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No. 34: Book Collecting 28 July - 1 August 1997 |
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1. How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: Good pre-course readings. Most interesting. 2: The several books and articles were relevant to my interests, and thoroughly stimulating. All were readily obtainable. I have no suggestions for improvements. 3: I had some difficulty procuring some of the items, but, that aside, found that the effort was well worthwhile. The suggested items were most useful and very interesting. 4: A good venue for familiarization, although several were a bit on the dry side. For those of us with minimal knowledge and experience in book collecting, I would have appreciated a pre-course explanation of the importance of bibliography along with the recommended readings. 5: The readings were very helpful, but by the time I found some of them, there was not enough reading time before RBS. 6: Useful. 7: Most useful and informative. The amount of reading required was perhaps a little too much. |
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2. Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: Yes, the lists of books, etc., will be very useful. 2: For the most part. They seemed to follow the lectures and expand on the main themes. A few gave the class comic relief and were appropriate for that reason. 3: I was very pleased with the amount of handout material given to the class. This was useful at the time and will be on continuing use back home. Of very great interest, also, was the amount of diversity of RBS material shown by TB throughout the course. This illustrated and amplified the instruction given.4: Course materials were excellent. 5: Very helpful. 6: Yes, useful. 7: Syllabus was very well thought out and very easy to follow. The instructors stayed on time. |
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3. Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate?
1: Yes. It was at the right level. 2: The intellectual level reflected the relatively short duration of the course. Many subjects could not be fully investigated in one week, but given the many topics and the survey nature of the course, the level of its content was quite good. 3: Although ours was a general book collecting course, I was pleased with the level of intellectual debate/content achieved. It was a generally stimulating environment, as well as a practically instructive one. 4: Yes. The other participants were more knowledgeable than I, but I managed to follow (I think) without difficulty. If I didn't understand something, I said so. 5: Yes. 6: Very much so. 7: Very much so! |
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4. If your course had field trips, were they effective?
1: Yes. Visiting Special Collections was most interesting. 2: Yes. A classroom experience is not a substitute for a field trip. We needed exposure to the main facilities of UVa as part of the total experience. 3: We visited the Special Collections Department (Friday). This was one of the highlights of the course and time very well spent. Indeed, I wish that the visit had, perhaps, been arranged earlier in the week. 4: Yes. My wish would be that the visit to Special Collections was earlier in the week. I didn't know about the second floor McGregor collection and would have greatly enjoyed spending more time there throughout the week. 5: Very much so. 6: n/a. 7: Most certainly. |
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5. Did the actual course content correspond to its RBS brochure description and Expanded Course Description (ECD)? Did the course in general meet your expectations?
1: Yes, they were generally correct and met my expectations. 2: I am not aware of any major deviations from the descriptions. The course easily met my expectations. 3: The course corresponded to the ECD. The outcome (the whole RBS experience) certainly exceeded my expectations. 4: "I sing the song of Terry and Bill...." The course content and presentation exceeded my expectations by geometric proportions. The insight, experience, knowledge, and pervasive wit of our instructors made the course an absolute joy which has not always been my academic experience. Bravissimo! 5: The course met my expectations. Though all of it seemed quite relevant, the last section on taxing seemed more extensive than necessary, although for other students, it may have been important. 6: Yes, to both questions. 7: Course content closely corresponded to RBS brochure descriptions as well as ECD. The course more than met my expectations. |
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6. What did you like best about the course?
1: The discussions on the antiquarian book trade: booksellers, auctions, bibliophilic associations, evening lectures (two out of three). 2: The escape from familiar surroundings and the embrace of UVa's campus were important. But the best thing at RBS was the stimulating lectures, thoroughly prepared, and the instructors' overall qualifications. 3:1) The two-way exchange of instruction and anecdotes between WB and TB. They made a very good double act. The class worked very well indeed on this basis. 2) The practical examples shown to us by TB to illustrate the instruction. 4: By far, the wisdom, humor, and patience of WB and TB. The concepts were explained, expanded, and anecdotally enhanced. The time flew by every day. 5: The information that both instructors choreographed in the most lively way provided clarity to every aspect. 6: TB a certifiable curmudgeon, but an entertaining, extremely knowledgeable and very humorous one. 7: Learning about the literature of book collecting. The wit and wisdom of the two instructors. Learning a bit about descriptive bibliography. |
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7. How could the course have been improved?
