Catholic University of America
School of Library and Information Science
rev 07/04/04


LSC 601: History of the Book
Summer 2004
Instructor: Erik Delfino
delfino@cua.edu
http://faculty.cua.edu/delfino/lsc601summ04projects.html
rev. 7/19/04

Class Projects

book image 1
 
No, don't poke yourself in the eye; it's not that bad.  The projects are nothing you can't handle.  They are straightforward and will help expose you to various aspects of our topic.  They are designed to give you experience with things we won’t have time to cover in depth during class.
All the assignments are required, but they won’t all receive a grade, so don't panic.  The graded ones are listed below (*).

25%    "Competitive Intelligence..." paper
25%    "50 Years & Counting" paper
15%    Quiz on Unit I
15%    Quiz on Unit II
20%    Class participation


Grading:

 

    All coursework that meets minimum assignment requirements will receive a grade of B or B+. Work of exceptional quality will receive an A- or A. Grades are based on oral and written assignments, the final project, and overall contributions to the class.

    Preferred format for written assignments is electronic (MSWord or WordPerfect; TimesRoman 12point), email attachments are fine.

    If you submit online, assignments are due before class on the due date; if you submit on disk (3.5" floppy Windows format) or print, assignments can be handed in in class.

    A word processor’s spell-check feature is one of humanity’s greatest inventions - please use it!

    At the risk of stating the obvious, it is expected that you will do your own work, that you will cite and credit sources used and quoted, and that you will abstain from wholesale copying and pasting from websites or other e-resources into your assignments.

    For bibliographies and lists of resources, use any citation format you prefer; just be consistent.

 


Monitoring Listservs

Due: Ongoing


Book history lists


Please subscribe to the following lists. We’ll often consider the messages in these lists in our class discussions.

 

SHARP-L

 

Send message to: listserv@listserv.indiana.edu

Message text: subscribe sharp-l yourfirstname yourlast name

 

This is the listserv of SHARP, the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing, a pre-eminent association in the history of the book field. Their web site is also a superb resource.

Web site: http://www.sharpweb.org

 

EXLIBRIS

Send message to: listproc@library.berkeley.edu

Message text: subscribe exlibris yourfirstname yourlastname

 

This is a main list in “rare book-dom.” It covers the books themselves, bibliography, preservation, antiquarian book selling and collecting, etc. It is more specialized and technical than SHARP-L, but as the semester goes along you will find that you “get” more and more of it.

Archives: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/exlibris/

 

Optional:

 

BOOK_ARTS-L

Send message to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu

Message text: subscribe Book_Arts-L Yourfirstname Yourlastname

or online at:

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/bookarts/index.shtml#listinst

 

This is a list for those actively engaged in the craft of making fine books - letterpress printing, type founding, papermaking, bookbinding, etc. Although we won’t focus much on modern book arts during class, you may find these discussions (and the associated web site) interesting and helpful.  (This list generates lots of messages.)

Bookguys (NPR) and Booknotes (C-SPAN2)

Due: Ongoing


      As often as you can throughout the course, listen to the “Bookguys” program on National Public Radio (WBJC in Baltimore - 91.5 FM - carries the program at 8:00pm on Saturdays) and if you have (or have access to) cable, watch the “Booknotes” program on C-SPAN2. Try to catch at least one episode “live” if you can. If not, listen/watch some archived programs from their respective web sites, http://www.secondstorybooks.com; http://www.booknotes.org; http://www.booktv.org. (“Bookguys” is produced right here in Washington and co-hosted by the owner of Second Story Books of DC, Bethesda, and Rockville.)


      As you listen think about the purposes of the two shows, their intended audience(s), where the emphasis is (the physical book, the author, the reader, the book trade, etc.)


Back to Top

Back to Syllabus

*Quiz: Unit I

July 13

      This will be an in-class quiz to identify the various parts of a book by filling in a diagram and short answer definitions. Study guide.


Back to Top

Back to Syllabus

*Fifty Years and Counting...

Due: July 22 or 27

This project looks at how between best-selling and award-winning books reflect (and often, fail to reflect) what is happening in the larger world.  You will investigate some of the best-sellers over the last fifty years and discuss they can tell us about the world they were created in. (Paper; 2000 words).  More information...

Back to Top

Back to Syllabus

*Quiz: Unit II

July 29

      This will be an in-class quiz to identify terms associated with hand-press printing and short answer definitions. Study guide.


Back to Top

Back to Syllabus

*Competitive Intelligence: Access to Books in 2004

Due: August 5

This project looks at the current state of book "outlets": the library and the bookstore.  You will visit a local public library and "mega" bookstore (as well as amazon.com) and discuss what you observe.  (Essay; 2000-2500 words).  More information...

Back to Top

Back to Syllabus