35. Rare Book Libraries: A Perspective for Booksellers

24-28 July 1995

The interests of rare book and special collections departments and of antiquarian booksellers are closely related, but differences of perspective and function can result in misunderstanding and confusion. This course, intended to improve booksellers' ability to deal effectively with librarians, presents the viewpoint of institutional collectors. Topics: the concepts of special collections and their relationship to scholarly research in the humanities; the rare book librarian's day; how and why rare book librarians buy (and sell); the collector/dealer/librarian triangle; dealer-librarian relationships, good and bad; and issues of education and training.

1. How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: A good list of readings (memoirs), of which I was able to get a few. 2: I was accepted late, but had read about a third of the choices; all of those would be good grounding, though the world has changed. 3: I was only able to get my hands on one before I came, but I plan to read them later. 4: Relevant and interesting. 5: It was a difficult subject to do any real background reading for, but it was an interesting and enjoyable reading list. 6: Instructor's list was well thought out. All readings were most enjoyable.7: They were extensive and excellent. I have added some of the suggested readings to my own personal book collection. 8: A good list of recommended reading -- I will save it for future reference and eventually try to read all the titles.

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

1: No syllabus; there should have been one. Maybe some handouts? 2: We had no formal syllabus, but the one sketched out on the first day was resorted to when discussion lapsed enough to warrant a fresh piton. RL is admirably connected, thoughtful about his field and his collection -- there should be much residually useful information. 3: Yes. 4: I suppose there could have been more theoretical information about the formal structure and operations of a number of US special collections libraries. 5: Yes. 6: Instructor was well prepared for each session every day.7: Yes. Although limited material was distributed, all aspects of special collections and rare book libraries as they relate to booksellers were covered. 8: I'm not sure RL prepared very extensively, but that may be due to the nature of the subject. 9: Yes. Yes.

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

1: Very. 2: Well, yes. This wasn't quantum physics or crypto-analysis, but the course ranged from the theoretical to the pragmatic to the anecdotal, and no one looked lost in the woods. 3: Yes, we were all treated with respect. Our ideas were allowed to be presented at any time. 4: The differences in background experience and theoretical knowledge were too great, so that every question in depth had to be redirected to the lowest (simplest) level. 5-6: Yes. 7: Very much so. 8: It was certainly higher than in any of my library school classes, thank heaven. It could have been higher still. 9: Yes.

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

1: Yes, we had a good discussion with the Head of Special Collections and his assistant. 2: Yes, Mike Plunkett and Heather Moore talked turkey with us -- at least to a point -- and several in theclass may pursue some initiatives via-á-vis UVa. Regrettable, though, that our request to explore briefly the Special Collections stacks had to be stiff-armed. 3: Very well spent. I enjoyed the short talks as it gave me a chance to see how various librarians approach book selection and operation procedures. 4: Well spent, but too short and too tightly scheduled. It's too interesting to do quickly. 5: Very much so. 6: Yes. 7: Brief visit to Special Collections was well spent -- contacts made for future presentation of material to selectors (not the basic reason for attending the course). 8: Yes -- I would have liked a full tour, but I can see why that wasn't allowed. Special Collections should probably be much more involved in this course. 9: Yes.

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: Yes to both. 2: I think most angles of the Expanded Course Description were tagged on the trip around the bases. 3: I don't remember the brochure description. I didn't come with many expectations, but I've had an enlightening experience. 4: The actual course can be subsumed under the description, but I expected a more formal, technical, and wider approach. The perspective now was mainly for one curator's point of view, although RL seems to excel in knowledge and experience. 5: I felt it was a difficult subject to teach and relied a great deal from the input of fellow classmates. It did not fully meet my expectations, but I felt it was useful and made me concentrate my thoughts on various aspects of selling. 6: Yes. Wide variety of experiences of the course members made for interesting discussion. 7: Yes. 8: I was a little disappointed, because I was hoping for more concrete detail -- how to use print and online sources, &c. Oh well! 9: Yes.

