British Library Slavonic and East European Collections
The following policy operates under the Library's general
policy statements with respect to collection development.
Some of the material acquired under this policy is available for
loan or document supply through the Library's Document
Supply service.
Introduction
Systematic collecting of printed material from Russia and most
of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe began in the British
Museum Library (one of the institutions which became part of the
British Library in 1973) in the 1840s, though some rare items date
further back to the foundation collection of Sir Hans Sloane, and
the collections of King George III, Sir Joseph Banks and Frederick,
Lord North, Fifth Earl of Guilford. By the end of the nineteenth
century, holdings were unrivalled outside the countries of origin.
Levels of acquisition slumped between 1914 and the mid-1950s but
many gaps were filled later. From the late 1950s onwards until the
end of the communist period, a large network of exchanges with libraries
of all kinds in the region ensured wide coverage. The coverage of
material from all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe continued
intensively in the post-Communist period.
From 1989 onwards, while continuing to collect widely in all areas
of the humanities, arts and social sciences, including imaginative
literature, special efforts have been made to acquire material which
reflects the social, political and economic aspects of democratic
change and major areas of academic enquiry which were previously
subject to heavy censorship e.g. Jewish studies, minorities, relations
with neighbours to the East and West. All in all, the collections
are richer and more wide-ranging than those of any other UK library.
Collection development policy
A wide range of current printed research-level humanities and social
sciences material (including laws and official publications) published
in the following countries of Central and Eastern Europe:
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and
the other countries of the former Soviet Union (all languages except
for Oriental), as well as Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary,
Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Hercegovina,
Bulgaria and Albania.
Material in the languages of those countries published elsewhere
in the world is also collected.
Large microform collections and electronic publications are acquired
in consultation with other UK libraries.
Early-printed materials are acquired occasionally - normally dependent
on special funding.
Research Support Libraries Programme (RSLP) Projects
One of four main partners in RSLP COCOREES (Collaborative Collection
Management for Russian and East European Studies) project.
Involvement in RSLP FLAG project for collaboration with the Institute
of Advanced Legal Studies (headed by Social
Policy Information Service) over Russian and EE legislative
material.
Further information
Slavonic and East European Collections
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel.: +44 (0)20 7412 7585
e-mail: slavonic@bl.uk
Slavonic
and East European Collections
