The Classics Department supports both undergraduate and graduate instruction. The Department prepares its graduates either for a career in scholarship or provides a broad liberal education. Instruction in Greek and Latin have been offered since the founding of the University. Early on, the teaching of Greek and Latin was done by the President of the University. The first Ph.D. in Latin was conferred in 1895 , followed in 1899, by the first Ph.D. in Latin. The Departments of Greek and Latin were combined, in 1923, to form the Department of Greek and Latin Classics. In 1945, the name was changed to the Department of Classics.
Classes are offered in Latin, Greek and Sanskrit languages, as well as ancient history, art and archaeology, ancient philosophy and linguistics. Instruction leads to the degrees A.M. or Ph.D. The library collections supporting Classics are strengthened by those supporting the related disciplines of Comparative Literature, Egyptology, History, History of Mathematics, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, as well as the Center for Old World Art and Archaeology.
The collections supporting Classics consist of more than 24,000 titles, of which 203 are current serials. Some 15,000 of these are in language and literature, and 7,000 in history. The rest are in art, archaeology, numismatics, epigraphy, and other relevant areas. Most of the secondary materials are in English, German, French, and Italian. Most of the material is in the Rockefeller Library, but there are also many titles in the John Hay Library, including important early editions of Greek and Latin works.
The Library has consistently supported instruction and research in Classics. Expenditures over the last five years are detailed below:
| Library Support | 1994/95 | 1995/96 | 1996/97 | 1997/98 | 1998/99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firm Orders | $8,356 | $11,754 | $12,146 | $8,155 | $8,942 |
| Approvals | $7,500 | $6,899 | $7,915 | $8,651 | $8,826 |
| Serials | $19,132 | $20,716 | $20,144 | $19,815 | $18,458 |
| Total Support | $34,988 | $39,369 | $40,205 | $36,621 | $36,226 |
Electronic resources continue to be an area of concern. The expanded Perseus 2.0 database which we purchased and made available over the campus network, has given way to a web version that is now available for free. There are, however, parts of the web version that are accessible only to those institutions who have purchased Version 2. We also provide the CD-ROM index, Dyabola, a bibliography of classical archaeology. We are still investigating, along with the Scholarly Technology Group of CIS, a way to network the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, which has been available on CD-ROM in several departments (Classics, Religious Studies, and Philosophy). We would also like to subscribe to the Database of Classical Bibliography (a CD-ROM version of L'Année Philologique), the major index for classical studies. The Department has, at times, requested other electronic resources. There are many such things available, and they are relatively inexpensive, when compared to similar resources in the sciences. But they still present an additional demand on a limited budget, and we need to establish priorities with the Department to see which we should purchase sooner.
Overall, Brown's collections related to the ancient world are among the our strongest. We have been acquiring titles in this area from the foundation of the University. The collection has a slight bias in favor of language over history. There are several areas where titles have gone missing. In the past, it was difficult to find a modern translation of ancient plays or poetry. In addition, it had been difficult to keep copies of Latin-English dictionaries and lexicons of New Testament Greek on the shelf. A concerted effort has been made to strengthen these areas of the collection.
Associate Professor Pucci and Professor Holloway both make use of Brown's Special Collections as an aid in teaching. A Classics Club for undergraduates has recently been organized. A presentation showing items in Special Collections was given to this group by the Coordinator for Reader Services. The response was genuinely enthusiastic and will most likely result in several students using these items for their projects.
A major weakness of the collection is, partially, a result of the age of the materials. The originals are now in poor condition, due either to brittleness or damage caused by heavy use. This is a problem for all historical collections, not merely those related to the Classics. In the past, the Library had not consistently purchased reprints of important works, but we are making an effort to do so now. Suitable replacement copies are being acquired as they become available. Work is being done with the Manager of the Bindery to reformat titles for which there is no replacement available.
The Library has recently hired a new Preservation Librarian. This position is funded by an endowment raised as part of an NEH Challenge Grant. Portions of this endowment have been earmarked for the preservation of titles related to Classical Studies, with particular attention to be paid to Virgil and Horace.
Ann Morgan Dodge, Collection Development Librarian for Classics
Department of Classics
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