Terry Belanger

I-20: Book Illustration Processes to 1900

4-8 January 2010

1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: They were essential. 2: Very useful, if frustrating. Reading from Gascoigne was the ideal way to begin before holding and viewing actual examples. Theory before practice. 3: Extremely relevant. 4: Essential. 5: Gascoigne was very helpful, but difficult to digest. Reviewing Gascoigne after seeing TB's examples will help me to retain the information. 6: The pre-course reading was relevant and, in fact, an indispensable resource for the course. Having the Gascoigne book as a starting point was perfect for this course. 7: The pre-course reading was very helpful, especially considering that it was used as the text of the course. It may have been helpful to have other short articles for some of the photographic processes. More than one explanation might have alleviated the confusion I had with this process. I did go to outside articles, but having an expert choose them would have been convenient.

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. I plan to make use of the reading list and workbook. 2: Very helpful to have essentially a catalogue of everything looked at. The further readings will be a valuable resource for many years to come. 3: Very relevant. 4: Yes. The instructor referred often to the bibliography, which was very helpful. 5: Yes. The workbook has helpful diagrams, and it will be helpful to me in the future. 6: The workbook has a very extensive bibliography that I look forward to using as a future resource on specific types of illustration. I am also pleased that TB provides a list of all of the examples of prints used in class in the workbook. 7: So much so that I wish that I had taken more time to match the Gascoigne number in my notes. You may want to suggest students take down the numbers in their notes when you call for the examples.

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: It wasn't extremely demanding. The hands-on nature was the best part. Slides would have made six plus hours per day unbearable. 2: The course, being already better than anyone could hope for in this flawed world, was beyond improvement. Perfectly structured, paced, delivered and enacted. 3: Course was perfect for me. 4: Demanding, in an appropriate way. All very useful—there are so many things I got out of the classes besides the subject that were useful. 5: The illustration examples are the highlight of the class. Having examples for each student increases our ability to learn. TB puts the illustration processes in a historical and economic context for us, giving the class a broad perspective. 6: The intellectual level of the course is equivalent to some of the best graduate seminars I've taken. There is a great deal to absorb in one week. As someone who needs to understand and evaluate printed illustrations and prints for collections, this has been a very valuable class. 7: The earlier processes were far more interesting to me. I am glad that we covered to 1900 but photographic was painful.

4) What did you like best about the course?

1: See above. 2: The way it functioned not only for its purposes to instruct us in illustration, but also, due to TB's breadth of knowledge, managed to be a review of all manner of bibliographical topics. 3: The instructor and his vast knowledge and enthusiasm. 4: The collection of prints was invaluable. TB's vast knowledge and many asides helped illustrate the lectures as well! Mostly liked the clear presentation of a vast amount of material. 5: I can take what I learned this week and apply it on my job, I know what I need to continue to study to improve my abilities in illustration identification. I also enjoyed TB's occasional stories on the history of RBS. 6: I loved being able to see actual prints instead of slides or Powerpoint charts. There is no substitute for the experience of looking at fine details of the "real thing." I just find it amazing that there were copious examples of every type of illustration or print available for each student to hold and to peer at under magnification. 7: The depth of the material. The lessons are difficult, but I appreciate the opportunity to study the material this intensely. The examples were terrific—had we not had them I'm sure this class would have been much more difficult.

5) How could the course have been improved?

1: I really have no complaints, and I will hopefully be back. 2: Surely you jest—who but TB could teach this course, or have the nerve to even attempt it. 3: Cannot think of any improvement. 4: I would like to do more side by side comparisons of similar processes. I think it would illustrate differences in similar looking processes better. 6: I would like there to be a few more opportunities to review relief side-by-side with intaglio processes. Once I had absorbed the first day's material, I wanted to see a few beside the next day's intaglio to make sure I remembered the differences. I felt the same way with the very similar techniques that come up with the relief and process relief examples. 7: Bigger tables. Overhead projector for the instructor? Not sure if this would be all that helpful.

6) How do you intend to use or apply the knowledge or skills learned in this class?

1: I will soon begin an internship in rare book cataloging. I am also learning enough to stimulate an interest in more serious collecting. 2: I probably will not have many occasions to use the later processes, but I will take away knowledge that will help me in my own research. 3: Can apply to acquisitions, book presentations and to providing information to other researchers. 4: In conservation—my own handling of books and prints, housing and dating, identifying coloring and hidden inked-in corrections. Mostly a better understanding of the objects and how they were made. 6: I know that I will be better equipped to catalog and describe the various illustrations, prints and maps in my employer's collection. I will also be better informed when we receive gifts that need to be identified—or will at least have resources to figure out a best guess to start. 7: Helping patrons as a reference librarian.

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: They are well handled. TB tells us the packets have been around for many years. 2: Wider and deeper tables, or at least having a location other than the table for boxes of tools, &c. 3: Cannot think of any improvements. 4: The materials are very well protected. 6: It would be great to have had wider tables so there could be more room to spread out the examples prints. We had some multi-print sets to look at together and room on the tables was limited. 7: I thought everything was just fine. Maybe hand wipes at the door for those who don't rinse their hands.

8) If your course left the classroom for field trips, was the time devoted to this purpose well spent?

1: N/A. 2: Yes—I went on both field trips and was richly rewarded by so doing. 3–6: N/A.

9) If you attended the Monday night lecture, was it worth attending?

1: Yes. It was interesting to hear what Michael Suarez had to say about the future of the field. 2: Certainly—a nice mix of issues relevant to both classes, delivered with verve and erudition. 3: No. 4: Yes. It inspired a good discussion among us afterwards. 5: Yes. Hearing Michael Suarez's lecture was worthwhile. I was interested to hear about the new director's perspective on the history of the book and the future of RBS. 6: Yes. I thought the lecture was very enthusiastic and of interest to me, even though I am not an academic or at all expert in the history of the book. It was a good opportunity to hear about broader issues in this field. 7: Very important to me, for the future of bibliography and for an introduction to Suarez.

10) Did you get your or your institution's money's worth? Any final or summary thoughts, or advice for other persons considering taking this course in a future year?

1: Yes, it was well worth the money. It's cheaper than the tuition at LIU and at least as satisfying. 2: Yes—money well spent, particularly given the uniqueness of this course. I would love to take more classes and, as I have been doing at my own institution, build a modest teaching collection for my future course teaching bibliography and book history. Excellent class. 3: An outstanding course. It inspires me to continue further reading and study. I cannot remember a week in which I learnede so much. It encourages me to consider other RBS classes. An "eye-opener" that will assist me in many of my professional and personal book projects. 4: Yes. 5: This course was worth every penny. And every mile, I might add, having commuted 58 miles each way. Advice for future students: read Gascoigne through. 6: This course was worth the money and the time. It fulfilled my expectations and gave me a very good basis for building my skills at identifying illustrations and prints. I would encourage other special collections and rare book specialists to take this course. 7: Time and money well spent.

Number of respondents: 7

Percentages

Leave Tuition Housing Travel

Institution Institution Institution Institution

gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel

57% 42% 29% 29%

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

tion time tion myself own housing travel

14% 29% 42% 71%

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

29% 29% 29% 0%

There were 2 rare book librarians (30%), 1 archivist/manuscript librarian (14%), 1 general librarian with some rare book duties (14%), 1 general librarian with no rare book duties (14%), 1 teacher/professor (14%), 1 conservator/preservation librarian (14%).