GLEETT - University of Washington

M the collection of Russian materials develcçed and pblic interest
Increased, denani upon the Slavic Section became heavy and varied. The
Pepeort for 1919 states; "This is explained by the irportance into which
the Slavic peoples sprang thr4i the war and revolutions and by the fact
that their orziitions were little known in the Western nt.ries,
especially in this ntry." (ARU, 1919, p. 70) . nd in 1924, "The interest
of readers in Russian scientific investigations, research, and discoveries
was pronounced during the year. Xany native American students of Russian
affairs, who have mastered Russian so far that they can read Russian
material in their specific field quite freely have sci4it and received
assistance of the section. In isuch the same way, the exsitive
departments, especially the Departhmnts of State, Jigrioulture, and
merce, have been assisted, while translations of texts and letters
were made for )fesbers of sgress , and in an rust'er of cases, for
readers in the Library." (ARIC, 1924, p. 125). 'Ihe 1931 Report notes, "All
this Interest ii,,cees on the Division of Slavic Literature of a national
library a very diffioult task, with a email staff, limited funds, and
Inadequate shelving space to collect as many inportant Russian books as
possible, to handle then technically in the quickest and the nost practical
way, and to have then ready for referei use." (ARIC, 1931, p. 321).
All these .tatia frca the ernijal reports, and i,,any nre not
cited, stress the dil of the Slavic unit at the Library, namely how to
meet the ever increasing deimni for reference sevics to the poblic aid
govezTune* without neglecting its primary task of receiving, processing,
and nieidng the works available to the poblic. One gets the Iitpresslon, in
reedizq the aiwnial contrinitiosm of the head of the Slavic unit (1930
through the early 1940s), That he protests too math, that he llices the
growing need of the Library for the linguistic and area skills of his staff
aid that his protests are intended to explain why the unit is not keeping up
with its principal tasks. However, badclogs were not the sole concern of
the Slavic Division, In as such as the Librarian stated in his Annual Report
of 1941, "Pethaps the greatest prcblen is presented by the uncataloged
collections of the isic, Slavic, aid Senitic divisions. The bulk of these
collections, artsmting to millions of items, has never been cataloged, The
nature of the material, however, will not lend itself to brief methods of
cataloging. Th be of the greatest reference use to the Library, these
collections should be cataloged by author aid subject entries, with a
reasonable anumt of bThliograic description." (ARIC, 1941, p. 225).
It was Into this situation In 1940 that the Librarian brc4it Francis
Weitfield aid Sergius Yakthson, as expert advisers, "The reference
demands of the war period have made us aware of the weaknesses in cur
foreign oollections, which bad not previously aeered. We had long known
that cur Slavic collections were uneven and diffioult to use aid we had
taken steps to strengthen then by the apoint..L of Francis J. whitfield
as Fellow of the Library of 0ress aid Sergius yakson, formerly of
Laxbon University, as Osu1tant in Slavic History." (ARIC, 1943, p. 55).
The Librarians stated further, "Graet quantities of books are in dire need
of cataloging, so that our holdings, particolarly Russian material, may be
made known aid available. A nre active aog.iisitions policy is required...
the staff of the division nust be increased... Much thcugbt has been given
to these prubleme during the year aid it is hoped that considerable
progress will be made in the near future". (ABLe, 1941, p. 195-196). The
quotation is fron the first report on the division that was not signed by
Rudicnoff, who harbored a resentment toward the isportation of outside
specialists. Purther, these specialists said substantially what he had been
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