Joel Silver
L-25: Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books
22–26 July 2013
Detailed Course Evaluation
1) How useful were the pre-course readings? Did you do any additional preparations in advance of the course?
1: Pre-course readings were helpful and very easy to read. 2: Appropriate. No. 3: Very useful. Prepared me for the scope of the course, and it was a manageable amount of reading. 4: Pre-course readings useful; would suggest adding Sidney Berger, Design of Bibliographies, which was mentioned at end of class as I’ve found that helpful in approaching subject matter of the class. 5: There were limited course readings for this class, but periodic re-reading in the future will be done as they contained good information. 6: I did not have time to read them, unfortunately. 7: Not sure. Will have to compare notes from reading to notes taken during class. 8: Useful in setting background. 9: Mostly unnecessary. The optional Belanger piece was quite good. 10: Very useful. 11: Okay. 12: They were very helpful and defined what the course would be about. 13: They were useful. 14: Almost not applicable. (That is, there were very few pre-course readings). 15: The pre-course readings were probably especially helpful for me because I have limited previous experience with bibliography.
2) Were the course workbook and other materials distributed in class appropriate and useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: The course workbook is a valuable resource, designed as an easy reference guide and survey of the course. Class quizzes were good touchstone indicators of the applications of the information presented in the course. 2: They are invaluable and will most certainly be used and updated. 3: Yes, the workbooks will be extremely useful and informative in the future. They also helped during classes and helped with note taking. 4: Yes. Expect to use them frequently, as I’ve heard alums generally do. I understand I can (and will!) request electronic copy of vol. 1 from RBS staff. Would have helped to have it provided in advance with registration confirmation. 5: Absolutely, useful and very nice to have during class and now filled with notes; even more useful as a “quick reference” to reference in the future. 6: Yes, very much. 7: Yes. Will be extremely useful. 8: Yes, and definitely yes! 9: The workbook is easily the most useful part of the class. That will be with me for a long time. 10: Completely appropriate—I will continue to utilize. 11: These were exceptionally useful and will be very valuable in the future. 12: The workbook and sample book were incredible and I will use it in my job. 13: They were very useful. 14: Absolutely. JS’s workbook heavily. 15: Very useful—the list of resources that we were given will be invaluable as I begin my research.
3) Have you taken one or more RBS courses before? If so, how did this course compare with your previous coursework?
1: This is my first RBS course, I hope to return. 2: Very different from my five other classes. The concentration was on reference sources, their strengths and where to look for information, not visual examination of books or printed materials. 3: No, this was my first RBS course. 4: Yes—several courses. This was a very useful complement that I was glad I could finally take. 5: I have taken one other RBS class, and both have been very helpful but do not compare. However, I would not recommend students to take this course as their first RBS class. There was a lot of information presented in a short period and necessitated more of the usual interaction I have heard is common in other classes. 6: I took one before that I found useful. I think this one is just as good and even better because it had more practical things. 7: More than one. This is one of the best classes I’ve taken. 8: Yes. Well, the previous was DesBib … so this was a walk in the park. I was able to attend the evening events! 9: One other. I preferred that one for its focus on my period of interest and the hands-on element. 10: No. 11: This course was much better organized. Stuck to the schedule and covered everything the instructor intended. 12: No. 13: N/A 14: Yes. Very different from previous courses as this does not really have a strong hands-on component. 15: No.
4) What aspects of the course content were of the greatest interest or relevance for your purposes?
1: This course refreshed my exposure to library reference sources and the various ways to use references from broad to detailed. 3: The instructor’s knowledge, insight, analysis, and anecdotes. Also, the workbook which will be a great reference for me in the future. 4: The way the instructor related the creation of various bibliographies to their producers and networks of collectors, booksellers, and librarians and libraries—the social history of bibliography, if you will—also appreciated instructor’s evaluative comments about the utility of the sources he selected. 5: All of it. Everything covered will be of immediate or future use in my work. 6: Reference sources, bibliographies, provenance and accession records. 7: JS mentioned sources with annotations—useful for many in the class. It was also helpful to know about availability and prices of sources used in class. 8: The list of sources, and JS’s descriptions in class. Some of the stories he told about compilers make them stick in your mind. 9: British Literature. Bibliographies of hand-press period books. Provenance research. 10: All aspects were relevant. 11: Info about references regarding Americana, maps, and the various subjects, i.e. bibles, religion, food, sports, &c. 12: The workbook was of greatest interest because it listed specific reference books for every genre. 13: Reference sources for voyage and exploration. 14: The day spent on reference sources for Americana was probably the most directly useful (which is not to say that other information presented was irrelevant—it’s all of great value and interest to me). 15: The sections on American and British literature.
5) Did the instructor(s) successfully help you to acquire the information, knowledge, and skills that the course was intended to convey? Was the intellectual level of the course appropriate?