6. What did you like best about the course?

1: The instructor. We benefitted greatly from his vast experience and knowledge and great anecdotes. 2: The openness to questions brought by the students and the development of camaraderie between the instructor and most students. 3: The instructor seems to know rare book librarianship backwards and forwards. He has years of experience and was able to explain it well. 4: The excellent demonstration by RL of the structure, values, procedures, customs, &c., of the American antiquarian book trade and libraries. 5: The times when we all joined in and ideas were discussed and considered by everyone. 7: Many notes taken -- many ideas given and received. I will be going over these notes at my staff meeting next week. While many thoughts are self-evident, it is very valuable to exchange with colleagues in class. 8: I very much liked meeting RL and my fellow bookdealers. The sort of extraneous information I picked up along the way will probably be more useful than the vague generalizations -- not all special collections are alike, and most are definitely unlike Toronto's. 9: Breadth of instructor's knowledge. Contact with other booksellers.

7. How could the course have been improved?

1: Only by a syllabus. 2: The only main limitation to this course was RL's lack of experience in the book trade itself. He presents a model of the world of special collections that makes experienced booksellers yearn for more curators with his scope of collection knowledge and creative vision. He is, in truth, a collector in the position of curator. I believe, though, that a team-taught course, with a curator and an experienced bookseller, would allow fuller conversational exploration of the interconnections between libraries and the book trade -- and the barriers to strong interconnections. Students admitted to the course should come from both fields. Instructors should be the best connected available. RL would be superb. 3: Perhaps more dialog at the beginning. We carried on more conversations amongst class members later in theweek. I would like to have seen a breaking of the ice earlier. 4: I suggest having more curators have their say (one every day: Harvard, Morgan, Toronto, &c.) and tell about their practices according to a scheme of the same questions and topics for all. Somehow test the participants' abilities. 5: Because RL can only give us his own (unique) experience as a rare book librarian, it would have been helpful to have had other librarians come and talk -- although I realize this has geographical difficulties. However, various rare book librarians were here and we did not use their experience and knowledge to compare with RL's. 6: Consider merging ``Rare Book Libraries: A Perspective for Booksellers'' and ``The Antiquarian Book Trade: An Introduction for Rare Book Librarians'' and have it co-taught by RL and a bookseller, with six or seven students from each field. 7: Perhaps more distributable material (checklists, how to email); the Internet -- computer expertise can be useful. 8: I think the course should be half librarians/curators and half booksellers, and you should have to be from a serious institution or dealer. The instructor, as the leader of the course, should not allow class time to be wasted by students who just want to toot their own horns. 9: RL's methods and content were excellent, but he is probably not a typical librarian in his approach to his work. Perhaps more input, in some form, from other librarians in similar positions? How about making an informal survey of other librarians, covering a few major points and issues, and then discussing the results during the seminar?

8. Any final thoughts?

1: I would recommend this course most strongly. 3: I think it would be nice to open the floor to questions following each evening lecture. I found that not everyone attends the evening receptions and so there is no way for good dialog or more information to come from the speaker. I've really enjoyed my week here. The RBS staff is extremely well organized and right on time for all events (usually). Staff was helpful. I can see no reason why Lawnees couldn't drive in the parking lot just long enough to unload suitcases. 5: More librarians should be speaking to the class. RBS should consider merging the ``perspectives for librarians'' course with this one so that we can have more discussions and exchanges of experiences which would be beneficial both to booksellers and librarians. 6: Highly recommended for any bookseller interested in developing relationships with institutional special collections. 7: Only a comment that I overheard about one of the courses that had two instructors -- someone commented that the stage in class was often taken over by one of the instructors so that the idea or point to be made by the other was sometimes obscured or omitted. Reminded me of the late Senator Orville Faubus of Arkansas who was particularly vociferous -- during one of his famous filibuster speeches in the 50s he was quoted as shouting at another senator who was trying to make a point, ``Stop talking while I'm interrupting!'' Two instructors on stage at one time may not be a good idea -- alternating may be better? (This was not my experience in my class -- but related by another student.) 8: The course should involve librarians and dealers in equal parts -- classtime should be spent in dialog between the ``two cultures'' of rare books. After all, the whole purpose of the course is supposed to provide understanding of different perspectives -- 1:9 is a bad ratio unless the 1 is the one learning. I'm sure RL learned a few things, but I'm the one paying tuition -- I should be the one benefitting. I think a class of librarians and dealers would benefit everyone in the room. 9: Decide to register as early as possible, in order to have time for locating and reading books from the reading list. Expect your evenings to be filled with socializing.

Number of respondents: 9

PERCENTAGES