I. Program Information

A number of Penn academic programs require material from and about Russia, the countries of the former Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe.  The subject coverage of these programs is quite broad, but the academic level of the programs and hence the depth of library support required vary significantly.

The Department of Slavic Languages (SAS) currently operates through the German Department and offers an undergraduate major in Russian Studies in two tracks, Russian language and literature and Russian civilization. There is no graduate program. The Department of History offers a Ph.D. in Russian and Eastern European history, but the program is not active at the present time. Anthropology, archaeology, and the history of art have Ph.D. programs which require advanced research material from and about Russia and Central Asia.  The Library also acquires some material depicting and measuring the economic and social changes the region has undergone since 1989.

II. Collection Description

The nucleus of the Russian and East European collection consists of 2,300 Russian books, published between 1860 and 1901, on a variety of subjects, donated to Penn at the turn of the century by Ambassador Charlemagne Tower. There is a 138-page catalogue of the collection entitled Katalog russkikh knig prinesennykh v dar universitetu v Pensil1902 (Ref. Z/2519/.P45). These materials exist now only on microfilm. The collection was gradually enlarged through the efforts of faculty members, especially those in history, literature and Balto-Slavic linguistics. Russian language materials predominate, followed by Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian. The Library also has more than 1200 volumes in Armenian, primarily in history and literature, and small clusters of books in each of a dozen other East European and Caucasian languages.

The Library presently subscribes to over 200 serial publications in all languages in the Russian and East European field; these publications include current newspapers from Russia, the major Slavic studies series produced by U.S. Slavic Studies centers, and the basic journals and monographic series pertaining to the area. Statistical compendia are also acquired. The online version of the American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies (ABSEES) is available through the Library.

The collection in Russian is adequate for undergraduate and some master study in history, linguistics and literature, but does not constitute a major research collection. The Lithuanian collection is relatively strong. In 1952 the Library acquired the library of Dr. Jurgis Saulys, containing some 1,750 titles on all aspects of Lithuanian history, and this collection, steadily enlarged up to the present time, makes Penn one of the best places in the country for the study of Lithuania.

Materials, regardless of language or script, are catalogued for the campus library where they will be most easily used. Van Pelt has the largest number of volumes, followed by the Museum and Fine Arts Libraries.

III. Guidelines for Collection Development

Because the University has no graduate program in Russian literature, the Library is quite selective in what it acquires in that field, but it does acquire Russian language research level materials in other subjects.

1. Chronological

   From antiquity to the present, but special emphasis is place on works pertaining to prehistory (especially archaeology) and to the post-1989 period.

2. Formats

   Books (including museum catalogues), journals, newspapers, and electronic databases, if essential.

3. Geographical

   Unless otherwise indicated the subjects listed below cover Russia, other states of the former Soviet Union, including those in the Caucasus and Central Asia, and Eastern Europe.

4. Language

   The Library acquires Russian language materials almost exclusively with occasional selections in Lithuanian and Ukrainian. Works in the other languages of Eastern Europe or the Caucasus are rarely acquired. Works in a Central Asian language may be acquired. The Library regularly acquires works in English and Western European languages.

5. Publication Dates

   At present the Library is acquiring current publications only for most subjects. For archaeology, anthropology and the Islamic art and architecture of Central Asia the Library acquires older publications as they become available.

IV. Principal Sources of Supply and major Selection Tools

Academic publishing declined precipitously after 1989 in Russia and the traditional channels of distribution collapsed almost immediately. Since the fall of 1993 the Library has received most of its new books in Russian through an approval plan with Russian Press Service (Evanston, Illinois), supplemented by title-by-title selection from the lists of other vendors.

Kostas Ostrauskas regularly selects new works in Lithuanian.

V. Subjects Collected and Levels of Collecting

 

Subjects Collected                         Levels of Collecting
----------------------------------------   --------------------
Anthropology/Archaeology
   Central Asia                            2F/2F/4F 
   European Russia                         3F/3F 
Art & architecture   
   Central Asia                            2F/2F/4F 
   Russia (to 1900)                        2F/2F 
   Russia (20th century & avant-garde)     3F/3F/4F 
Folklore (Russian & non-Russian)           3F/3F 
History (except for Russia)                3F/3E 
History of Science                         2F/2F emphasis on bibliographical and biographical works
Lithuanian language & literature           4F/4F 
Russian economics, politics, & society     3F/3F emphasis on post-1989 period
Russian history                            3F/3F emphasis on 20th century   
Russian language & literature              3F/3F 
Ukrainian language & literature            3F/2F

VI. Subjects Excluded

The Library no longer acquires specialized works in Slavic philology, once the center of Penn's academic program.

VII. Cooperative Arrangements and Related Collections

Penn is located near several large Slavic collections, e.g. the Slavic and Baltic Division of the New York Public Library and the Columbia and Princeton University Libraries.