1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Somewhat helpful. The articles scratched the surface. A few were throwaways, ie "Treasures at ...." 2: Somewhat helpful. I was already familiar with many basic principles discussed in readings. If I hadn't done the readings, I would have gotten just as much out of the class. 3: They were useful - a good introduction. I think that I will re-read some now. 4: Although I did apply late, I was able to piece together some articles prior to coming to RBS. I found the readings generally helpful since I had no prior rare book knowledge. 5: The readings were usually helpful in raising questions. However, much of the material was dated and included very little from the past 2-3 years. 6: Useful, although not essential as is the case in some other courses. 7: The most useful was Febvre and Martin's Coming of the Book. It would have been useful to have the materials distributed in class available in advance. 8: Useful. 9: Very useful - they provided a background for the subject and some areas for discussion in class. 10: Very useful in offering perspectives on the topic and a starting point for future reading. 11: They were very useful for general background. 12: Very useful.

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: Relevant. So much so that I plan the bulk of my syllabus with the Head of Special Collections. 2: Course syllabus and other materials useful, particularly in regard to further educating myself. Particularly appreciated bibliographical list, although would appreciate it if books were cited completely. 3: Yes - definitely. I very much appreciate the extra reading materials and spent some time reading them in the evenings. 4: Yes. I was grateful to receive a packet of articles to supplement the readings I had gathered prior to the class meeting. 5: The syllabus was excellent in scope. I would have liked to have seen the content connected more intimately to appropriate readings. 6: Very useful. 7-8: Yes. 9: Yes, they were useful and I plan on reviewing them at home to refresh my memory. 10: Yes. 11: The syllabus was appropriate and everything was covered. 12: Yes.

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

1: Yes. 2: Yes, although sometimes the instructor assumed a certain knowledge (sometimes geographical) or vocabulary I (and others perhaps) did not possess. 3: Yes it was. Sometimes there were references that were oblique, but my experiences tell me that I will run into these names or events again. 4: Yes. I think that a course like Intro to Rare Book Librarianship is difficult to teach since we all come from different types of libraries. DT was terrific in teasing out the general principles and putting them into memorable anecdotal terms. 5: Absolutely. The lectures were stimulating and thought-provoking. 6-8: Yes. 9: Yes; we were mostly new to the field of rare book librarianship and from a variety of institutions, so the general philosophy and array of topics discussed was appropriate. 10-12: Yes.

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

1: Personal time to visit Bayly Museum cut into an already abbreviated lunch period. 2: Yes! Although the visit ran well beyond its designated time. 3: Absolutely. It was both enjoyable (we got to see great things) and instructive. Having the exhibit there to critique was useful. 4: Yes - I think that it's very useful to view a "real live" Special Collection, with a critical eye/ear for the issues discussed in class. 5: The morning in Special Collections was time very well spent. I wish we had a bit more time there to actually use some of their resources. I was sorry they weren't open in the evening. 6: Very well spent. It would have been wonderful to have had more time in Special Collections. 7: Mostly, though we should have been given more time to view the exhibition. 8: Yes. 9: We visited the Alderman Special Collections. It was useful to demonstrate some of what had been discussed and also an enjoyable break from class. 10: Very much so - the Special Collections tour revealed similar problems and processes I experience at my institution. The speaker was both informative and entertaining. 11: Yes. This part was a highlight. 12: Yes - very well spent.

