Certificate of Proficiency

In 2011, Rare Book School inaugurated its Certificate of Proficiency Program, which allows students to create a specialized focus for their coursework at RBS and to earn formal recognition for their concentrated studies at the School. The program enables students to plan for and to attend a series of related classes that reflect their bibliographical interests; enrolled students will select and/or propose and complete a series of five classes within eight years (i.e., a student completing a certificate in 2015 can apply courses to the certificate from 2008 and on; a student completing a certificate in 2014 can apply courses going back to 2007, &c.). Prospective students should complete a proposal for a course of study. Certificates are awarded every April and October.

Certificate of Proficiency Proposal

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1. Frequently Asked Questions

When and how can I join the RBS Certificate of Proficiency Program?
Students can enroll in the program at any time. Students should submit a proposal, available online, for a particular certificate.

Can my former RBS classes count toward my certificate?
Yes, so long as all of the courses counted toward the certificate are attended within the required eight-year period. This means that a student completing a certificate in 2015 can apply courses to the certificate from 2008 and on (but not before 2008), a student completing a certificate in 2014 can apply courses going back to 2007, and so on.

If I’ve already taken the five courses within the last eight years, can I get a certificate?
Yes, so long as the courses fulfill the requirements for one of the programs outlined below.

Can the same course count towards two certificates?
No; you cannot "recycle" courses for multiple certificates. Students who have concerns about meeting specific requirements should contact and consult with RBS's Program Director.

2. Certificate of Proficiency Programs

A. The Certificate of General Proficiency

To obtain a certificate of general proficiency, students must attend any four courses, plus any one historical survey, such as The Printed Book in the West to 1800, The History of the Book in America: A Survey from Colonial to Modern, or Printed Books since 1800: Description and Analysis. History of the Book, 200–2000 also counts toward this certificate.

Survey courses	Course no.
Printed Books to 1800: Description & Analysis	G-20
Printed Books since 1800: Description & Analysis	G-30
The History of the Book, 200–2000	H-10
The History of the Book in America: A Survey from Colonial to Modern	H-15
The Book in the Manuscript Era	H-20
The Printed Book in the West to 1800	H-30
The Printed Book in the West since 1800	H-40

B. The Certificate of Proficiency with Area Concentrations

Students must attend five courses, including one survey course (see table above and note that follows), plus an area requirement for three courses in one concentration. Please note, History of the Book, 200–2000 does not fulfill the survey requirement for a concentration.

Survey requirement: one historical survey, such as The Printed Book in the West to 1800, The History of the Book in America: A Survey from Colonial to Modern, or Printed Books since 1800: Description and Analysis.

Area requirement: three courses of a designated area (e.g., history of bookbinding, history of illustration; history of manuscripts; &c.) See list of areas below.

Example 1	Certificate of Proficiency with an Area Concentration in the History of Bookbinding
Survey requirement fulfilled by	The Printed Book in the West to 1800
Area requirement fulfilled by	Introduction to the History of Bookbinding, American Publishers' Bookbindings, 1800–1900 and Advanced Seminar in the History of Bookbinding
Elective, in this instance fulfilled by	Introduction to the Principles of Bibliographical Description

Example 2	Certificate of Proficiency with an Area Concentration in the History of Manuscripts
Survey requirement fulfilled by	The Printed Book in the West to 1800
Area requirement fulfilled by	Introduction to Western Codicology, Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts, and The Handwriting & Culture of Early Modern English Manuscripts
Elective, in this instance fulfilled by	Digitizing the Historical Record

C. The Certificate of Proficiency in a Specialized Area

Students must attend five courses, including four courses within an area.

Example 1: Certificate of Proficiency with a Specialization in Illustration
Specialization requirement fulfilled by: History of Printed Book Illustration in the West, Book Illustration Processes to 1900, Japanese Illustrated Books, 1615–1868, and The Identification of Photographic Print Processes
Elective: Rare Book Cataloging

Example 2: Certificate of Proficiency with a Specialization in Medieval and Early Modern Books and MSS
Specialization requirement: The Book in the Manuscript Era, 15th-Century Books in Manuscript and Print, Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts, and Introduction to Paleography, 800–1500
Elective: Introduction to Archives for Special Collections Librarians

