1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Some were not directly related to the course content, and I would have rather used the time to read up on more relevant content. 2: Very useful. 3: Extremely relevant. Excellent preparation for materials covered in class. Some of the readings were detailed and difficult, but it was worth plowing through them to get an idea of the subject. 4: Very useful, especially for those of us who had less experience in this subject. 5: All were useful, especially, of course, the DCRB manual and examples. TB's article on descriptive bibliography was also helpful (although some of the collations and paginations are incorrect). 6: Although some readings did not have much relevance to the actual course, they provided a good general background to the topic and related issues. 7: Extremely useful. 8: Very useful. 9: Very essential. I would have been way behind had I not read the Gaskell and Belanger articles or familiarized myself beforehand with DCRB. 10: I found much of the pre-course readings very helpful to the course, some were marginal and we never did actually discuss anything in relation to them. Still, I'm glad to have read them. 11: Very useful to indispensable. 12: Pre-course readings were very helpful.

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, and I will definitely refer to them in the future. However, I would strongly recommend having more detailed notes included. The instructor was working from very detailed and thorough notes, and it would have been helpful to have an outline with crucial information -- like definitions, formulas, rules to refer to in written format so I don't have to try to scribble them down while she is speaking. I missed some things and I have some inaccuracies. 2: Yes. 3: All materials were helpful or integral to course. Some will be kept as reference materials at my workstation permanently. 4: Very useful, the cataloging examples will be especially helpful when I return home. 5: Yes. DJL's course packet will also be useful for future reference. 6: Yes. The manual prepared for the students includes many extremely useful items. I will keep it within easy reach at my desk at work. 7: Yes and yes. 8: Most were useful for the class and a couple will no doubt be useful in the future (like the two articles on rare books in the online catalog). 9: Yes! I will refer to them again and again. DJL clearly put a great deal of time, thought, and effort into these materials for us. We appreciate that! 10: All material was appropriate, and I will continue to use them when I return home. 11: Both. The materials are crucial, varied, well-planned. I look forward to organizing my notes and using them in future cataloging. 12: Yes.

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

1: Yes, but it really was geared towards people who have been exposed to rare book cataloging and have done it before. My class seemed to be used as a review and confirmation that people already knew what they were doing and have it right, rather than an introduction to the practice for those who waited for this course to learn it. Thus the level of the class seemed a little advanced for someone who had not yet begun. 2: Yes. 3: Very appropriate. 4: Yes. Although the material is detailed and complex, the instructor did a good job of making it accessible, even to the less experienced. 5: Yes. 6: Yes. The course assumed a strong familiarity with general cataloging principles (as it should) and at least a familiarity with rare book cataloging issues. 7: Yes. 8: Yes! 9: Yes. I think the group was well-matched, as was the level of the course content to us. 10-12: Yes.

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

1: Yes, I was able to apply and visualize what had just previously been explained that morning. Very well timed in the week. 2: Yes -- an excellent illustration of a difficult concept, which had been presented in class. 3: Yes. We were able to examine special materials relevant to rare issues and states that are not commonly available in one place or would be considered too [rare] to move to the classroom setting. 4: Yes. The examples were very helpful in illustrating points made in class. 5: Yes, although another trip, or a full three-hour session, might have been more useful. 6: The class made one visit to Special Collections where we were able to see actual examples of some of the abstract concepts we had discussed in class. Very useful. 7: Very well spent. Time in Special Collections was key to understanding differences between "issue" and "state." 8: Yes! 9: Yes, extremely educational. Time very well spent (very good preparation work on the part of Ellie Shermer on the RBS staff. Thank you, Ellie.) 10: Our time in Special Collections was very well spent. It might have helped to have what we needed to see a little more spread out as it was difficult, during the exercise, for all 12 of us to get near enough to the books. 11-12: Yes.

5) What did you like best about the course?

