Martin Antonetti
H-30: Printed Book in the West to 1800
10–14 June 2013
Detailed Course Evaluation
1) How useful were the pre-course readings? Did you do any additional preparations in advance of the course?
1: The readings were very useful and provided great historical information. 2: Excellent idea. Please keep these. I am a novice in this field and this was a significant help. 3: ABC for Book Collectors is great of course, though I think dipping in and out would be more useful than trying to understand it all. Short History of the Printed Word had good details but gave me an overly dry expectation for the class—not carried out! 4: They were very useful, the Chappell book was a great read and introduction to the course. It is a must read. 5: Bringherst was very useful as was the supplemental collection of essays A History of Reading in the West. The ABCs for Book Collectors need not be read in advance but was very useful to have on site. 6: Excellent. Other suggested readings. 7: Very useful. No additional reading. 8: The readings were very useful and I enjoyed them very much. 9: I completed all of the suggested reading and found it to be very useful throughout the week. Not having a background in this area of study, the reading prepared me to be able to take full advantage of the information presented in the lectures. 10: The pre-course reading was a helpful background to have prior to arrival on campus. 11: I enjoyed the readings, though more appropriate primers might have been suggested. (That is, books more sensitive to broader historical context. 12: Very useful!
2) Were the course workbook and other materials distributed in class appropriate and useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: The workbook I found very useful since it allowed me to take additional notes on the slides and recall which topic and slides we were discussing. It made the course more organized. 2: Absolutely! The MA material was pertinent and useful. 3: N/A. 4: Yes. The workbook contains titles of illustrations and names of individuals studied in class. This is useful for further study. 5: Not so much. I think the slides with titles would have been more effective. A combination. 6: Yes, extremely so and will use again. 7: Yes, and yes. 8: Very useful. It was very helpful to have key names, places, dates already given in writing. 9: All materials were very helpful, especially the course workbook. These could be shared earlier with registrants through RBS Connect in the future to instruct ones pre-course reading. 10: They were useful in class for taking notes. The slides were very helpful. I will hopefully use them in the future for reference. The teaching collection is great to have on hand. Very useful! 11: Both. The workbook and lecture guides were a real benefit, although a bit overambitious in retrospect. 12: Yes. The workbook was useful and I found it very helpful to be able to make notes next to topics. This significantly enhances future usefulness for me.
3) Have you taken one or more RBS courses before? If so, how did this course compare with your previous coursework?
1: No. 2: No, this was my first class. 3: N/A. 4: Yes, I have been to RBS before. This course, as with all other courses at RBS, was informative. 5: N/A. 7: Yes. Similar—different periods. 8: No. 9: This was my first course. 10: No. 11: N/A. 12: Yes. I think this course is my favorite.
4) What aspects of the course content were of the greatest interest or relevance for your purposes?
1: The history behind illustrations and the historical background behind censorship of early Europe. 2: Being able to see closely the Rare Books and manuscripts while someone knowledgeable discussed them, the lectures, and the relevant activities tied to the course. 3: Tying topics together; SC visits to illustrate the content; the general theme of deductive reasoning applied to books; vocab and examples of bindings and letterforms. 4: An overall introduction to the hand-press era. 5: The SC viewings organized around specific content and type were wonderfully instructive. The illustration component will be exceedingly applicable to my day-to-day work. 6: Entire class was of interest and was useful. So many different fronts were covered that I can draw on many areas in my own teaching and research. 7: Hands-on and eyes-on in class, at demonstrations, and in SC. 8: The history of printing and binding, especially illustration. 9: I found it all extremely interesting. 10: Learning how to look at the book as an archaeological dig was the most helpful. Explanations of how the book influenced society and the times and vice versa was particularly interesting. 11: MA is an engaging lecturer, and I almost always found these lectures high points of the course. Our time spent in SC was also well spent. 12: Historical overview and contextual insight provided by the instructor.
5) Did the instructor(s) successfully help you to acquire the information, knowledge, and skills that the course was intended to convey? Was the intellectual level of the course appropriate?
1: This course allowed me to thoroughly analyze books and investigate the history behind them, a chance I never had before. 2: Absolutely, yes. The final assignment was most appropriate to the course. I was nervous about it, but it is an excellent assignment for this course. 3: Yes, very much so; and yes, mostly. I could wish for a bit more complex or deeper treatment of some issues—but this is after all a survey course. 4: Yes, the lectures, presentations, hands-on activities and assignments were spot on for this class. 5: Yes, and yes. 6: Yes. Yes the instructor was an excellent lecturer—well-organized, informative, kind, gentle sense of humor, good use of slides. 7: Yes. Yes. 8: Certainly. I have a very limited knowledge of European history, but I was still able to keep up and understand what was being taught. 9: This introductory level course was perfect for my needs. I am going away with a solid base to continue my studies, and I look forward to returning to RBS in the future. 10: Yes. Yes. 11: This was a good introduction to book history in the early modern era. I think I learned at least as much as I had hoped, and probably even more. I need more time to decide whether I can deploy any skills effectively. 12: Yes! The instructor is excellent. He masterfully and cohesively covered vast amounts of different aspects of this period in book history.
