1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Very much, especially since I believed I had adequate prior knowledge. 2: They were useful. The list covered the major topics and provided a number of choices so that I could arrange to review enough of them to feel prepared for the course. 3: Very useful information, but I will keep rereading them to reinforce class lectures and discussion. 4: Pre-course readings were very useful! 5: Very comprehensive, almost overwhelming. 6: The readings were extremely useful, though I will have to re-read these things in view of the knowledge obtained in the course. 7: Very useful. 8-9: Very useful. 10: Very useful and detailed. 11: Excellent and absolutely essential.

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. 2: They were appropriate and useful. The bibliography will be particularly useful in future and was useful as a checklist in class when titles were mentioned as part of the lecture. 3: Once again, very useful, especially the extended bibliographies. 4: Materials distributed in class were useful in class and will be fabulous reference books at the ranch as well. 5: Very appropriate and useful during the course, and will be very useful in the future. 6: Very much so. 7: Very useful during the course, and they will continue so after my return home. 8: Yes, a great resource. 9: Very useful. 10: Excellent materials and will be valuable for future reference. 11: Both -- excellent.

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

1-3: Yes. 4: Yes! 5: Yes. 6: Absolutely. 7: Yes, very much so. 8: Very much so. 9: High level. 10: Yes. 11: Highest level.

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

1-2: Yes. 3: Wish that the visit to UVa's Special Collections could have been extended, but because of class size, this is currently not possible. Something to aim for in the future. 4: Very well spent. 5: Yes. 6: It was an excellent use of time. Seeing examples of things we discussed in class was most helpful. 7: Extremely well spent. 8: Yes. 9: Yes, could have spent more time in Special Collections. 10: A very filled afternoon at Special Collections. 11: 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?

1-3: Yes. 4: Yes! 5-7: Yes. 8: It did. 9-11: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: Typo packets and examinations of actual books. 2: The instructor's vast knowledge and experience in the field, his ability to communicate it and illustrate it with examples. 3: JM's breadth and depth of knowledge and obvious enthusiasm for the material, his patience and reception to students' questions and comments. 4: Use of facsimiles and original materials -- Instructor's interpretation of cultural milieu with history of type was great as was his use of slides. 5: Professor, and how he organized the material. His mastery of the subject. 6: JM has a marvelous facility for imparting great amounts of information in a concise and readily understandable way. 7: I liked the teacher's ability to unravel the complexities of the subject matter with well-chosen slides and a great depth of knowledge. 8: 1. The instructor's depth of knowledge. 2. Development of contextual historical information. 3. Effective use of visual resources. 9: Chance to see a lot of different types described in an organized and logical fashion. 10: The level of detail was extraordinary and quite eye-opening -- a short history of Western culture by way of letterforms. Excellent stuff. 11: The content and interaction with instructor and classmates.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: Provide more original texts. 2: No suggestions. The topic is so large that selections must be made, but I didn't detect any serious gaps. 3: Can't offer any suggestions, but perhaps a part two (a different course), following up with the c19 and c20. 4: Perhaps some exposure each period to original material -- or good facsimiles thereof. Displays of study materials easily accessible in RBS area into the evening hours each day. 5: It was excellent the way it was. Don't tinker with it. 6: I think the course was fine as is. I would like a course that carries on into modern times and looks at some of the fine-presses as well as mainstream publishing. 7: I don't think it could have been better. 8: One more trip, if possible, to the rare book room. 9: 1) More real books or MSS. 2) The end of the course "test"/examination of materials with different types could usefully be worked into the curriculum at the end of each day (half hour). Lots of fun too. 10: It's hard to fit more in, but the most valuable part of the class was looking at/identifying the loose sheets on Fri. afternoon -- perhaps we could do more of these and/or intersperse them throughout the week. 11: No.

8) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the RBS 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: I am under-informed in this matter. 2: N/A. 3: None. 4: Mylar sleeves are very good. 5: No suggestions -- they were handled with great respect. 6: Because we used slides for much of our work, in-class handling of materials was minimal. 7: No suggestions. 9: Carefully handled in class. 10-11: No suggestions.

9) 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, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, Video Night, Study Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, printing demonstrations, &c.).

1: I much enjoyed the class breaks when I might strike up a conversation I hadn't anticipated. These were often as stimulating as class. Excellent bookstores, well stocked in my interest area. 2: All enjoyable. The video selections were very good. 3: Perhaps a more coordinated effort on Bookseller Night to take large groups of students around on tour. I hear from booksellers that this was once done (e.g., carpools/vanpools organized to take students from bookseller to bookseller), so consider bringing it back. 5: Sunday night dinner is great -- to meet fellow students, and have the proper mind-set for Monday morning. Evening lectures and videos were also great to keep the mind-set. Study Night a real eye opener the first time I attended one -- what a waste not to have attended before. 6: All of these activities add to the RBS experience. 7: I enjoyed each of the RBS activities in which I took part. It was very nice to be back. 8: The food was good. Tuesday night seemed to fizzle. It would be nice to have more bookstores participating. 9: 1) Suggest two-hour break each day 5-7 pm before evening activities. 2) Videos we saw were not stellar. Perhaps there could be a way to allow more choice. 10: The dinner/lecture/Bookseller Night were all very fine. 11: I enjoyed all of them.

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

1: Yes. Read all that you can before the course -- all the better to enjoy the varieties and subtleties of letterform design. 2: Yes, I definitely felt the course was worth the price of admission. I would recommend that prospective students spend as much time as possible studying examples of type design before coming to the course. 3: Very much worth the money; invaluable. 4: Yes! This was a wonderful course! Read as much as possible ahead of class! 5: Yes! Just do it. 6: As always, the week flew by and I learned a great deal. That certainly is my money's worth. 7: I very much think I got my money's worth. 8: Most definitely. 9: Well worth it. 10: Yes. 11: Absolutely. I would highly recommend this course.

Number of respondents: 11

There were two rare book librarians (18.25%), one archivist or manuscript librarian (9%), two general librarians with some rare book duties (18.25%), two teachers or professors (18.25%), one full-time student (9%), two book collectors (18.25%), and one lawyer (9%).

RBS Home