The library collections for Slavic Studies include an estimated 23,500 titles, of which some 106 are currently-received serials, all housed in the Rockefeller Library. These include mainly materials directly supporting the study of Slavic languages and literatures. Because many of the Slavic Department's interests are interdisciplinary, it benefits also from materials purchased for History, Linguistics, Modern Culture and Media, History of Art, Philosophy, Women's Studies, Comparative Literature, Religious Studies and other fields.
The table below shows the expenditures for the past three years:
| Library Support | 1995/96 | 1996/97 | 1997/98 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firm Orders | $8,906 | $9,306 | $15,183 |
| Approvals | 2,489 | 2,535 | 2,949 |
| Serials | 6,869 | 5,700 | 5,542 |
| Total Support | $18,264 | $17,541 | $23,674 |
These figures do not include funds expended on exchange agreements ($25,451 in 1997/98). Most of the material received on exchange supports Slavic Studies, but it is really interdisciplinary, including language, literature, history, music, and all other fields. Our largest exchange partners are the Russian National Library, the Russian State Library, and the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The current economic situation in Russia has led to instability in funding for libraries, and the Russian National Library is unable to afford postage to ship books which we have ordered. Following the example of other libraries in the United States, we have recently sent money for postage, and will probably send more in the future. We have not received any books from the National Library in the past six months, but we expect 50 packages soon, and negotiations are in progress for the shipping of 150 more packages (nearly 1,000) books). Many of the books obtained through exchanges are not available from other sources either because they are older materials or are recent but out of print.
Recently, the Library received $1,000 from a donor, to be used for the purchase of Slavic materials in general and Polish history and culture in particular.
According to the Collection Development Policy Statement, the desired coverage in Russian, Ukrainian and Polish language and literature is at the study level. Church Slavonic material is collected at a research level. At the time that this policy was formulated, Czech language and literature was collected at the research level, but limited resources have forced us to reduce the level of coverage to the study level. Current faculty interests include the entire spectrum of Russian literature from the medieval era to the 20th century, Czech and Polish literature, comparative Slavic literature, literary theory, semiotics, Old Church Slavonic and Slavic linguistics.
The current general economic instability in Russia has made a difficult situation even worse for libraries, research institutions, publication and distribution networks and the many fledgling publishers who rushed to fill the gap when the state monopolies collapsed. We have had no trouble expending the Slavic budget even given the disorganization of the publishing industry, but it has meant being quick to order from our American distributors who often receive limited numbers of copies.
Jean Rainwater, Linda Ewbank and William S. Monroe
Department of Slavic Studies
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