1: Yes, I feel it will take a while to assimilate the contents of the information I learned but the workbooks should help me to refresh my memory while looking up books and prints. 2: Yes. Yes. 3: Absolutely. JS is an excellent teacher and storyteller, he is very clear and brilliant, and has a great understanding of this field and is able to communicate very effectively. JS is the wizard of the reference library! 4: Yes, although in retrospect, I would have appreciated more stories of how he has used the sources to address real reference questions of others or his own, as he has certainly done—especially strategies for using several sources in sequence or in tandem. 5–6: Yes. 7–8: Yes, and yes. 9: With reference sources it’s kind of a “time will tell” thing. The information is all there so now it’s a question of use. JS’s knowledge is impressive and he conveys it well. 10: Yes. Yes. 11: Absolutely. 12: Yes. Yes. 13: JS is an excellent teacher. The intellectual level was appropriate. 14: Yes and yes. 15: Yes and, surprisingly, yes. Although I will use the information that I gleaned in a different manner than other students taking this course, I was always able to follow and felt welcome to ask clarifying questions when necessary.
6) What did you like best about the course?
1: The instructor is an expert in his field, and very open and generous with sharing his knowledge. 2: The “aha” moments where sources of information relevant to my collection came up. 3: JS’s insights and stories about all the reference sources and how they can best be used. 4: The deep knowledge and experience of the instructor. 5: This course is not useful to just rare book people, it will help any librarian who is asked reference questions. 6: JS did a great job placing the sources in the context of the larger antiquarian book world. He also went into a lot of detail. 7: It’s a difficult course to teach but JS’s knowledge and entertaining asides helped to keep it interesting. 8: JS’s encyclopedic knowledge of bibliographies. 9: The evening practice sheets. 10: The instructor’s teaching style and content. 11: See number 4. 12: The workbook and sample book and the actual reference books. 13: The workbook. 14: JS’s manner and enthusiasm and knowledge. The fellow participants were great also. 15: I really enjoyed the sections on British and American literature.
7) How could the course have been improved?
1: The course is a bit of an information dump, and could be improved with more quizzes and question sheets designed to test the applications of the info presented. 2: Would like to see the ways reference books are cited bolded—for example WING—C&K—Colbeck—Harley and Woodward. 3: Consider a workshop session, where students could collaborate or individually research a book, having to utilize several of the discussed resources. 4: Distribute electronic versions of vol. 1 of course packet in advance. Also would have liked instructor to tell us about the exercises he would be handing out in his intro to the class—I was going to ask for just such exercises and was delighted when they appeared at end of day 2. Also would help if common citation forms of works listed were included in the volume as I sometimes missed noting them. Would encourage future iterations of this course to include demos or more discussion of online sources from a critical perspective, as instructor did with print sources so well—but hard to say what to leave out to make room in syllabus to do so! 5: The professor ad-libbed other reference books throughout the week, which was wonderful, but citations to these would have been nice. 6: It would have been nice to have more outlets, since I prefer to take notes on a laptop and need to charge it a lot. But our classroom had almost none. 8: Can’t imagine. 9: Continental Europe after 1500 felt thin. Some sections felt like they should be their own week-long course. It seemed each person in the class had areas of interest and whole blocks of information that did not apply to them. 10: It was great—it could have gone on for two weeks. 11: I would have liked it if more time was spent discussing Americana and subject references, but I certainly understand that the other areas were important to the course and many of the other students. 12: I don’t have any suggestions. 13: You can’t fix what isn’t broken. 14: Don’t know. 15: Starting a half an hour later would have been nice—it is difficult to be inundated with information early in the morning.
8) Did you learn what the course description/advertisement indicated you would learn? Additional comments optional. Y/N
1: Yes. I learned more than advertised. 2–10: Yes. 11: Yes. Absolutely. 12–15: Yes.
9) Did you learn what you wanted in the course? Additional comments optional. Y/N
1: Yes, and then some. 2–3: Yes. 4: Yes. Recommend as a complement to RBS courses in bibliography, provenance research. 5–10: Yes. 11: Yes. Absolutely. 12–15: Yes.
10) How do you intend to use or apply the knowledge or skills learned in this course?
1: I will use the resources to catalog prints and books at work and to learn more about the book trade. 2: Yes. 3: I’m a bookseller, so I will use this knowledge to broaden and deepen my research which informs my catalogue descriptions. This course has also significantly broadened my knowledge base of potential collecting and bookselling areas, and given me the resources and references to explore those new areas. 4: I have learned about several reference sources of which I was not previously aware and will definitely use in my research about persons and institutions, collecting and provenance research. Also increased (even more!) my interest in bibliography. 5: The reason for taking this class was to learn about books that would help me research rare or old books I handle in my job. As I mentioned before, what I learned will help with my job on the reference desk too. 6: I hope to be able to answer reference questions better by knowing where to look for certain information. Also I hope to understand the citations I see more easily. 7: Useful for answering reference questions, planning exhibition notes, giving rare book talks and for cataloging rare books. 8: Several ways—in bibliographic descriptions of materials we own, and in identification of titles to look for to possibly purchase. 9: I provide a lot of reference and prepare exhibitions. It will be very useful in exhibitions. 10: At work in my library research. 11: In researching material before I bid or purchase and in finding “hooks” for my catalog descriptions. 12: I plan on using the workbook’s list to find bibliographic information for my job. 13: To research books in my own collection. To research books for my job. 14: Very useful in cataloging and researching books for sale. 15: I will use the knowledge (and materials) that I gained in Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books to aid in bibliographic research in my thesis.