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. 2: Very much so. 3: Yes it did. Initially I had expected a more practical approach, but came to appreciate the theoretical one that the instructor chose to follow. 4: Yes. 5: I don't have a copy of these documents in hand, so I can't answer in specifics but from memory the answer is affirmative. 6: Yes. 7: More or less. 8-9: Yes. 10: Yes. The course description suggested that the class was not about specifics, but about concepts. 11-12: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: The opportunity to meet other professionals and discuss my work environment, collection, and professional experience (or lack thereof). 2: I enjoyed the instructor's knowledge and erudition regarding rare book librarianship. Many things I already knew were reinforced and reinterpreted. I also enjoyed his stories and "illuminations" (although they sometimes were lengthy and now and again irrelevant). I greatly enjoyed "networking" with fellow students. I also was grateful to have the opportunity to peruse the library and to jot down titles of interest. 3: It made me think about many issues. It gave me ideas about things that I plan to do. It made me excited about possibilities for my job in the future. 4: The format - having been out of school for a while, I had some reservations (and flashbacks) about being a student again, but I found DT's style of teaching wonderful! I enjoyed the anecdotes and stories and was able to ease my way back into the formal learning mode. 5: DT gave each and every student the tools to evaluate the situation [in which] each one of us finds him-/herself as a rare book librarian. He also acted as mentor - giving direction to that evaluation and to our further education in the profession. 6: The instructor's humor, knowledge, and anecdotes. 7: DT's depth of knowledge, skill at integrating student remarks and questions, and sense of humor. 8: A whole week to focus on just my rare book responsibilities. 9: DT is a veritable encyclopedia of rare book librarianship. I found it inspiring to hear the breadth and depth of his knowledge. 10: Opportunity to learn about other institutions, especially those with more history and tradition surrounding their libraries. 11: The instructor has great stories. He treats the students and their opinions and questions with great respect. 12: Learning from the instructor's experience. Learning from classmates. Meeting others in the field with whom to network.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: Reviewing collection/acquisitions policies brought by students. Samples/copies of dealer catalogs to review abbreviations in class. Better yet, an assignment to determine "reading knowledge" of catalogs. 2: Can't think of any suggestions (other than having breaks start on time. Very satisfied with content (see #6) and teaching method, of course. Might be useful in the future to have a list of relevant Web sources or sites that pertain to issues covered, such as exhibits. 3: One improvement might be to increase opportunities for discussion. There could have been more communication between students. 4: Perhaps an in-house chiropractor (for the hours of sitting required for the class) - just kidding! 5: Making it two weeks long?? There is more material than can be covered in 5 days. 6: Can't think of any way to improve the course. 7: The approach to books is heavily British/American - which somewhat glosses over the extremely diverse nature of the languages and cultures represented in U.S. collections. More attention should be given to their diversity. 8: Some topics could have taken less time to cover. 9: I would have benefitted from a review of how other libraries address specific problems and issues. 10: Maybe an hour or two to ask one another what they do about specific problems, issues, &c. 11: I would not change it. 12: Encouragement of class discussion by asking more than rhetorical questions. Sometimes I wanted to hear different viewpoints from classmates in answer to the rhetorical questions.

8) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the BAP's teaching collections and of materials owned by UVA's Special Collections. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?

1-2: Gloves? 3: I would suggest an initial orientation for all students about the BAP's teaching collections. It took me too long to figure out what and where they were. 5: As a teacher I like to work with a blackboard. That wasn't possible in the rather cramped environment we worked with. 7: Wonderful to have them available - but we did not make too much use of them.

9) Please comment on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class, eg Sunday afternoon tour, Sunday night dinner and videos, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, &c.

1: Spread the videos over one or two nights. The first day is too long. Make the schedule a little more flexible. Offer to show one or two of the videos during the lunch breaks. 2: I did not find the lecture Monday night particularly interesting or coherent - much preferred Thursday night lecture. I don't think I gained much knowledge from the Wednesday night activity, although I did enjoy finding some "books about books" to take home with me. 3: I liked having these opportunities. I realize that there are staff implications, but I would have been interested in an additional Study Night. I was not able to get through enough materials on one night. 4: I think it's terrific to offer optional evening events. Although I didn't partake in all the activities, I know many others did attend all after-class events. I think it's invaluable to be able to spend time outside of class to get to know my classmates and the staff! 5: All of the evening activities were valuable. I was a bit tired (and sick) on Tuesday and didn't have the head for book browsing. 6: All were useful and enjoyable. Having time to interact with classmates informally was especially enjoyable. 7: Given the short time framework - all of these activities worked well - the only problem was combat fatigue. 8: Study Night gave me an opportunity to see things in RBS that were not covered in this class. 9: I found the videos enjoyable and educational. The lectures were educational, but added still more "listening to someone lecture" to an already long day. 10: After the speeches I was not inclined to bo back into the Pressroom after shuttling in and out of there all day. Perhaps the reception should be held in the same room. 11: These are okay. Perhaps better in the summer.

10) Any final thoughts? Did you get your money's worth?

1: I would recommend the course and all other RBS courses during the January session. The class sizes were perfect. Money well spent. Hope I can [get] into another course next January. 2: Definitely got my money's worth. 3: I believe that I, and my institution, spent professional development funds wisely. 4: Absolutely! [got my money's worth] I hope to return for more classes in the upcoming years. Just wanted to reiterate that DT's a terrific teacher! 5: This was an excellent course. I take away a great deal of energy and enthusiasm that I hope can be shared with my staff. 6: Well worth the time. The course provided lots for consideration and action after returning home. 7: It will take me more time to absorb all that we heard this week, but I would definitely recommend this course and believe the money was well spent. 8: It was worth coming. Although a few times a topic was discussed for too long, this was a great opportunity to focus on rare books for a whole week without the other parts of my job getting in the way. As a result of this and the topics discussed I came away with many useful ideas. Although few particular "tools" are taught, one comes away with many concepts and ideas that will be very useful. 10: My money was well spent the first day. 11: As usual, RBS does not disappoint! 12: Definitely would recommend. Definitely got my money's worth.

Number of respondents: 12

There were five rare book librarians (42%), three archivist/manuscript librarians (25%), three general librarians with some rare book duties (25%), and one administrator for a preservation institute (8%).