24: Electronic Texts & Images [L-70]
7-11 March 2005
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: Book was good. 2: Made more sense once the course started. 3: The pre-course readings were relevant and very helpful. 4: Very useful. 5: They were useful readings. I’ve read similar material before, and been similarly baffled. Thank you, DS, for un-baffling me. 6: Some of the pre-course readings didn’t make a lot of sense until after the instructor gave us more info. Not a clear distinction between pre- and post-class reading. The brief introduction readings to introduce XML and tag sets were useful. 7: Somewhat useful; however, I found that it was really more useful to read while taking the course, as it could be directly applied in class. 8: Useful, but everything made sense right after the first [day] of the class. 9: They were useful in that they were the foundation for the material covered in class. Their true utility was realized while working in class.
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: Yes, lots of good resources. 3: Yes, they were appropriate. 4: Yes. Especially helpful [were] the downloaded files, full of good examples. 5: Very much so. 6: The course syllabus and course materials distributed in class and via the web were useful. 7: Very much so. 8: Everything will be very useful after the class. 9: Yes, and their electronic equivalents will no doubt be very useful, too.
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: Creating an actual SML item. 2: This is the best way to learn HTML/XML. I already know too much about [layering?] 3: I found all of the content to be very interesting and, more importantly, very practical. I will be able to apply what I’ve learned immediately. Also, the class has provided an excellent foundation for continuing education in this area! 4: The intellectual level was appropriate. Hard to say what was most interesting or relevant, as all of it was. 5: The first day’s explanation and history of markup languages was superb -- it clarified a great deal of material I had only dimly understood until then. 6: TEI markup was of the most interest and relevance. The intellectual level of the course was appropriate. 7: The course was very useful in enhancing my programming skills and seeing the practical application of these skills within my organization. 8: I did not expect this kind of great experience. DS is really a master of this subject. 9: Furthering my knowledge of the use of NoteTab Pro and the strength of XML metalanguage.
4) If your course had field trips, were they effective?
1: To view the scanning department. 2: Yes, especially the Etext Center. 3: It was very well-spent. It illustrated what we were learning in class. 4: It was useful to see the digital imaging lab -- also, Special Collections is a beautiful space. 5: Yes. 6: The field trip over to Special Collections to view overhead scanners was well-spent. 7: Absolutely! Field trips were well-arranged and very informative. 8: Yes. 9: Yes. I wish we would have had more time there -- the Albert Small Building -- but that wasn’t necessarily appropriate.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: Hands-on XML of Civil War letters. 2: Quality of the instruction is very high. 3: The instructor was excellent. He is very knowledgeable and explains complex information in terms that inexperienced students can understand. 4: Well, I feel as if I learned something valuable, a new skill. The pace was good, and DS was always articulate and helpful 5: The theoretical introduction to the subject on day one. 6: The hands-on exercises. 7: The hands-on nature of it really helped me to understand and retain the information that was being taught. 8: First time the content (XML, TEI, &c.) made sense and became so clear during the class. 9: The hands-on experience of working with the manuscripts and encoding.
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: N/A. 2: Clone DS?! 4: Hardly! 5: N/A. 6: The course was very good, I can’t think of improvements. 7: Perfect the way it is. 8: As long as DS teaches the course, I can’t think of any other “improvement” necessary. 9: I truly don’t have an informed opinion, this being my first class at RBS and of the nature covered by the material, post-library school. Perhaps CD burning could have been easier.
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?
2: All the materials were closely watched and carefully handled. 4-6: N/A. 8: Everything was fine. 9: The facilities were adequate. Perhaps white gloves could have been provided to work with the manuscripts.
8) If you attended the Sunday and/or Monday night lectures, were they worth attending?
1-2: N/A 4: Yes, especially for “first-timers” -- you get a sense of RBS’s history. 5: N/A. 6: Yes, I attended the lectures and they were all informative. 7: Yes. As I had not attended RBS before, it was a nice introduction to the program as well as being able to see the kind of projects they are working on. 8-9: Yes.
9) If you attended Museum Night, was the time profitably spent?
1-2: N/A. 4: I actually went to Movie Night -- a nice “break” after the day’s work, but interesting, too! 5: N/A. 6: Yes, I attended the Museum Nights and they were informative. 8: Absolutely. 9: It was delightful to attend the lecture on Audubon prints, and the exhibits about printing techniques were delightful.
10) Did you get your money’s worth? Any final thoughts?
1: Definitely. 2: Oh, yes -- I’ll be here for part 2 in 2006. 3: This was easily one of the most informative and practical professional training experiences I have had. I was grateful for the experience and look forward to the opportunity to take additional classes. 4: Very much so. Even if you do not have an immediate requirement (as in a planned project), this course not only teaches skills, it also gives you lots to think about regarding the various uses of electronic texts and images. 5: Yes. Get lots of sleep. Bring warm clothes; I didn’t and it snowed. 6: Yes. The time at RBS was very well-spent. 7: Yes, definitely. 8: I’ve spent most of my life in the schools as a student and an educator; this was one of the best courses I have taken in my life. 9: Yes -- although it wasn’t on my dime. I highly recommend it and will promote RBS far and wide.
Number of respondents: 9
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
100% 67% 89% 78%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
0% 0% 11% 22%
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% 33% 0% 0%
There were 1 rare book librarian (11%), 1 archivist/manuscript librarian (11%), 1 general librarian with no rare book duties (11%), 1 law librarian with archive duties (11%), 1 tech writer/online help developer (11%), 1 grant project manager (11%), 1 library assistant/part-time student (11%), 1 DLF employee working on digitization projects (11%), and 1 employee of a non-profit organization that works with libraries (12%).