1: Less on the tax implications. As a Canadian, subject to Canadian tax laws, the six hours spent discussing US tax laws was a waste of time to me. In future, if the nationality of a student is known, there should be a handout about the tax laws of that country, or the student be given something else to do. Although I knew this was in the course, it was still not relevant to me. 2: I would have preferred some additional time on some of the subjects. There should be a Part 2 for this particular course. 3: Personally (not coming from the USA) I had no need to learn about the tax implications of book collecting. I knew that this was in the ECD and accepted this in the overall package. Although as an accountant (British) by profession, I still found some interest here. 4: 1) I probably would not have put so much emphasis on the accounting practices for disposition of collections. I felt this applied to a limited number of people and that by the time it would apply to me, tax law would have changed. 2) I would add a question/answer period during class about our individual collections, but limiting the questions to a couple of minutes and not allowing a long diatribe. I would have been interested to hear the questions other people might have asked about their specific collections. 5: As stated in no.5, above, less on tax situations, more on book dealers, collections, great libraries. 6: Our course spent too much time on tax and related matters, time that could be better spent on other aspects of collecting. While the material on taxes had material pertinent to all of us (except for non-US citizens), it really should be abridged and covered in part with readable syllabus material. 7: Allow the students to use only pencils in the classroom. It would be very difficult to improve upon the course. |
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8. Please comment on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class, e.g. Sunday afternoon tour, Sunday night dinner and videos, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, printing demonstrations, &c.
1: Sunday tour good, but too quick. Sunday dinner/videos excellent, except videos too long. Evening lectures Monday and Thursday, very good; Wednesday, boring. Bookseller Night Wonderful, should have been every night all week. Rotunda exhibition very good. 2: They were all of high quality and enhanced the overall experience. But they also fostered a sense of week-long community among RBS students. That aspect was significant. 3: What can I say? superb. 4: I thought that the food at Sunday night dinner could definitely be improved. Loved Bookseller Night, and wish there had been more than one night that they would have stayed open late. 5: It was all so beautifully organized and user-friendly in all activities. 6: Quality and enjoyability were both fine. 7: I most enjoyed the tour of Special Collections, the Sunday night videos, the Rotunda Book Arts Press 25th Anniversary exhibition, and the opportunity to get to know so many good minds. |
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9. Any final thoughts? Did you get your money's worth?
1: I certainly got my money's worth and am looking forward to next year, if you will have me. I will certainly recommend RBS to all my bookish friends (a week well spent). 2: It was cheap in comparison to the enrichment it provided. My advice to persons considering RBS in future years: Do not take these courses unless you are serious in your interest in the subject if you are, the week will pass quickly. You will not want to miss the next RBS. 3: 1) Do it!! 2) Yes, and it was my money, too! I would certainly recommend both in terms of course content, networking, making new friends, seeing rare book/library professionals and the whole UVa experience. Most importantly, it has posted the way toward the future direction of my collecting activity. This place is book heaven! Thank you.4: I absolutely got my money's worth and since it was my money (as in not an institution's) and my vacation time, I am considering this question critically! It would have been interesting to me to know the other book areas in which fellow participants collected prior to the course. 5: It was definitely worth my money. A final comment: it devastated my dim wit to digest the data delivered by the dynamic duo. I loved it! 6: I felt that my money was well spent. The course was informative, well organized for the most part, and enjoyable. It sure beats Elder Hostel! (Never, really, a consideration.) Only one disappointment I expected to learn how to remove remainder marks. 7: The only advice that I have is not to miss the opportunity to take an RBS course. I got more than my money's worth, including a great deal of knowledge and what will be some very pleasant memories. |
| Number of respondents: 7 |
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| There were seven students: all were in RBS primarily in their role as book collectors (100%). |