ABSTRACT Harold M. Leich’s outstanding service as a Slavic librarian from 1969 to 2019 earned him the Distinguished Service Award of the Committee on Libraries and Information Resources, delivered during the 2019 annual convention of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). He began as a cataloger at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where six years later he was promoted to Librarian for Slavic and East European Acquisitions. From 1987 until retirement he served at the Library of Congress as Russian Area Specialist. For his last 20 years there he also served as the specialist for Modern Greek. He assisted Dr. James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress and noted scholar of Russia, with many projects. Over his career, Leich produced more than 50 publications, mostly concerning Russian materials, but also on Modern Greek collections as well as on book matters relating to other countries. He participated on many ASEEES committees, and he also served on committees for the American Library Association, the Modern Greek Studies Association, and other societies.

ABSTRACT This memoir tells the story of how Veronica Ahrens-Puławski came to America, settled in San Francisco, California, worked in the business of importing books and periodicals from the Soviet Union, and became the owner and manager of the Russian bookstore, Globus, for 34 years (from 1984–2018). Ahrens-Puławski describes the challenges she faced in learning how to run a business, adopting to new computer technologies, and adapting to changes in the Soviet-Russian book trade brought about first by perestroika and later by the information revolution and the internet.

Focuses on literary works and film that are considered part of the genre of the supernatural

Purpose - This paper describes the creation and work of a collaborative learning community, consisting of library staff from a variety of library departments. The purpose of this paper is to build proficiency in using tablet devices and to explore the potential application of tablets to various types of library work.Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected from discussion sessions, journals, and a survey, which documented participants' experiences in learning how to use tablets and how they applied them to work-related tasks.Findings - The project helped increase participants' awareness of different types of work across the library, encouraged inter-departmental communication, and provided an open environment for asking questions, trouble-shooting, and sharing tips about using tablets. Participants mastered basic functions and navigation and explored ways to use tablets in their work. Portability was the top advantage of the tablet.Originality/value - Although participants found tablets to be convenient and portable for some tasks, they are not ready to entirely replace office computers for library work. Laptops remain a more flexible and powerful option at this time.

Slides and handouts from presentation at the Kansas Library Association (KLA), College and University Libraries Section (CULS) Spring Conference, Oread Hotel, Lawrence, KS, April 28, 2017.

ABSTRACT This paper discusses collection-related assessment projects that were conducted in 2013–2014 by the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries’ International Collections librarians in cooperation with librarians for assessment and resource sharing. While these assessment projects were undertaken in an effort to strengthen the library reports for KU’s Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) grant applications, which were submitted by KU’s area studies centers, the results also have implications for collection development work. The article begins with background about the NRC grants and explains why and how these assessment projects developed. Highlights of results from each assessment project are presented in the following order: assessment of the research needs of area studies faculty and graduate students at KU; citation patterns (2005–2013) of area studies, and more specifically, Slavic and Eurasian studies faculty at KU; and resource sharing data for the Slavic and Eurasian collection 2011–2013. The article concludes with a discussion about how the assessment data inform collection development practices and decisions.

This article is a series of four case studies that investigate diversity in Slavic and Eurasian (S&E) studies viewed through the lens of participation in national conferences of the Association of Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). The case studies are based on data extracted from ASEEES convention programs, 1964–2014. Four categories are considered: gender diversity of conference participants, diversity of ASEEES conference locations, diversity of conference sessions by discipline, and diversity of institutions represented at ASEEES conventions. Over the past five decades, gender diversity of ASEEES conference session participants gradually advanced toward parity. Whereas in 1964 nearly 95 percent of the participants were men, in 2014 women comprised a slight majority (50.2%) of conference session participants. In contrast, diversity in the location of ASEEES national conventions has declined in recent years as the Association has evolved. Whereas the disciplines of history, political science, and language, literature, and linguistics continue to represent a combined majority (70%) of ASEEES sessions, in recent years anthropology and sociology have experienced the most growth, while library and information science has remained constant. ASEEES conference session participants come from a wider range of institutions than in the past, and institutions with Title VI National Resource Centers (NRCs) continue to have a strong presence at the ASEEES national conventions.

The proliferation of research guides created using the LibGuides platform has triggered extensive discussion touting their benefits for everything from assessment, engagement, and marketing, to outreach and pedagogy. However, there is at present a relative paucity of critical reflection about the product's place in the broader informational landscape. This article is an attempt to redress this lacuna. Relying primarily on examples from the field of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies, the authors briefly describe the evolution of online research guides; identify reasons for the proliferation of Springshare's product in academic libraries; question whether LibGuides improve learning or reinforce information inequality in higher education; and propose a way to move beyond LibGuides.

Presentation at the 46th Annual Convention of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES), San Antonio, TX. November 22, 2014.

Includes printed and electronic resources available for the teaching and learning of the Wolof language and culture

Includes printed and electronic resources available for the teaching and learning of the Wolof language and culture

This article describes the process of tracking down an obscure yet politically and culturally significant Russian theater review, “Seans chernoi magii na Taganke” by N. Potapov, published in Pravda, the official organ of the Soviet Communist Party from 1918 to 1991. What at first appeared to be a routine reference question turned into a journey full of twists and turns, a quest for the missing review. The purpose of this article is threefold: to highlight some of the challenges that librarians and researchers face when working with Russian, East European, and Eurasian materials; to inform researchers about the capabilities and limitations of the Pravda Digital Archive and similar databases (e.g., Izvestiia Digital Archive, Literaturnaia Gazeta Digital Archive) produced by East View Information Services; and to encourage discussion about the preservation of and long-term access to research materials from the region.

Covers the art, architecture, culture, customs, daily life, economics, history, religion, writings of medieval Russia

Covers the art, architecture, culture, customs, daily life, economics, history, religion, writings of medieval Russia