1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Useful readings, especially the general introduction to format of rare books, the article on the background of DCRB as revision to BDRB, and the articles dealing with system considerations for rare book cataloging fields. But the course was conducted in such a way that one could get away without reading them. And it was welcome to have guidance of additional sources to examine, to be familiar with -- ie thesauri and Gaskell. 2: Teacher took a vote to get consensus on pre-course reading usefulness -- I agree with consensus arrived at. 3: Useful. 4: Very useful -- had sketchy knowledge of code. 5: The pre-course readings were pertinent and provided an excellent background. 6: Great. Found myself a number of times hearing something in a lecture and remembering having already read about it in the pre-course readings. Really helped me to prep for this course. 7: Very useful. 8: Very germane. 9: The pre-course readings were all useful. The one on administration was perhaps the least pertinent but still interes ting. 10: Very appropriate -- especially the Raine article on rare book records in online systems. 11: I thought all of the pre-course readings were relevant and helpful. 12: They are very helpful. I coul d understand the class work better due to the pre-course 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, the workbook looks immensely helpful with Latin terms, relator terms, examples of local notes, and the like. Also the bibliography for rare book cataloger’s reference is great. Not sure if it includes helpful websites, but that would be appreciated, too. 2: Very appropriate and useful. 3: The workbook was useful in class and I expect to refer to it often in my work. 4: Very useful. 5: I know the workbook will become a valuable part of my rare book reference shelf. 6: Yes . . . will find the workbook (and references therein) most useful. 7-8: Yes. 9: The workbook is great and will be very useful in the future. 10: The workbook that DJL prepared is a gem and will be a cause of departmental jealousy when I return! 11: Yes, we had many important and useful information packets and handouts. 12: The exercises and answer sheets are very good. The instructor provides other useful tools such as signature tables, which is useful. It would be good if the workbook included definitions of important concepts or a glossary.

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

1: Yes. Though we students seemed to come from different experience levels in terms of our exposure to rare books, DJL did a fine job of sharing the knowledge with us at an appropriate level, and the readings and our mutual discussions and sharing of backgrounds helped to bring us all up to a common level. 2: Absolutely. 3: Yes. 4: Yes. The necessity to make distinctions in terminology and the nature of the work itself precludes a challenging intellectual level. Instructor’s own mind quick to understand questions. 5: I especially enjoyed the combination of theory and practice. The intellectual level was appropriate and leaves opportunity for further thought on various cataloging issues. 6- 9: Yes. 10: DJL did a wonderful job balancing the course content so that it met the needs of both highly experienced and novice rare book catalogers. 11: Yes, and the instructor was very knowledgeable. 12: It would be easier to understand complicated concepts if written instructions were shown through an overhead or included in the workbook.

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

1: Yes -- we saw good examples of varying editions, issues , reprints, resettings of type, that made these categories of materials more vivid. 2: Yes. 3: Yes, seeing actual examples was very useful. 4: Yes. The opportunity to see examples is a necessary part of the learning process. 5: The Special Collections visit was time well spent. It helped clarify topics and issues, editions, resettings &c. in a concrete way. 6: Yes . . . helped me to understand the differences between state, issue and edition. Also cool to get a preview of the “pop-up collection” before it was advertised or open to the public. 7: Definitely. Looking at the different Pope editions, issues, &c. was one of the highlights of the course. 8: Yes. 9: Very well spent -- really made clear issues v. state v. impressions &c. 10: The visit to Special Collections allowed us to truly appreciate the difference between edition, state, impression and issue. 11: Yes, the examples made the lecture more understandable for that day. 12: Yes.

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- 4: Yes. 5: The course content corresponded with descriptions in brochures and course descriptions. 6-7: Yes. 8: Yes, very much so. 9: Yes, we really l earned DCRB or least got to know it much better. 10: Yes. 11: Yes, very much so. 12: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: The approachability and knowledge of the instructor, the practical hands-on approach with the BAP collection, interaction with other students (good class size), and the well-organized, supportive background of the BAP and RBS. 2: 1. Re-affirmation (from competent [!] cataloging peers) that I have a fairly good grip on the cataloging I do, in spite of negativism I encounter daily at my institution; 2. learning things I didn’t know; 3. learning how much more I have to learn. 3: The hands-on experience with the books, prints, and binding examples added to the high quality of DJL’s instruction. 4: Depth of knowledge shared by the instructor. 5: The instructor was knowledgeable and her teaching style made for a great learning experience. Her agreeable personality turned a relatively daunting topic into an enjoyable course. I’m more than glad I attended this class. 6: Very, very instructive. Lots of notes and information to take back concerning the correct method and procedures for cataloging rare books. Also a wealth of information about rare books in general. 7: The visit to Special Collections, and the broad selection of examples in the workbook and the take-home packet. 8: Useful combination of lecture, discussion, practicum, and A/V sources. No evening homework was especially nice, having previously taken Descriptive Bibliography! 9: Working with old books -- I particularly enjoyed collation. 10: The practical examples we did as a group and individually on the last day of class -- it made me appreciate how much I had learned in a short week. 11: The instructor, her patience and individual attention in the exercises. She was very well organized, so we got the most benefit from the time we had. 12: Exercise the real rare book.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: A little more time, a little more space. 4: Classroom summary of the workbook contents would make it more useful in the practicum. What DJL referred to as “fluff” would have been valuable -- but she was correct in letting go considering time constraints. 5: My only complaints are about the physical space. I think the approach taken by the instructor in meeting with limitations of space was creative. 6: With the detailed, informative lectures (with theory and information), opportunity to watch videos detailing some of the material lectured about, opportunity to see examples, and opportunity to even do hands-on work, the class was structured great, and provided many different kinds of learning opportunities. 9: Instead of spending a lot of class time on definitions, a handout of terms that we could read at home (perhaps given to us Monday and discuss questions on Tuesday). Otherwise a wonderful class. 10: Clone the instructor so you could offer enough sessions to meet the demand. 11: I can’t imagine a way to improve this course. The mix of lecture, movies, written exercises, field trip &c. was very effective. 12: By providing more extensive workbooks.

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: A little more table space. 2: I believe that strings of weights already encased in cloth can be purchased from any good decorator/drapery/curtain store -- they are used to weight drapes and curtains [re: book snakes --ed.]. 4: No relevant suggestions -- no irrelevant ones, either. Instructor gave a lesson and participants seemed to know how to handle. 5: I think instructions about the proper handling of materials should be given right at the beginning of the course. 6: None - always appeared that extreme care was taken with all the materials introduced. 8: Handling of materials was appropriate. 9: Perhaps discussing proper handling as one of the first items on Monday. 10: None. DJL did a good introduction to guidelines to rare book use. 12: It needs more security to keep the collection. It’s a very good idea to explain the way of handling rare materials to students before using them.