Greer Allen

65: Printing Design and Publication [T-70]

12-16 July 2004



 

1)   How useful were the pre-course readings?


1: Very helpful. 2: Very useful -- a great way to prepare my mind for course discussions. 4: The readings were highly relevant. 5: Appropriately, and served as useful introduction and background.

 

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: Class materials are a treasure trove of materials that I look forward to consulting often when I get back. 2: YES -- I now have a huge book to share with co-workers, and an amazing reference to turn to when I need it. 3: The humorous and abundant handouts will provide guidance and instruction for years to come. 4: Yes. I expect that the material that was distributed will be a resource in the future. 5: Yes.

 

3)   What aspects of the course content were of the greatest interest or relevance for your purposes? Was the intellectual level of the course appropriate?


1: The opportunity to read and handle such a huge variety of sample materials was invaluable. The intellectual level of the course was perfect -- I felt our group functioned well together. 2: All course content was both interesting to me personally and relevant to me professionally. The intellectual level was appropriate. 3: Yes. Seeing and discussing examples of both good and bad book design -- and applying those lessons to my work with library publications and publicity. 4: The intellectual level was appropriate and uniformly high. 5: I learnt the basic principles of design and how printing is done.

 

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


1-5: N/A.

 

5)   What did you like best about the course?


1: The combination of seeing sample materials and having an instructor so willingly share his lifetime of experience with us was un unbeatable combination. Also, the luxury of taking an entire week to immerse ourselves in the materials, and actually have time to think and reflect, was terrific. 2: GA. And all things GA-related. I leave this course with the tiniest bit of a designer’s eye, which will make me much more effective at my job. 3: The instructor. GA is a national treasure. A delightful and charming storyteller and instructor. 4: The exposure to a broad range of design examples. 5: Talking about ideas, not just tools!

 

6)   How could the course have been improved?


1: I would like to see a section devoted to the relationship between an institution’s print and Web publication programs (perhaps half a day to one day). 2: You need to start a NEW course with a similar purpose but focused on WEB DESIGN. It is relevant to all of us these days... (And this way I can come back!) 3: We touched on this, but perhaps tying in and relating the print world with Web publications and design would be very interesting. 4: The course should perhaps focused more on type history. 5: If we could weave in a trip to a letterpress or printer, that could have been fun.

 

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: None. 2-5: N/A.

 

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


1: Yes. 2: Sunday night was a great introduction to the week, and a nice meet and greet. 3: Yes. TB’s talk brought us all up to date with what’s happening here. And the bookbinding lecture was interesting. 4: The lectures were stimulating and well worth attending. 5: Sunday was a useful orientation. Monday was outside of my field of study, but interesting nonetheless. 


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


1: N/A. 2: I attended both nights and was not only astounded by the materials, but was impressed by the staff’s knowledge and enthusiasm for the subjects. I especially enjoyed speaking with Haven Hawley. 3: Yes. Seeing how a teaching collection works was fascinating and informative. 4: Yes. The Museum Nights were wonderful. 5: Yes, although I was so worn out I probably missed a lot.

 

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


1: Absolutely! This is the most worthwhile professional development activity I’ve done in at least a decade. Look forward to seeing you expand your target audience even more, and especially to individuals who are responsible for their institution’s publication program (both print and Web-based). Such programs are so important in creating institutional identity and building institutional visibility. There is much to be learned in GA’s course. He is a delightful instructor -- loved all the stories! 2: I got more than my money’s worth. I hope I can convince my co-worker to come next year. Dovetailing on my comment in 6, I think a course on Effective Web Design and Publication would be a great complement to this course at RBS. Can you find a Web-GA? I think both library folk and those out in the commercial world, as well as students, would be attracted to such a class. 3: I will never look at books the same way again. This course offers a reader the designer’s perspective on what a good book should be. 4: Absolutely 5: Bring your own coffee and a coffee pot. Absolutely worth doing.


Number of respondents: 5


Percentages


Leave                       Tuition                    Housing                   Travel


Institution                 Institution                 Institution                 Institution

gave me leave            paid tuition               paid housing              paid travel


100%                          40%                            80%                            100%



I took vaca-                I paid tui-                  I paid for my              I paid my own

tion time                    tion myself                 own housing              travel


0%                              0%                              0%                              0%



N/A: self-                   N/A: Self-                   N/A: stayed                N/A: lived

employed, re-             employed,                  with friends               nearby

tired, or had              retired, or                  or lived at

summers off              exchange                   home


0%                              60%                            20%                            0%


There were one rare book librarian (20%), one general librarian with no rare book duties (20%), one public relations library staff (20%), one tech writer/publications manager (20%), and one public relation personnel (20%).