26. Introduction to Rare Book Librarianship (Session I)

17-21 July 1995

Overview of the theory and practice of rare book librarianship. Topics include: the function of rare books in libraries; the interpretation of rare book collections to their publics; patterns of use; special collections reference materials; security; environmental desiderata; exhibitions and publications; friends' groups. Offered again in Week 3.

1. How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Useful; however the bibliographic citations were often inaccurate. 2: Nice to have something -- I didn't have a chance to read much. 3: The readings were useful. I have given some of them to colleagues who are not taking this course. 4: I had a chance to read most of the pre-course readings, but didn't find it very useful for the course (because we talked about very practical matters). 5: Only moderately useful. 7: Pre-course readings were well selected and very comprehensive as far as the range of topic covered. 8: Very useful, informative, and well chosen. They spanned general information (eg, Cave) to special (eg, the Berg collection) and gave me a pre-flavor of the instructor through his own material. 10: Some were good and some not-so-good (to be expected). I will keep the reading list for future reference. 11: I thought they were extremely useful, both for the course and at other points as my career goes on. They were all relevant to discussions and to my work. 12: Very useful and informative about many different aspects.

2. Did your instructor prepare sufficiently to teach THIS course? Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class useful?

1: Yes. 2: Well enough. 3: Yes. 4: The course was well-prepared. I especially enjoyed the non-TQM [Total Quality Management] atmosphere of this course! 5: Yes, the course seemed fresh and the syllabus may be a useful reminder of matters covered. 6: Instructor was very well prepared. The syllabus and handouts are useful and provided good, accessible reading materials for use during the course, with bibliographical citations for more ``in-depth'' reading. 7: Yes, I would say the instructor was extremely well prepared for teaching the course. Syllabus and other materials were excellent and will be useful for information sharing when I return home. 8: DT knows his material inside out and upside down. He couldn't be unprepared, besides which he has the gift of rhetoric that makes him a most articulate and entertaining teacher. His class materials are well thought out and valuable for future use. 9: Materials were useful and will continue to be so. 10: Yes. Yes. 11: I thought DT was extremely well prepared, with many observations from his own experience as well as from experiences of others. I did not feel his material was dry in any way, as it can get when courses have been taught many times. 12: Yes. The readings will be very useful for future reference.

3. Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate?

1: Satisfactory. 2-3: Yes. 4: It was great, especially when you don't have time to ``think'' at your work. 5-7: Yes. 8: Yes, exceeded my expectations. DT's wide knowledge of librarianship, together with his background in academe made this a stimulating course and gives me much to think about as I go back to my institution. 9: Yes. 10: Yes -- in general. Much of it was a little too basic for professional level people. 11: Yes. DT made an excellent attempt to reach everyone's level. 12: Yes.

4. If your course had field trips, were they effective?

1: Would have appreciated a tour of the rare book collection. 2: Yes. I wish we'd had several such visits -- maybe take a day and go to LC and/or other libraries in DC. 3: Yes. 4: Yes, it was. 5: The Special Collections visit was a good contrast. 6: Yes. The trip to Alderman's Special Collections and the ``conversation'' with Kathy Morgan was a pleasant, worthwhile activity. 7: Yes, the visit to Special Collections and the discussions with the curator were very helpful. Viewing the exhibit inspired some ideas for future exhibits at my own institution (I don't mean content). 8: Yes, Kathryn Morgan, UVa's rare book curator, gave her time graciously and selflessly. She didn't mind questions and allowed time to visit the rare book collections well as the exhibition. 9: Extremely so. 10: We visited Special Collections -- yes, the visit was worthwhile and Kathy Morgan was very informative and interesting. I would have liked to meet the manuscripts librarian as well [Michael Plunkett] and would also have liked a more formal tour of Special Collections processing and functions incorporated into this time as well. 11: We visited Special Collections, and the time was very well spent. 12: Yes. The trip to Special Collections was very enjoyable.

5. Did the actual course content correspond to its RBS brochure description and Expanded Course Description? Did the course in general meet your expectations?