1: Being able to work with actual materials; learning about peculiarities of certain languages; practical cataloging and feedback; lots of title pages and example records to refer to. 2: The course was uniformly excellent. 3: Very focused on DCRB. Even though we had a room full of catalogers we did not get bogged down in rule interpretations and debating policy. DJL kept us on track but incorporated our questions into the lecture/presentation. She is well aware of the quantity versus quality conundrum of rare book cataloging and gave us options and cautions. Very clear lecture with frank discussion about ambiguities in rules and/or interpretations. 4: The instructor was excellent! The discussions were lively and interesting. 5: DJL's patience, attention, and sensitivity to student needs, and my other classmates. 6: The course was taught with a high level of knowledge, as well as common sense, practicality, and humor. 7: Being with other catalogers that face the same kinds of challenges in their work that I do, and having an instructor knowledgeable enough to help us learn fairly complex material in a relatively short period of time. 8: The structure of the class was first rate. The order of presentation was logical. The practice exercises were very helpful. The instructor was extremely well prepared and knowledgeable and was able to make even this neophyte feel prepared to tackle rare book cataloging. Plus my fellow classmates were a delightful bunch! 9: Learning signature notes. The rapport of the class both with the instructor and with one another. I would also like to mention how VERY well-prepared DJL was for every aspect of every session. She never wavered from her lesson plan and never got behind, neither through questions nor interruptions by students nor anything else. I've never seen anything quite like it! Kudos! 10: I liked the practicums and exercises -- nothing cements something new in my head better than actually having to do it. This also made clear immediately what had not yet sunk in. 11: Being able to ask very specific and detailed cataloging questions and actually getting answers. 12: Good mix of lecture and participatory/hands-on experiences.

6) How could the course have been improved?

1: If the instructor had some time set aside for breaks in order to take some questions. It was hard to approach the instructor when I had further questions that I didn't want to ask in class and take up time. The level of instruction became more and more geared to the more experienced members of the class. The instructor could have stopped after teaching something and asked "are there any other questions?" before moving on. It was hard to get questions in sometimes (because I didn't know we were leaving this topic). 2: The course was uniformly excellent. 3: I do not know how time could be managed for c19 imprints -- perhaps a follow-up course on special issues in cataloging c19, i.e. post-hand press, materials. Perhaps also another course on rare serials. 5: As mentioned above, perhaps more time at Special Collections, or even more time spent in class looking at real examples, more transcriptions, and more cataloging exercises (maybe even homework!). 6: The room was a bit cramped considering the number of items (DCRB, examples manual, course manual, schwartz supports, snakes, light wands, tape measures -- not to mention any actual rare books) we needed to consult at any one time. A bit more space would have been nice. 7: I understand that an RBS staff member gives a demonstration for the DesBib class using the printing press (hand press). Would love to have seen such a demonstration. 9: Can't really imagine. 10: We worked every minute on relevant stuff -- I'm not sure what more could have been done. 11: No more could have been crammed into one week.

7) 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 appreciated the instruction on how to handle the books. 2: I observed standard rare book handling precautions used throughout the week. 3: I thought that everything was well done. 4: None. 5: Care was taken to treat all material well both in and out of class, as far as I was aware. DJL was particularly aware of handling of rare materials and always kept us in line. 6: The instructor gave detailed instructions on the handling of RBS materials and the attendees willingly complied. I was very impressed by the care taken with all RBS materials (rare or not). 7: Not sure as to how to improve handling of materials as I don't know the constraints that you work under, i.e.: space, access, &c. 8: DJL was very careful about instructing us how to handle the materials. It would be nice to have had a bit more room. 9: Our class was actually very cautious in handling everything, and in fact it was part of the lessons we learned. In other words, DJL incorporated the handling of rare and old materials into the curriculum and I daresay some of us began to form habits in this regard. 10: We were quite careful with materials. 11: We tried to be careful...and were carefully instructed.

