1) How useful were the pre-course readings? 1: I wish there were something general, short, and basic - about the length of the Pollard article, but not quite as scattered. 3: Very useful, although somewhat difficult to obtain. 5: Very helpful, though (possibly) too much for the busy folks we all are. 6: Very useful. 7: Very helpful; however, the instructor was so prepared that the reading was hardly necessary. 8: Useful, but because of short notice, I had difficulty getting some of them through ILL before coming here - they'll probably be waiting for me back at my library. 10: It would have been helpful to have a minimum of practical binding experience prior to the readings. 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. It might be helpful to have an outline of the course similar to NP's key for his database listing different categories of binding structure and sub-categories of materials, methods, and styles. 2-3: Yes. 4: Yes & yes. 5: Yes. 6: Yes, relevant. 7-10: Yes. 3) Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate? 1: Absolutely. 2: Yes - but it was really aimed toward the specialist, and therefore moved too quickly at times for those who didn't know their binding terminology cold. 3-5: Yes. 6: Yes, content on both intellectual and practical level was very useful. 7-9: Yes. 10: Superb! 4) If your course had field trips, were they effective? 1: Very. 2: Extremely well spent, extremely useful, and fun. As with all RBS courses, seeing actual examples was the most exhilarating and illuminating part of the experience. The real disappointment was in not being able to handle any books during this course - either those owned by RBS or those in Special Collections - because of their fragility. 3: The visit to Special Collections was very valuable, allowing much closer inspection of materials and bindings similar to those we saw on slides during the lectures. 4: Yes. 5: Very much so. 6: Going to Special Collections was very useful. 7: Yes, although more time there would have been nice. 8-9: Yes. 10: Yes, it was most useful. 5) Did the actual course content correspond to its RBS brochure description and Expanded Course Descriptions (ECDs)? Did the course in general meet your expectations? 1-4: Yes. 5: Yes, though I had expected more bench trained folks in the course. 6-10: Yes. 6) What did you like best about the course? 1: The teasingly brief hints about ways binding structures might be used as clues about readership and the economics of book buying. 2: When NP made hints about the books' physical structures and what they revealed about the broader social or economic situation of either their makers or readers. The instructor's utterly staggering level of expertise and his enthusiasm. 3: The large number of slides detailing the variations of binding structures and characteristics were invaluable and the method of describing the changes throughout the period was as clearly and methodically arranged as possible, given the amount of material. 4: The organization, after so many times offered, is nearly perfect. The passion of the instructor, as with all RBS courses I've taken, is most winning. 5: Expertise of instructor. Slides. Discussions. 6: Breadth and level of information. 7: The number of examples used to illustrate a point, both in slides and actual books in the collections. These all really helped to drive the points home. 8: In-depth coverage of subject matter. Superlative lectures, presentation, and preparation by the instructor. 9: It was all of a piece - outstanding in every way. 10: Small class size and an almost individual approach. 7) How could the course have been improved? 2: Actually, the biggest problem of the course was that it had too much of a good thing: too much information and too many slides, all projected too quickly. If NP had presented less information, we could have better absorbed the material and left with a greater understanding of general trends. Also, handouts with broad categories of characteristics by region and date would have been extremely useful. I wish we could have handled some books. And a brief binding workshop would have been delightful and instructive. 3: I'm not sure that it could have been. 4: A) There is no time, I know, but a little hands-on with the traditional equipment would be helpful. I used to resew and use needles in various ways, so it was easy for me to follow. Others had a bit more trouble. B) TOOLS exhibit. C) Slides are great, but a feel for the tedium of the work can be had only at the set up. 5: 1) Introduce one morning of hands-on practice to break the pattern a bit. 2) It went a little too fast sometimes to take in all the information. Maybe fewer slides and slightly more time on each slide? (Especially for the non-bench folks who seem to predominate in this course.) 6: Gosh, it seems difficult to improve it. 7: Perhaps a very simplified (if possible) chart of major binding characteristics and dates of countries of origin. These would be helpful, but I suppose that this is what our notes are for. 8: Make it a two-part course - add more - make it two weeks? 9: Can't imagine. 10: Fewer slides. I would prefer some 600 rather than 800, with more time per slide. The brain simply cannot properly process the visual aspects of the course as it is now structured. 8) Please comment on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class, eg Sunday night dinner and videos, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, Study Night, &c. 1: Study Night was a nice, relaxed change of pace. Nice to be able to use the BAP collections and talk with fellow students and instructors. 2: Both NP's and TB's lectures were good additions to the RBS week. The videos were great - especially Arno Werner and How to operate a book. I didn't attend Bookseller Night or Study Night. 3: Bookseller Night, unfortunately, was limited to only a couple of places because of the Winter Session, and the quality of the books in the places wasn't particularly good for the most part, so that was a big disappointment. 4: Study Night the lights went out, alas! The first lecture was an expansion on and not a repetition of class/course content. The second was très informative. Other than Paul [Collinge], few booksellers, understandably, were open late. 5: All great ideas, very enjoyable. 6: Evening events were nice, in order to take in things outside the course itself. 7: It was nice to have the opportunity to spend time with classmates and students from the other course, as well as to investigate the Charlottesville area. 8: Evening lectures were both very good this session. I also enjoyed using the lounge in Alderman [for evening lectures] (the Rotunda is a nice setting, but it has the most uncomfortable chairs in the world!). Bookseller Night was kind of a bust compared to summer session Bookseller Nights - fortunately Heartwood Books stayed open. 10: I was simply too tired to partake of Study Night, so I studied prior to each class session. 9) Any final thoughts? Did you get your money's worth? 2: Do the preliminary readings. I absolutely got my money's worth. 3: It would be a good idea to do the readings before the course, not only for oneself, but also for the sake of others in the class. Material that should have been known to students through the required readings was often brought up in questions that took time away from more important and detailed aspects of the subject. Yes, the course was well worth the money. 4: Read the assigned readings in advance. Yes, I got my money's worth. 5: I learned a tremendous amount and definitely was worth the (library's) money. Thanks! 6: Very worthwhile; information is unavailable anywhere else. 7: Yes. 8: A note on summer housing: last summer a number of us were bumped from housing in Brown College. We were offered rooms, with shared lounges, in the language houses on Sprigg Lane. We found this promoted a lot more networking/socializing and highly recommend this arrangement again if it can be arranged. Yes, I got my money's worth! 9: Very highly recommended - an opportunity to look at hundreds of slides and actual examples of bindings with NP's incredibly expert narrative accompaniment. Interesting and enjoyable throughout. 10: It would be helpful to have direct familiarity with binding techniques prior to the course. This should be made a prerequisite. The course was most worthwhile, well organized and presented, and enthusiastically taught. It is one of a kind! Number of respondents: 10 PERCENTAGES Leave Tuition Housing Travel Institution gave me leave 60% Institution paid tuition 30% Institution paid housing 35% Institution paid travel 25% I took vacation time 10% I paid tuition myself 40% I paid for my own housing 35% I paid for my own travel 45% N/A: Self-employed, retired, or had time off 30% N/A: Self-employed, retired, or exchange 30% N/A: Stayed with friends or lived at home 30% N/A: Lived nearby 30% There were ten students: three conservator/bookbinder/preservation librarians (30%), two full-time students (20%), and one each an archivist/manuscript librarian, a book collector, a general librarian with some archivist/manuscript duties, a general librarian with some rare book duties, and one rare book librarian (10% each).

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