There are countless hidden treasures and gems in the many libraries around Grounds, but Alderman Library houses one of the University's best-kept secrets. Since 1992, the library has been home to the Rare Book School, an independent non-profit educational establishment furthering the study of the history of books and other related topics. At various times throughout the year, this school attracts not only internationally recognized specialists in the field but also a group of competitive and dedicated scholars who make the pilgrimage to Charlottesville to study under their expertise.
In the early 1970s, Terry Belanger founded the Book Arts Press, an organization that would later produce the Rare Book School, at Columbia University's School of Library Service. When the School of Library Service closed in 1992, Belanger moved the program, its equipment and special collections to the University.
"It was really a match made in heaven," University Librarian Karin Wittenborg said, adding that she remembered hearing that Belanger had brought trailer trucks of unique books, rare manuscripts and special materials with him during the move to the university.
Both Belanger and Wittenborg refer to the relationship between the Rare Book School and the University as complimentary. Wittenborg said the two institutions have similar visions.
According to Belanger, a number of librarians from the Special Collections Library take classes at his school. In exchange for making its resources available to the University, the Rare Book School houses a number of books in the Dome Room of the Rotunda.
In addition, all of the old books in Alderman Library's McGregor Room belong to his school. Wittenborg added that a number of them come directly from Belanger's sizable personal collection.
"The library does not have pretty books, or at least not on purpose," Belanger said. "The idea was to make the room as pretty as possible, and the idea of a room full of books with call numbers on them did not seem to fit the ticket."
The aging books in the McGregor Room, however, are there to lend more than just their good looks. Belanger refers to them as laboratory materials, essential when studying the history of the book and specifics such as bookbinding techniques.
"That room is, in a simple way, full of junk," Belanger said. "It's old junk, but old junk is quite often still going to be junk. Just because something is old doesn't mean it's valuable."
Belanger explains his rationale with a practical example. An original 1855 copy of "Moby Dick" published by Harper will cost $600,000, according to Belanger. When studying bookbinding, however, Belanger said a copy of a book published by Harper the day before or after "Moby Dick" might be worth $4.
"We're a laboratory and not a library," Belanger said. "We have a lot of books that are pretty but are by and large valueless."
Attracted by the wealth of rare books and unique courses, students travel to the Rare Book School to receive a one-of-a-kind education and meet some of the brightest minds in the study of books. Belanger noted that the school's courses on the history of papermaking and handwriting since the Middle Ages are the only ones of their kind in the English-speaking world.
"Students come here because they can't get what we teach anywhere else," Belanger said. "You would think that they could, but there are some subjects that are too specialist, and an individual institution cannot offer it because they do not have enough graduate students in the field to make this feasible."
Nicolas Barker, the first head of conservation at the British Library and editor of The Book Collector quarterly journal, has been teaching at the Rare Book School for 24 years. He began teaching the unique "Introduction to European Handwriting" in 2004.
"I love my pupils," Barker said. "They are a wonderfully diverse bunch."
According to Barker, the most striking aspect of the school is being cut off from the outside world. All classes last for five days and are almost always limited to 12 students or fewer. Belanger said these small groups meet all day and often share meals and other activities together throughout the week. This bond between teacher and students is one of the reasons people attend the school, Belanger said.
"It really gives students the opportunity to see things up close and personal," Rare Book School student Alexia Rostow said, adding that her instructor, James Mosely, is a "god in the typography world."
Timothy Stinson, who holds a doctorate in Medieval English Literature and assists the Rare Book School, said he sees the school and its distinguished faculty as positive influences in his professional career.
"These are really world-class people," Stinson said. "This place escapes the notice of many people here, even though people around the world know about it. I really see it adding a dimension to my career. Not everyone is fortunate to have a rare book school in the basement of the library where they were doing their doctoral research."
According to Belanger, having the best instructors in the field is part of what makes an education truly first-rate.
"I try, when I'm hiring faulty members, to go for the people whose names pretty much sell the course," Belanger said. "I want people to say this is the best course I've ever taken in my life, except for the following other Rare Book School courses."
Aside from the recognized faculty and vast resources, one of the most distinguishing aspects of the Rare Book School is its transparent evaluation system, according to Belanger. Since 1995, the school has posted the unedited comments of its students on its Web site for all to see. Belanger said this allows him to know exactly what is going on in all of his classrooms and ensure their quality.
"Rare Book School has what is probably the most savagely blunt student evaluation in the business," he said. "There are very few institutions that would risk an evaluation like this. It means that if a student is unhappy and feels that they've been gypped, they're going to say so."
Wittenborg attributes the Rare Book School's success to Belanger's strong personal relations and connections. She said Belanger is the school's real attraction.
"They really come because of Terry," Wittenborg said. "They would come wherever it was."
Belanger's work with the Rare Book School won him the attention of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2005 when he was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur "genius" grant. According to a statement on its Web site, the foundation awards five-year, unrestricted fellowships to individuals who show "exceptional merit and promise of continued creative work."
In addition to offering most of its classes in Charlottesville, the school also offers courses at other scholarly institutions in New York City, Baltimore and Washington D.C. According to Belanger, a faculty of 40 serves about 250 students a year through the Rare Book School.
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