3. Areas

Area	Applicable Courses (as of January 2015) NB: Courses marked with are not currently offered.*	Course no.
American Book History	American Publishers' Bookbindings, 1800–1900	B-75
	Publishers' Bookbindings, 1830–1910*	B-90
	The History of the Book in America: A Survey from Colonial to Modern	H-15
	The American Book in the Industrial Era, 1820–1940	H-50
	The History of American Music Printing & Publishing*	H-55
	The History of European & American Papermaking	H-60
	The History of the Book in America, c.1700–1830	H-70
	Reading Publishers' Archives for the Study of the American Book	H-95
Bibliography	Introduction to the Principles of Bibliographical Description	G-10
	Printed Books to 1800: Description & Analysis	G-20
	Printed Books since 1800: Description & Analysis	G-30
	Analytical Bibliography	G-45
	Advanced Descriptive Bibliography	G-50
	Scholarly Editing: Principles & Practice	G-55
	Advanced Seminar in Critical Bibliography	G-70
	Digital Approaches to Bibliography & Book History	L-100
History of Bookbinding	Introduction to the History of Bookbinding	B-10
	Medieval & Early Renaissance Bookbinding Structures	B-40
	Advanced Seminar in the History of Bookbinding	B-50
	American Publishers' Bookbindings, 1800–1900	B-75
	The Description of Bookbindings*	B-80
	Publishers' Bookbindings, 1830–1910*	B-90
Cataloging & Description	The Description of Bookbindings*	B-80
	Developing Collections: Donors, Libraries & Booksellers	C-30
	Provenance: Tracing Owners & Collections	C-90
	Introduction to the Principles of Bibliographical Description	G-10
	Printed Books to 1800: Description & Analysis	G-20
	Printed Books since 1800: Description & Analysis	G-30
	Analytical Bibliography	G-45
	Advanced Descriptive Bibliography	G-50
	Scholarly Editing: Principles & Practice	G-55
	Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books	L-25
	Rare Book Cataloging	L-30
	Advanced Rare Book Cataloging Workshop	L-35
	Visual Materials Cataloging	L-40
	Reference Sources for Researching Printed Americana	L-45
	Introduction to Archives for Special Collections Librarians	L-60
	Designing Archival Description Systems*	L-90
	Preservation Imaging: Science, Scholarship, and the Artifact	L-105
The Book in Continental Europe and Great Britain	Introduction to the History of Bookbinding	B-10
	Medieval & Early Renaissance Bookbinding Structures	B-40
	Advanced Seminar in the History of Bookbinding	B-50
	Law Books: History & Connoisseurship	C-85
	Provenance: Tracing Owners & Collections	C-90
	The History of the Book, 200–2000	H-10
	The Book in the Manuscript Era	H-20
	15th-Century Books in Print and Manuscript	H-25
	The Printed Book in the West to 1800	H-30
	The Printed Book in the West since 1800	H-40
	The Stationers' Company to 1775	H-80
	The Bible and Histories of Reading	H-105
	The Art & Science of Cartography, 200–1550	H-110
	The Illustrated Scientific Book to 1800	I-40
	Introduction to Paleography, 800–1500	M-10
	Introduction to Western Codicology	M-20
	Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts	M-50
	The Handwriting & Culture of Early Modern English Manuscripts	M-70
	Western Manuscripts & Documents, 1500–2000*	M-80
Book Design & Production / NB: Requires four courses from three topic areas
Binding	Introduction to the History of Bookbinding	B-10
	Medieval & Early Renaissance Bookbinding Structures	B-40
	Advanced Seminar in the History of Bookbinding	B-50
	American Publishers' Bookbindings, 1800–1900	B-75
General: Descriptive and Textual Bibliography	Introduction to the Principles of Bibliographical Description	G-10
	Printed Books to 1800: Description & Analysis	G-20
	Printed Books since 1800: Description & Analysis	G-30
	Analytical Bibliography	G-45

	Scholarly Editing: Principles & Practice	G-55
History	The History of European & American Papermaking	H-60
History	Modern Art of the Book	H-35
Illustration and Printing Processes	History of Printed Book Illustration in the West	I-10

	Book Illustration Processes to 1900	I-20
	The Identification of Photographic Print Processes	I-35
Typography and Book Design	Type, Lettering and Calligraphy, 1450–1830	T-50
	Type, Lettering and Calligraphy, 1830–2000	T-55
	The History of 19th- & 20th-Century Typography & Printing	T-60