6) What did you like best about the course?
1: Actually working the printing press. 2: The instructor. Informed, kept an excellent pace. Very good temperament. Inspired ideas for assignments. 3: The times in SC when we got to work together to figure out things about a book. 4: Hands-on activities, demonstrations of printing press and assignments. 5: MA! His delivery was approachable but sophisticated. He taught to the class in that he provided simultaneously different levels of instruction. The pace was rigorous but not overwhelming for a working professional like myself. 6: Depth and breadth of knowledge presented—balance between lecture and time in SC. Wonderful teacher. 7: Hands-on and eyes-on in class, at demonstrations, and in SC. 8: The lectures. MA’s lecture style is perfect for conveying the information in the course. While some of the “hands-on” classes were also extremely interesting. The lectures were the best! 9: MA. His passion for the subject and breadth of knowledge made this one of the best educational experiences of my many years of higher education. 10: The lectures were the most helpful as they put things in context. I also really appreciated our trips to SC. Operating the hand press was a treat! 11: MA is deeply knowledgeable. He’s a very good instructor. He made the course what it is, giving it liveliness and spirit. 12: The instructor, visits to SC, discussions regarding fonts, and how the instructor explained connections between specific components of the book as artifact—physically and intellectually—in relation to the encompassing culture in which the particular book was produced.
7) How could the course have been improved?
1: Spending more time on the literacy of early Europe 2: I have nothing to suggest. 3: More time for collaborative work would have been great—MA’s lectures were very informative but I know I could have learned more from my classmates than I did. 4: As is usual with RBS courses, perhaps we can turn this two a two week course? I think MA has developed a course that is informative, content-rich, and has built in ENOUGH activities and presentations to keep the course interesting and fun. 5: I’m not sure it could be! I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only component which I found lacking was the handout and slide presentation, but I understand MA appreciates that. 6: Good as it was. I thought the class had a good balance between lecture material and time in SC. 8: Perhaps a bit less on manuscripts? It seemed like we talked more about them than was needed to draw the connecting line between manuscript and printed text. 9: I would have liked even more time, especially time at SC. 10: There was a lot about the manuscript period which was overlap for me, but it likely helped others. Perhaps a briefer overview? This is stretching it. I really enjoyed the course. 11: I would have liked to spend more independent—but guided—time with the materials we studied. While SC did prove to be a highlight, we often covered a lot, quickly, and it would have been nice to be able to “interrogate” materials on my own instead of being told.
8) Did you learn what the course description/advertisement indicated you would learn? Additional comments optional. Y/N
1: Yes. 2: Yes, absolutely. 3–7: Yes. 8: Yes. I learned a great deal and I look forward to putting it into practice in my library. 9–12: Yes.
9) Did you learn what you wanted in the course? Additional comments optional. Y/N
1: Yes. Now I can apply them to both my school work and my current job. 2: I will now look at different material in an entirely new way. 3–8: Yes. 9: Yes. That and much, much more. 10: Yes. I think I have a better understanding of how to discover the unique qualities of each book and use this knowledge in the future. 11: Yes. 12: Yes. I also learned much more and it truly was a pleasure.
10) How do you intend to use or apply the knowledge or skills learned in this course?
1: I will now carefully look at the rare books that I process more carefully and suggest any information that can be added to the library record. I also apply this knowledge to books not only at my job but books I meet in passing, as well. 2: I teach a second year college course on the Renaissance through the Enlightenment. I will now be able to bring so many more specific comments into the classroom. 4: I intend to use my newly developed knowledge and skills to develop a more informed framework on how to look at a book and create better catalog records. 5: I plan to evaluate our Rare Book Collection of approximately one thousand volumes against my new knowledge base and to begin to catalog the nearly three hundred volumes which are currently uncatalogued. 6: To develop a class on the history of the book—but also to supplement my existing courses. 7: In my business as a book buyer, seller, and appraiser. 8: I’m charged with making conservation treatment decisions and I’ll now know much more about the materials in our collections. 9: The knowledge I gained through this course will serve as the base for my future studies and the study and organization of my institution’s special materials. 10: I hope to eventually use this information as an outreach tool in my home institution. 11: This course is a beginning. I have some footing, now, in the area of book history, and I intend to use this to learn even more. 12: To enrich my personal interest and to strengthen my professional perspective as I work with materials from this period.
