Alice Hudson, assisted by Joel Kovarsky

Introduction to Printed Maps

14-18 June 2010

1. How useful were the pre-course readings? (Leave blank if you applied and were accepted late for the course, and thus did not get the list in time.)

1-2: Very useful. 3: Very useful, although some were difficult to find. 4: Extremely. I'll be checking out the bibliographies of other classes I'm interested in. 5: The pre-course readings helped to frame the maps we saw in their historical context. 6: They were very useful for the most part. Since I was admitted so late, I was unable to read them as fully as I would have liked, but it didn't hinder my progress in the class. From the ones I was able to read, I really enjoyed. 7: Overkill. 8: Very helpful for those I had time to cover. 9: Very useful. I was not able to look at all of them prior to class, but the ones I did read provided a good background on the subject. The bibliography will be very useful in the future. 10: Pre-course map readings were/are "dead-on"—however, there is/was a lot. Unfortunately, this will only grow.J.

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 appropriate and useful. 2: Yes, particularly the extensive lists of references and websites. 3: Yes. 4: Will be very useful in the future. 5: They are excellent reference guides. 6: Very useful. I think the booklet we received with all of the other sources of information was one of the most useful aspects of the class. 7: Excellent. Wonderful bibliographies! I liked the exercises with RBS collections. 8: Syllabus was excellent and most useful and will continue to be very helpful after the course. Excellent selection of books available in the classroom for personal inspection. Interesting review of rare books, through these were used more specifically as exhibits and not as objects of true study. Understandable, but frustrating. 9: The course packet, which is primarily an extensive bibliography, will be extremely valuable to me in the future. It was nice to have all of the resources consulted/discussed in class listed in order to annotate them throughout the week. 10: Classroom materials were very relevant. In future, it will help to iron out RBS/Alderman classroom issues. Too often the instructor had to "excuse" the lack of access due to this extremely rigid system. Better scheduling of staff (babysitting items) and rooms will solve this issue. 11: The course syllabus was the real treasure of this course. As we covered information by theme rather than topic, and in broad strokes, this document will be helpful in guiding future research and narrowing source of interest for those serious about the field.

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: Very complete information on sources of information about antique maps. Intellectual level very satisfactory. 2: Broader view of the subject, many references and websites mentioned were new. 3: All useful and informative. 4: "Hands" on—seeing the atlases. 5: The intellectual level of the course was appropriate being that the course was designed to be a general introduction. 6: I had no prior knowledge of the history of maps, so it was all very interesting to me. My research is on mid-eighteenth century Florida, so the North American maps were especially wonderful. 7: Hands-on examination of RBS materials and face-to-face with UVA SC materials. 8: Historical and technical aspects most relevant to my purpose. Sources I can use at home to pursue my own research seemed most helpful. Intellectual level at times (e.g., some class written exercises) not as rigorous as I would have liked. 9: Discussions of cataloguing and the printing processes were most relevant to me, and it was very interesting to hear about the map trade. Intellectual level of the course seemed fairly appropriate, though I would have been happy to dig in a little deeper on some of the topics raised. 10: Introduction to maps is a large topic; it was all interesting and relevant. The course was greatly enhanced by the cross-culture exchange amongst student members sharing their questions and experiences. Old, young, student, professional, collector, in and out of area worker... 11: Course content was broadly broken down into hands-on activities and discussion. Learning by asking questions was key to discerning the relevance of each topic. The sessions of greatest interest were those in SC examining the variety of expertly-chosen materials, as well as those that more full explained any history of practice or relevant process.

4. What did you like best about the course?

1: Survey aspect as stated in number three above. 2: Overall coverage and looking at antique maps and materials in SC. 3: The instructors—they were super—and classmates. 4: Learning from colleagues and "hands on." 5: I enjoyed the hands-on, example-based teaching. 6: Being able to see so many materials from SC and learning from everyone's expertise, especially AH's. 7: Interesting mix of people, which exposed me to many perspectives. Seeing those beautiful maps up close and personal. 8: Abundance of information provided by syllabus, willingness of instructors to be helpful. 9: AH's and JK's enthusiasm for the subject, lively discussions with a diverse group of classmates, and the chance to look at so many examples of original maps and atlases. 10: See above—sharing of real-life, real-time experiences, frustrations, ideas. 11: Viewing Cove's Road Atlas of America. Never having seen real stick maps, this object was very exciting. More important, however, was the interaction with classmates and instructor. Listening to people in the field was an excellent opportunity to learn the priorities and issues most valued by those in the field.

5. Did the instructor(s) successfully help you to acquire the information and skills that the course was intended to convey?