8) If you attended the Sunday and/or Monday night lectures, were they worth attending?

1: Yes, but the Sunday lecture was a little too administrative and (elicited) financial support. 2: Sunday: an interesting and worthy comment on the state of RBS. 3: Sunday was good. Monday -- it was difficult to hear Robert Gross in the Rotunda. Lecture long, but interesting. 4: N/A. 5: Yes. 6: Sunday's lecture was interesting, although I question some of TB's numbers. For example, how can he say that the average age of RBS students is 40? I've never given my age on any RBS forms. RG kind of lost me about half-way through. 7: Sunday -- Yes. Monday -- RG's lecture was a little difficult to hear so not a particularly good experience. I think the acoustics in the Rotunda were partly to blame. 8: The Sunday night lecture was worthwhile. Unfortunately, the acoustics in the Dome Room of the Rotunda were dreadful and I couldn't hear most of the special presentation. 9: No. Both boring. Monday's was hard to follow. 10: RG's lecture was a little too much for me after concentrating all day -- I was glad to get some idea, on Sunday night, of RBS history. 11: TB's yes, very much. RG's, not especially. 12: Yes.

9) If you attended Museum Night, was the time profitably spent?

1: Yes, but I came later and didn't see the full printout of the exhibits until later. 2: Yes (although more from avocational curiosity). 3: Yes, but I wish there was a staff person with some of the displays. TB did a great job for the Linotype. 4: N/A. 5: Yes. 6: Museum night was very interesting. Any possibilities of holding it in a larger space (such as the McGregor Room)? More space would allow for more displays and make it easier to view everything. 7: Yes. I especially enjoyed the Jane Eyre collection and the demonstration of the Linotype machine. Also loved the story related to the calf and reindeer skin. 8: Yes. 9: N/A. Did enjoy the videos on Thursday, though. 10: I enjoyed Museum Night -- I particularly liked TB's explanation of the Linotype machine; it fit in well with the Thursday night video. 11: I suffered a slowdown in concentration and enthusiasm on Wednesday. I didn't make it. 12: Yes.

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

1: Yes. 2: Yes. The "full immersion" experience of the week has been very satisfying. Advice for others: do the readings as directed; they help inestimably. 3: More than worth the money. Take this course if you even think of working with Special Collections/rare books. 4: Yes. 5: Well worth it. For beginning rare book catalogers, or even more experienced ones, a well-designed course well worth taking. 6: I definitely got my (institution's) money's worth. The course was a necessarily brief, but very thorough introduction to rare book cataloging. DJL is a wonderful instructor. 7: Definitely got my money's worth. Would love to come back to take more courses in the future. 8: My institutional money was well spent. Anyone considering coming for rare book cataloging should be sure to read the articles ahead of time, especially if they haven't done rare book cataloging before. 9: Definitely. My institution has made a great investment in their future rare book cataloging. I feel I now have a foundation to build upon and a little more confidence -- not to mention a nice collection of materials and cataloging examples to take home and use in "real life." Did I mention the fabulous workbook DJL put together for the class? 10: I think I definitely got my money's worth. I think it will take some practice yet before I can feel confident about putting that DCRB coding at the head of my original records, but I don't think I would even have considered using it if I hadn't attended this class. I hope that I will be able to return in the future for other courses. 11: Yes. And I will recommend to our new library director, whose background is in public libraries, to take a course at RBS, to familiarize herself with archives and rare books that she now has to handle. 12: Yes. If one is fairly inexperienced with rare materials then it is a must to do the reading. It is especially profitable to get a good grasp of the collational formula. This course covered a wide range of cataloging topics. Varying degrees of emphasis were given to different topics, but I think the topics all received the coverage they needed. DJL did an excellent job of covering the material, allowing for questions and practical exercises and keeping the course moving.

Number of respondents: 12

There were six rare book librarians (50%), five general librarians with some rare book duties (42%), and one rare book cataloger (8%).

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