11) If your course left its classroom, was the time devoted to this purpose well spent?
1: Yes, and it was great experience to see all examples of the topics we were discussing. 2: Evening lectures were relevant. Booksellers’ Night was first rate. 3: Yes! Certainly. 4: Yes. We went on daily trips to SC and they were worth every second. 5: Absolutely! SC was fantastic. The printing demonstration was great. I especially enjoyed the in-class guest lecture on binding. 7: Yes. 8: Very well spent…looking at items in SC was very educational and interesting. 9: Yes. 10: Our visits to SC were great. The hand-press machine, as stated, was a highlight. 11: SC—yes. 12: Yes!
12) If you attended the evening events (e.g., RBS Lecture, Video Night, RBS Forum, Booksellers’ Night) were they worth attending?
1: Yes, but the Booksellers’ Night needed to be better organized since some of the shops were not open. 2: Yes. 3: The ones I attended—lectures and RBS Forum—were definitely worth it. 4: Yes, the lectures are, for the most part, always worth attending and this year’s Ornament Night WAS GREAT! 5: Lectures and RBS Forum both worthwhile. 6: Yes. The RBS Lecture was a good mix between academic and service on professional focus. 7: Yes. 8: The lecture was only somewhat interesting to me in my field, but it was very good. The forum was right up my alley and very interesting. 9: I attended them all and would encourage anyone coming to RBS to do the same. 10: I enjoyed the lecture and forum. The video helped to make some of the things we were learning clearer. 11: Many shops were closed downtown on Booksellers’ Night. 12: Yes.
13) 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: It seemed to me that there was sufficient staff to monitor the material. 3: A short lesson at the beginning of the week on proper book handling might be good. Most would find it familiar material, but it might be worth fifteen minutes to review the basics. 4: Yes. 8: None (except you should remind us in advance to bring pencils). 10: I think everything was handled well. 11: Give us gloves, or more instruction, or whatever, but let us handle some more materials. (I know that’s hard, but it’s a wish).
14) Did you (or your institution) get your money’s worth? Would you recommend this course to others?
1: Yes, it is great academically and a course to take just for fun. 2: Yes. Yes. 3: Yes, I did, and yes, I would—especially if they didn’t know any book history, as this is a very good introduction. 4: I always get my money’s worth at RBS. 5: Yes, and yes! I already have! 6: Yes, very much so. 7: Yes. Yes. 8: Yes! I emailed my boss on Monday night saying how great it was so far and clearly worth the money. 9: Yes. 10: I did. I would absolutely recommend this to others. 11: Yes, yes. Definitely. 12: I most highly recommend this course to anyone who may be considering it.
15) Any final or summary thoughts, or advice for other persons considering taking this course in a future year? (If you have further praise/concerns, please speak with Amanda Nelsen or Michael Suarez.)
2: The faculty is first rate! So is the material. There are quite a few people I would recommend to enroll. And there is excellent support staff in RBS and Alderman. 5: This was an excellent introductory course. For those unsure about which course to take—this one! 7: Do the pre-course reading, relax, have fun. 8: The depth of the information presented is amazing! 9: I expected a lot from this week and RBS delivered. Thank you. 10: I had a great week and learned a lot of information that will continue to influence my work into the future. 12: This is an outstanding course.
Aggregate Statistics
Number of respondents: 12
Leave
Institution gave me leave: 8 (67%)
I took vacation time: 1 (8%)
N/A: self-employed, retired or had summers off: 3 (25%)
Tuition
Institution paid tuition: 7 (58%)
I paid tuition myself: 2 (17%)
N/A: self-employed, retired, or scholarship: 3 (25%)
Housing
Institution paid housing: 8 (67%)
I paid for my own housing: 4 (33%)
Travel
Institution paid travel: 8 (67%)
I paid my own travel: 4 (33%)
Which one category most closely defines what you do for a living, or why you are at RBS? (Please check only one category)
Antiquarian bookseller: 1 (8%)
Student B.A.: 1 (8%)
Student M.L.I.S.: 1 (8%)
Librarian with no rare book duties: 1 (8%)
Librarian with some rare book duties: 3 (26%)
Rare book librarian: 1 (8%)
College, full or associate professor: 2 (18%)
Work in a museum or cultural institution: 1 (8%)
Non-librarian preservation manager in special and circulating collections: 1 (8%)
How did you hear about this course?
RBS website: 6 (50%)
Work colleague: 3 (26%)
Word of mouth: 1 (8%)
RBS faculty or staff recommendation: 1 (8%)
UVA M.A., Ph.D. grad: 1 (8%)