Digital Materials	The Art & Science of Cartography, 200–1550	H-110
	Digitizing the Historical Record	L-65
	XML in Action: Creating Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Texts	L-70
	Designing Archival Description Systems*	L-90
	Born-Digital Materials: Theory & Practice	L-95
	Digital Approaches to Bibliography & Book History	L-100
	The Medieval Manuscript in the Twenty-First Century	M-95
The Global Book / NB: Requires four courses from three regions
America	American Publishers' Bookbindings, 1800–1900	B-75
	Publishers' Bookbindings, 1830–1910*	B-90
	The History of the Book in America: A Survey from Colonial to Modern	H-15
	The American Book in the Industrial Era, 1820–1940	H-50
	The History of American Music Printing & Publishing*	H-55
	The History of European & American Papermaking	H-60
	The History of the Book in America, c.1700–1830	H-70
	Reading Publishers' Archives for the Study of the American Book	H-95
Asia	The History of the Book in China	H-85
	The Art of the Book in Edo and Meiji Japan, 1615–1912	I-90
	Hokusai & Book Illustration	I-95
Continental Europe and Great Britain	Introduction to the History of Bookbinding	B-10
	Medieval & Early Renaissance Bookbinding Structures	B-40
	Advanced Seminar in the History of Bookbinding	B-50
	Law Books: History & Connoisseurship	C-85
	Provenance: Tracing Owners & Collections	C-90
	The History of the Book, 200–2000	H-10
	The Book in the Manuscript Era	H-20
	15th-Century Books in Print and Manuscript	H-25
	The Printed Book in the West to 1800	H-30
	The Printed Book in the West since 1800	H-40
	The Stationers' Company to 1775	H-80
	The Bible and Histories of Reading	H-105
	The Art & Science of Cartography, 200–1550	H-110
	The Illustrated Scientific Book to 1800	I-40
	Introduction to Paleography, 800–1500	M-10
	Introduction to Western Codicology	M-20
	Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts	M-50
	The Handwriting & Culture of Early Modern English Manuscripts	M-70
	Western Manuscripts & Documents, 1500–2000*	M-80
History of Illustration	Modern Art of the Book	H-35
	The Art & Science of Cartography, 200–1550	H-110
	History of Printed Book Illustration in the West	I-10
	Book Illustration Processes to 1900	I-20
	Advanced Seminar in Book Illustration Processes	I-30
	The Identification of Photographic Print Processes	I-35
	The Illustrated Scientific Book to 1800	I-40
	The Art of the Book in Edo and Meiji Japan, 1615–1912	I-90
	Hokusai & Book Illustration	I-95
	Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts	M-50
History of Letterforms	15th-Century Books in Print and Manuscript	H-25
	Introduction to Paleography, 800–1500	M-10
	Introduction to Western Codicology	M-20
	Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts	M-50
	The Handwriting & Culture of Early Modern English Manuscripts	M-70
	Western Manuscripts & Documents, 1500–2000*	M-80
	Type, Lettering and Calligraphy, 1450–1830	T-50
	Type, Lettering and Calligraphy, 1830–2000	T-55
	The History of 19th- & 20th-Century Typography & Printing	T-60
Librarianship	Developing Collections: Donors, Libraries & Booksellers	C-30
	Special Collections Librarianship	L-10
	Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books	L-25
	Rare Book Cataloging	L-30
	Advanced Rare Book Cataloging Workshop	L-35
	Visual Materials Cataloging	L-40
	Reference Sources for Researching Printed Americana	L-45
	Introduction to Archives for Special Collections Librarians	L-60
	Digitizing the Historical Record	L-65
	XML in Action: Creating Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Texts	L-70
	Designing Archival Description Systems*	L-90
	Born-Digital Materials: Theory & Practice	L-95
	Preservation Imaging: Science, Scholarship, and the Artifact	L-105

History of Manuscripts	The Book in the Manuscript Era	H-20
	15th-Century Books in Print and Manuscript	H-25
	Introduction to Paleography, 800–1500	M-10
	Introduction to Western Codicology	M-20
	Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts	M-50
	The Handwriting & Culture of Early Modern English Manuscripts	M-70
	Western Manuscripts & Documents, 1500–2000*	M-80
	Advanced Seminar in Medieval Manuscript Studies	M-90
	The Medieval Manuscript in the Twenty-First Century	M-95
History of Printed Books to 1800	Medieval & Early Renaissance Bookbinding Structures	B-40
	Printed Books to 1800: Description & Analysis	G-20
	The Book in the Manuscript Era	H-20
	15th-Century Books in Print and Manuscript	H-25
	The Printed Book in the West to 1800	H-30
	The History of the Book in America, c.1700–1830	H-70
	The Eighteenth-Century Book	H-100
	The Bible and Histories of Reading	H-105
	The Illustrated Scientific Book to 1800	I-40
	Western Manuscripts & Documents, 1500–2000*	M-80
History of Printed Books since 1800	American Publishers' Bookbindings, 1800–1900	B-75
	Publishers' Bookbindings, 1830–1910*	B-90
	Printed Books since 1800: Description & Analysis	G-30
	Modern Art of the Book	H-35
	The Printed Book in the West since 1800	H-40

	The American Book in the Industrial Era, 1820–1940	H-50
	Reading Publishers' Archives for the Study of the American Book	H-95
	Type, Lettering and Calligraphy, 1830–2000	T-55
	The History of 19th- & 20th-Century Typography & Printing	T-60