also, the Friday morning debate between Special Collections vs. Archives was useless and derisive. 12: I appreciated our joint classes, but at time these sessions felt more like we students were viewing a panel discussion than the freer discussion of the single class. I also would have appreciated more hands-on projects, particularly if there were a way for their ideas to be critiqued or responded to by AS. Not perhaps the presentations of years past, but some task which would call for rigorous and intensive engagement with items from the RBS collection (such as more formal descriptions) which we could apply to our collections and situations in our home institutions. 13: It was perfect. Perhaps AS would teach an additional follow-up or continuing course.
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: No. 2: No problems. 7: RBS Archives instructors shouldn’t have tea on the desk with the books (this was not AS, this was the annoying Archives lady). 8: We handled few items during the week, so it wasn’t much of an issue. All students had a basic knowledge of handling. 9: None. 12: I thought all use was appropriate.
8) If you attended the Sunday and/or other evening lectures, were they worth attending?
1: Yes, I enjoyed them all. 2: Interesting, but not essential. 3: Yes, both lectures were very much worth attending. 4-5: Yes. 6: Yes, the evening lectures gave another perspective to rare book librarianship and provided yet another great opportunity to learn from colleagues in the field. 7: Yes! 8: The Sunday night lecture was exceptional: very personal, candid, brave, and supportive. 9: The lecture was very interesting and thought provoking. 10: No. 11: Yes, definitely. Hearing professional experience from as many personalities as possible has been very educational. 12: Absolutely; TB’s famous “State of the RBS” was engaging, as advertised, and I really appreciated Richard Kuhta’s candid and perceptive evaluation of the field and its challenges. 13: All evening activities were great.
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! 2: Yes. Perhaps a larger area for more “formal” receptions, like the first night, as the Press Room is very tiny and inhibits meeting people. 3: Well, it wasn’t my money, but had it been, I would most definitely say yes, I got my money’s worth. 4: Absolutely!! This is a great bargain! 5: Absolutely. One more suggestion: the RBS rooms are way too small for receptions or breaks. A larger social area would be helpful. 6: Yes! I would definitely recommend this course to anyone interested in Special Collections. 7: Again, if you already have formal training/education with rare books or special collections, this course serves as a refresher rather than original content. It was also an information dump to many who were inexperienced. While it was enjoyable and educational, it could be improved. (I don’t think this is the teacher’s fault, necessarily). A class project would definitely be useful. 8: Absolutely! 9: Yes, definitely! I would encourage anyone desiring an overview of Special Collections work to take this course. 10: Yes. I learned so much to take back with me and help create an improved atmosphere and vision at my institution. It was a valuable educational experience for a novice in the field. 11: Yes, this was an extraordinary introduction to this area of librarianship. It was immensely helpful to have read the Travel and Housing Guide beforehand. It prepared me well and made my trip very pleasant. Thank you. 12: Many thanks to all for the monumental amount of work which goes into this enterprise. 13: I will highly recommend this course to other librarians.
Number of respondents: 13
PERCENTAGES
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
85% 69% 85% 77%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
7% 7% 15% 23%
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
7% 23% 0% 0%
There were 2 rare book librarians (15%), 1 archivist/manuscript librarian (7%), 5 general librarians with some rare book duties (38%), 1 full time student (7%), and 4 others (31%) in administration and general special collections (Rare Books and MSS).