1-5: Yes. 6: Yes, I feel I will walk away with the skill I'll need to continue on in my research. 7: Absolutely. 8: Yes. 9: Overall, yes. They were especially good at pointing us to resources we can use to pursue our own areas of interest in map history. It would have been helpful to me to have a few more structured (brief) lectures to provide an overview of the history, important mapmakers, &c. 10: Without a doubt! There is no substitute for AH's 30+ years of actually doing all of this. She was able to fill in, when objects were not available or discussion got off topic. 11: My instructor helped me think more critically about objects, alert myself to the idiosyncrasies of cartography, and find resources to further investigate maps. Overall, rather than survey history of maps, my teacher worked to build my collector's toolkit!

6. Did you learn what the course description/advertisements indicated you would learn?

1-3: Yes. 4: Yes. But, I think perhaps one morning session that is more formal with dates and developments would be good. 5-7: Yes. 8: Yes, I think so. I no longer remember what the original description promised. 9: Yes, though I would have expected a little more formalized overview (brief lecture, for example) before jumping right into the hands-on component. 10: Yes. 11: Yes and no. The course description indicates the course will provide a brief history of map as well as survey maps as tools. Perhaps the only thing that could be further included next year would be a broad timeline-based map history summary to identify what goes where in context.

7. Did you learn what you wanted to learn in the course?

1-3: Yes. 4: Yes. But it is a broad survey. There needs to be a next course to build upon shortly. 5: Yes. 6: Yes. I would love to see advanced classes in the future for maps as well as classes on more specific topics such as military maps, mapping of the U.S. and a more advanced class on the history of cartography. 7: Yes. 8: Yes. JK was extremely good—full of information and well-informed, most helpful, and practical. You might want to get a few more specialists like him for short presentations. 10: Yes, I was pleasantly "surprised" with JK's web and dealer exposure and start to "new" information and activities. 11: Yes. I learned what I should seek to learn in future about maps.

8. How do you intend to use or apply the knowledge or skills learned in this course?

1: Volunteer map research for map libraries, personal collection and possible article(s). 2: I will apply new information to present work. 3: I hope to apply my increased knowledge of the format to maps found in printed books. 4: I'm interested in learning more about the printing process and will explore the bibliography to learn more. 5: I plan to use the resources to enhance the digital collection I am maintaining. 6: Yes, I feel this will enhance my dissertation research. I've learned so many things that will allow me to approach the maps I use in new ways and with a new appreciation. 7: Learning about new areas is re-vitalizing. 8: Will use knowledge to pursue my own research. 9: I feel much more able to read and describe maps more accurately, which will help me create better documentation for the maps I treat. 10: Every day, on the job. Most importantly, I'll use gained knowledge to do better research. 11: I will use my knowledge and course syllabus to identify further materials of interest and to establish a map type, period or publisher to further specialize in. I will bring the perspectives gained from my classmates to my everyday life as interacting with this group has reminded me of the importance of hearing and speaking skills.

9. How could the course have been improved? If you have a suggestion for a new course (and—equally important—a person who could teach it), please contact the RBS Program Director.

1: A little more detail about how antique maps were created—how did the authors acquire the locations (coordinates) of places on the map, what projections were used and why, and how maps were actually used. 2: It is hard to try and cover all aspects of subject even in an overview course. Might be more useful to narrow focus and offer more courses. The use of two or more instructors (especially for an overview) is a good idea, although might not be possible for all courses. 3: 1) For the chairs to have wheels in the Byrd Seminar room. 2) A week-long rare map cataloguing class. Please! Ask JK. 4: More speakers. I enjoyed hearing JK's "dealer" perspective and would like to hear from researchers and scholars. 5: I would like to see a historical G.I.S. course. 6: At first, I hoped it would have been slightly more structured, but in the end I think I learned so much from the conversations the class had that I don't feel I missed anything. 7: Each student could construct a map using map gores. More map cruises: manuscript maps through the centuries and subject area maps, i.e., American history through maps. Personal histories through specialized formats-diaries, journals, day books, artists' books. 8: Each hour should have been filled with more information and scholarship with not time off early. More dense information at times, for example, when viewing atlases, instead of general obvious comments. More scholarship in the presentations. 9: Integrating more short lectures into the course would provide a better framework for looking at the maps during the hands-on sessions. 10: Better access to materials that require personnel to watch over the items in special rooms. With all the courses, teachers and items organization is key. Organization is already almost in place. It's not rocket science to go to the next level (see number two). 11: Course covers all time allotted. While this was a course in objects, include a session on the overall history of mapping to put in context. Keep class in Byrd Room—excellent location. Discuss the importance of cataloguing.