11) If your course left its classroom, was the time devoted to this purpose well spent?
2–15: N/A
12) If you attended the evening events (e.g., RBS Lecture, Video Night, RBS Forum, Booksellers’ Night) were they worth attending?
1: Lectures by two prominent collectors Hermann and Lehey were both excellent and well attended. 2: Yes, they enable networking. 3: Definitely. 4: Yes—attended both lectures. Great hearing presentations by two collectors in same week. Perfectly complemented content of this course! 5: The lecturer on Monday, Mr. Leahy, was delightful to listen to. Tuesday’s movies were funny and informative, and Thursday’s Booksellers’ Night was fun. Yes, all worthwhile. 6: I found the first lecture too long, I didn’t think movie night was worth attending. Both lectures were interesting, but didn’t add to my knowledge of rare books; I could have skipped them. Having an academic speak may have been nice, in addition to a collector. 7: Yes. 8: Yes, the lecturers this week were fascinating. I didn’t visit as many shops as my first time, but made a point of visiting with Mary Gilliam as I’ve been dealing with her. 9: Monday night speaker was very entertaining, not necessarily informative, but a pleasure to hear. 10: Yes (RBS Lecture and Booksellers’ Night) 11: N/A 13: One lecture was better than the other, but both were very good. I enjoyed attending. 14: Couldn’t attend as I was commuting.
13) 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: None. Everyone was mindful and aware. 3: No suggestions. 4: No suggestions. Good system all around. 6: N/A 7–8: None. 11: Nothing. 13: No suggestions. 14: Yes. Yes.
14) Did you (or your institution) get your money’s worth? Would you recommend this course to others?
1: Yes! Yes! RBS is an excellent source to learn more about books, the book trade, and research. 2: Yes—absolutely. 3: Yes. Yes. 4: Yes. Yes. See comment under nine above. 5: Yes to both questions, while the material is dry, JS told stories that made the sources more interesting, either about the people or publishers involved, but even without the humor, the level of knowledge shared was peerless. 6: Yes. 7: Yes. Absolutely! 8: Oh yes—and my director agrees. I’ve written several emails to her with ideas and thoughts generated by the class—and she’s pleased with them. 9: Yes. Depending on your area of study, yes. 10: Yes. Yes. 11: Yes. I will be highly recommending this course to other booksellers. 12: Yes! Yes! 13: Yes, and yes. 14: Yes. Yes. 15: Absolutely. Yes.
15) Any final or summary thoughts, or advice for other persons considering taking this course in a future year? (If you have further praise/concerns, please speak with Amanda Nelsen or Michael Suarez.)
1: JS is an expert and taking his course is a rare opportunity; he will discuss any questions regarding research you have with his vast knowledge. 3: Take a lot of notes, which can be consulted later in conjunction with the useful workbooks that are provided. Be prepared to take in and absorb a lot of new information. 6: N/A 7: No. 8: Don’t think that this is a dry course! I’d actually recommend this as a first course because so many of the resources can serve as preparation for other courses. 9: It’s mostly lecture style and the areas covered are very broad. If that sounds good then go for it. 10: Wonderful experience! 12: I feel there needs to be a more detailed map of the campus and parking garage that can be used. 13: It has been a real pleasure to have attended RBS. Both the staff and students were wonderful to meet and get to know. 14: I would be delighted if RBS had JS do a week-long course on reference sources for Americana. Great fan of RBS—thanks for being here!
Aggregate Statistics
Number of respondents: 15
Leave
Institution gave me leave: 10 (66%)
I took vacation time: 1 (7%)
N/A: self-employed, retired, or had summers off: 4 (27%)
Tuition
Institution paid tuition: 7 (46%)
I paid tuition myself: 4 (27%)
N/A: self-employed, retired, or scholarship: 4 (27%)
Housing
Institution paid housing: 8 (53%)
I paid for my own housing: 4 (27%)
N/A: stayed with friends or lived at home: 3 (20%)
Travel
Institution paid travel: 7 (47%)
I paid my own travel: 6 (40%)
N/A: lived nearby: 2 (13%)
Which one category most closely defines what you do for a living, or why you are at RBS? (Please check only one category)
Antiquarian bookseller: 4 (27%)
Book collector: 2 (13%)
Student, B.A.: 2 (13%)
Librarian with some rare book duties: 4 (27%)
Rare book librarian: 3 (20%)
How did you hear about this course?
RBS website: 8 (53%)
RBS printed schedule: 1 (7%)
Work colleague: 3 (20%)
Word of mouth: 1 (7%)
RBS faculty or staff recommendation: 2 (13%)