1: The course description was too ``rare books.'' Too much of the course time and content was devoted to broader special collections type situations and issues. 2: Yes -- though I wish it had followed an outline in a little better-paced way. 3: Yes. 4: Yes, it did. 5: Yes and yes. This course gave me precisely the overview I wanted. 6: The course was perfect for me and met all of my expectations. It was, as described, an introduction. 7: Yes, the course content was exactly what I expected and needed from this course. 8: Exceeded both. 9-10: Yes. 11: I thought that it did correspond very well to the description and met my expectations. 12: Exceeded my expectations.

6. What did you like best about the course?

2: The visit to Special Collections in Alderman and just hearing fully from someone with extensive experience who does a lot of what I do (that's also why I liked the visit). 3: I liked the exchange of information. It gave new ideas and provided different ways of looking at situations. I liked the fact that different types of libraries were represented. 4: I liked everything. It gave me a lot of ideas that hopefully I will be able to apply in my day-to-day work. I have met very interesting people with whom I hope to stay in contact. I think that at least one person in every special collections library should take this course. It was easy to participate. 5: The remarkable varieties of experiences the participants brought to the class and DT's ability to incorporate those experiences and questions into the course. 6: The instructor. He created a non-threatening environment which was vital to the learning experience since the students came from a variety of backgrounds and had very different levels of expertise. The students themselves were great to be with -- very congenial and supportive. 7: The instructor's anecdotes -- they were not only amusing but illustrative of the topics under discussion. The class as a whole was a very congenial group and discussions were lively and informative. The range of topics covered was very comprehensive. 8: DT's style of teaching. He is never dull, he doesn't patronize, and shares his knowledge and expertise. 9: The most valuable parts of the course were the discussion of reference sources, the visit to Special Collections, and the stimulation to focus our thinking. 10: Meeting and talking with other librarians and special collections people. Got lots of good advice and moral support, both from the instructor and fellow students. DT is an exceptionally good speaker. I really enjoyed his anecdotes. 11: I felt that DT was extremely forthcoming in relating his experiences -- it made a great difference. 12: DT's knowledgeable, but humorous, approach.

7. How could the course have been improved?

1: Too much attention given to minute details of instructor's examples, which were irrelevant. 2: Add an introduction to the physical book -- a brief overview of the parts of a book and how it's constructed by hand and machine. Also, somehow or other decrease digressions. 5: Some not too taxing (and not too long) pre-course readings on bibliography. 6: More variety in format. More field trips, audiovisuals, &c. 7: Perhaps another field trip or visit to a local exhibit. 8: I really don't know. There is so much to cover that further field trips are impossible, but would have been nice. 10: A different location -- we were in Clemons and often were disturbed by others using the library. Chairs were very uncomfortable. 11: Just more of the same. 12: Can't think of any way.

8. Any final thoughts?

2: Thanks to DT for sharing his mind with us so openly -- a Renaissance guy if there ever was one. I think we all can use more and more reflection on the broader research possibilities offered by the books and other material we care for. 3: The course has been very inspirational and makes me eager to return to my institution and begin to use some of the ideas I was exposed to. 4: Thank you very much! 5: I cannot recommend the experience too highly -- especially for someone assuming new responsibilities. 6: Since TB asked about students becoming Friends, I decided to become a Friend before it was tied to preferential treatment in admissions. I have some ambivalent feelings -- not about the fact of it (that's good!) -- but about stating it publicly. Hope I can come again. This was money well spent and a tremendous continuing education opportunity. 7: It was a great course for people new to the profession of rare book librarianship or for people who did not receive formal training in library school. In terms of what was gained from taking this course, I would have to say that practical advice was foremost, and getting to know other people in either similar or dissimilar situations was extremely valuable. 8: Don't worry about the printed syllabus. You might spend all morning on point 1a, but you do get through all of it during the week, and a heck of a lot more. Thank you, DT, you are great! 11: Just keep doing a great job. 12: I came, recovering from walking pneumonia and having to pay my own tuition and expenses, but it was all worth it for what I gained from DT as well as my classmates. It was a relaxed, supportive atmosphere of great folks.

Number of respondents: 12

Percentages