10. 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—SC sessions looking at priceless maps and atlases were great. 2: Yes, one of the best aspects of the course. 3: Absolutely. We saw a lot of the real things and that was a highlight. 4: Yes—needed more time with primary resources. 5: The class was based on an example-based teaching philosophy, which was effective. 6: Yes, this course would not have been the same without having seen the original maps and atlases. It would have been nice if we could have more time at SC—it was always a little rushed to see everything in our allotted times. 7: Conditions for examinations were poor and too brief. Half of us were seeing the atlases upside down. We had to look quickly. Pages were turned very quickly. We had to stand for rather a long time during each visit. 8: Mostly—but see number nine above. 9: Yes. We had the chance to go a number of times and see many examples of atlases held by SC. I would have loved to go even more! 10: Yes (see number two and nine). 11: Yes!

11. 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: Handling was very good—particularly use of foam wedges. 2: No suggestions, materials handled properly. 3: Tell people before they come to bring pencils for note taking. I loaned out my spare, and RBS supplied others. 4: I think you need to state the expectations and rules. Many of us thought it was okay at first to browse the modern edition in SC ...it wasn't. 5: Wheels on chairs. 6: Everything was very well cared for—however, it was very hard to be able to see with 11 of us crowded around one book; it was difficult. If there was some other way to work seeing the materials so we could see better, it would have helped. But that is a very minor point. It was still very enjoyable and educational. 8: None. 9: Overall, I think the materials were very well handled. It's nice to have the teaching collections in Mylar sleeves, which makes for easy handling, and everyone in the class was pretty careful with the materials. 10: More detailed scheduling will allow RBS to avoid the "I'm sorry this room was double-booked; you will not be able to return to look at what you wanted, when you wanted, and likely not see at all." 11: If light issues affect maps—perhaps we could draw blinds in Byrd Room.

12. If you attended the optional evening events (e.g. RBS Lecture, Video Night, RBS Forum, Booksellers' Night) were they worth attending?

1: Yes. 2:Your view depends on your interest. The Monday night lecture was boring to me. I enjoyed the bookbinding video on Tuesday and the Wednesday lecture. 3: Yes, I skipped Video Night but did the rest. 4: Yes! 5: Yes. 6: Yes, I enjoyed them greatly. 7: Two films to show: "The Secret of Kells" and "Between the Folds." 8: All but the last. Booksellers' Night—a waste. Daedalus Books—the one shop that seemed worthwhile—closed at five, which gave me five minutes there that I simple did not pursue. 9: Yes. I attended all evening events—they were great. 10: Most evening events were worth attending. Thank you for arranging. 11: Yes. Video Night was excellent for its range of offerings.

13. 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: Please see answer to question nine. 2: Yes, I always recommend the RBS to people who ask. 3: Yes. Bring pencils. Read as much of the reading list as you can, but don't overly sweat it. 4: Yes! Do the readings, so you have a more solid footing and can follow some of the interesting side notes. Thanks! I really liked the diversity of my classmates—professions, interests and experience. 5: Yes, it was extremely enjoyable and educational. 6: Most certainly—I learned so much. I also made so many connections with other knowledgeable people in many different fields during break that are really wonderful. Everyone was so helpful and so full of wonderful advice about other resources available that I would never have found on my own. 7: Yes, yes. Things to sell to students: the Raisz timelines chart. The map scale chart. 8: Money's worth—probably. I arrived on Saturday to be here in time for Sunday. I should have come on Sunday. I am following advice on your website and leaving on Saturday morning. I should have left on Friday afternoon—the food on the Corner—throughout—is singularly unhealthful. Nothing you can control (breakfasts were fine at RBS), but would make me think twice before returning. 9: Yes, I do feel I got my money's worth, though it was disappointing at times when the course felt like it lacked a little structure and organization. AH and JK are both so knowledgeable and enthusiastic, though, that it was a very enjoyable week. I know this is still a relatively new class, so it's still evolving. On the whole, my first RBS experience has been great and I certainly hope to return for other courses in the future. 10: RBS "Introduction to Printed Maps" measured up to its billing. Most of this was due to AH's personal experience and knowledge—I doubt if anyone else could plop down into using her syllabus. Another instructor will probably need to restructure it to fit their own knowledge base. RBS, you rock! Everyone's enthusiasm just oozes out all over!! 11: Yes. Read in advance and come prepared with your own questions. This class is a good choice for anyone—librarian, art historian, expert or novice.

Number of respondents: 11

PERCENTAGES

Leave

Institution gave me leave

46%

I took vacation time

18%

N/A: self-employed, retired or had the summers off

36%

Tuition

Institution paid tuition

46%

I paid tuition myself

36%

N/A: Self-employed, retired or scholarship

18%

Housing

Institution paid housing

36%

I paid for my own housing

55%

N/A: stayed with friends or lived at home

9%

Travel

Institution paid travel

36%

I paid my own travel

55%

N/A: lived nearby

9%

There was one rare book librarian (9%), one general librarian with some rare book duties (9%), one full-time student (9%), one conservator/binder/preservation librarian (9%), two retirees (18%), three book collectors (28%), one map librarian (9%), and one digital collector (9%).