GLEETT - University of Washington

saying for years - we need re pecçle to do the jth if we are to be both
a processing ard a reference unit - bot Podianoff vociferonsly resisted
the separation of amtodial aid processing duties. thange was inevitable,
however, and In 1944 LIbrarian MacLeish ted to discx*itln.ie the Slavic
Division aid proposed substituting a Slavic Center, sodeled on tbe
Hispanic P*irdatian, to be iepinted, "...as soon as the uncataloged aid
unclassified materials formerly in its custody can be subjected to catalog
oatrols." (ARIC, 1944, p.23). Iever, the creation of a new Slavic
Division had to wait until 1951. Mearthile, the Slavic Roan, attaithed to
the General Roference aid BIbliogray Division, performed reference
fintiong aid the Processing Department handled processing functions.
In suiirexy, the Rossian coflectiems began slowly aid were negligible
until 1906 ,then the Yndin onllection was irdiased. They develcped
gradually thereafter, aonelerated by the interest is Rossia aid other
Slavic states during World War I aid its aftermath, went through a period
of rapid growth following World War I, too rapid for the Slavic unit to
perform its processing tasks aid meet increasing reference dsemrxis.
Organizational dianges were made In the early l940s to resolve this
prthlem. By 1950, on the eve of the founding of the new Slavic Division,
the Rossian cullection stood at aproxiinately 265,000 volumes, (my
aictrapolation, based on .Anncal Reports), aid the way was paved for the
erursnal increase in Rossian holdings that took place after 1951.
Present holdings are estisiatel at 850,000 volumes of mmographs and
bound periodicals, with an average annual of 17,000 volumes.
I wish to aicpress my thanks to Or. Rthert V. Mien, Thissiar/Soviet
Specialist is the European Division of the Library of Cngress for his
researdi assistance aid reonllections.
David H. Rmus, Acting thief
European Division, Library of lgress
Tune 17, 1985
fl following represents an cutline for a paper by Dr. Hugh Olmeted,
Harvard University Library. A acre externive work is in preparation.
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