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University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign Library

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S(RJA.A.•PHAJMPAjGN1 ~THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY FRIENDS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Slavic Library Major Research Source to ManyThe Slavic ahd East European Library

is busy year-round, but summer is aparticularly busy time for the librarians,support staff and its head, Marianna TaxCholdin.

The Slavic Library of the University ofIllinois Library at Urbana-Champaignhas become a major research source inthe nation, and today ranks thirdnationally in the size of the Slaviccollection, behind only the Library ofCongress and Harvard University. It is,therefore, the largest Slavic collectionwest of Washington, D.C.

Professor Choldin and her colleagueshave been told by many who have usedother major research libraries that theUIUC Library has the most efficientSlavic Library they know of because ofits large collection, its staff, its reading

'Survivors' on Display

The Survivors: An Exhibition of RareRussian Books is currently on display inthe Rare Book Room, and will remainintact until October 5. All LibraryFriends will receive a copy of thecatalog that describes the exhibition.

The Slavic and East European Libraryis one of the largest and most visibleoutside the Soviet Union. Among themore than half million volumes aresome rare gems, and the currentexhibit represents more than onehundred of them. Yet they are almostcertainly only a part of the realtreasures on the Library shelves that arewaiting to be discovered.

Under the direction of Marianna TaxCholdin, head of the Slavic and EastEuropean Library, Georgy Durman, arecent emigre from the Soviet Unionand a specialist in rare Russian books,undertook the task of searching forspecial and rare volumes that are in the

l Library's collection. He was assisted byAlla Barabtarlo, also a recent emigrewith experience in the area of rareRussian books. The exhibition is theresult of the first phase of the searchI for hidden Russian treasures.

If what has been found so far is anindication, the Slavic Library's collectionmust contain many more rare treasureswaiting to be found.

room and its circulation of materialsnecessary for research.

The University of Illinois SlavicLibrary, in room 225, is the only sourcein North America, even outside EasternEurope, for many works. Yet thirty yearsago the Slavic collection here wasranked only 34th in the nation. By 1969,when Mrs. Choldin came to theUniversity of Illinois, librarians LarryMiller, Dmytro Shtohryn and a growinggroup of colleagues had been hard atwork, and the Slavic collection hadbecome one of the top five in theUnited States.

When the Soviet Union put Sputnikinto space in 1957 it signaled majorchanges in American academic life.One change was an interest in Russianand Iron Curtain nations' literature.

The rapid buildup of the Library'sRussian and East European holdingsbegan in 1958-59, in response to theencouragement of a faculty committeechaired by Ralph T. Fisher Jr., who hadjust joined the Department of History.From the start this movement receivedstrong support from highadministrators, including UniversityLibrarian Robert B. Downs andPresident David D. Henry.

In 1960 that faculty committeeestablished a language-and-area centerfor Russia and Eastern Europe, andsucceeded in getting support from thefederal government. The center,directed then as now by ProfessorFisher, put most of its federal moneyinto the Library. It did the same with agift of $300,000 obtained by PresidentHenry in 1961 from Doris Duke-a giftintended to promote all aspects ofRussian studies. The combination offederal and private money with largeadditions of state funds permitted anamazingly fast growth of both staff andholdings in this field.

During the 1960s the Library madetwo innovations that turned out to behighly productive: In 1963 it created aspecial Slavic and East Europeansection, bringing together the relevantpersonnel from the functionallyseparate departments of acquisitionsand cataloging.

In 1969, by which time the Library's

Slavic and East European holdings hadgrown to be among the five largest inthe country, the Library provided aspecial Slavic reading room. Thispermitted the bringing together of staff,specialized reference materials, andusers in a way that is apparently notequaled in this field in any other largelibrary. The Slavic and East EuropeanLibrary became the first unit within theUniversity Library to cover the fullrange of services, from selecting andpurchasing materials, to processingthem into the collection, to handlingrequests for information.

The Slavic Library has a staff ofapproximately thirty, larger than manyentire college library staffs. There areapproximately 10 professional librarians,

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Doing research in the Slavic and EastEuropean Library, in the University of IllinoisLibrary at Urbana-Champaign, were (front toback) Young-Sang Yim of Hankuk Universityof Foreign Languages, Seoul, Korea, DougClayton of the University of Ottawa inCanada, and Tom Marullo, of the Universityof Notre Dame.

vol. 7, no. 2Summer 1985

ISSN 1092-5539

(Slavic...from page 1)

10 LTAs (library technical assistants) andclerical staff, and another 10 to 12students on an hourly basis. All musthave a minimum working knowledge ofRussian, but some are conversant inseveral languages and have higherdegrees in the Slavic field.

The Summer Research Laboratory onRussia and Eastern Europe is sponsoredby the Russian and East EuropeanCenter and, from its start in 1973, hasbeen a popular attraction for seriousscholars of the Slavic area. The 13thLaboratory was held this summer, anddrew nearly 250 scholars from all overthe world.

An important reason for thepopularity of the annual event, inaddition to the Library's efficiency as aresearch facility, is the collegial aspect,for many participants time their visits tocoincide with the schedules ofcolleagues from other colleges andinstitutions. Those attending may stayfor parts or all of the Laboratory, whichthis year extended from june 10 intoearly August. A separate Conference onthe Ukraine during World War II washeld June 5 through 8, and drewslightly fewer than one hundredscholars.

Discussion groups during theSummer Laboratory this year includedthe topics of Soviet agriculture andrural life; Soviet working class history;women in Central and East Europeancultures; contemporary Soviet films;and politics and society in Saratov,Russia, during the Revolution of 1917.

Three special workshops, madepossible in part by a grant from theNational Endowment for the

Slavic researchers recently in the Slavic andEast European Library were Donald Raleigh(nearest camera) of the University of Hawaii,and Timothy Mixter of Harvard University.The Slavic Library in the UIUC Library hasbecome one of the most important researchsources in the area of Russia and other Slavicnations.

Humanities, covered these subjects: theuses of architecture in Russian literatureof the 18th to 20th centuries; Muslimsof Soviet Central Asia; and Sovietarchives and manuscript collections. Agrant from the Rockefeller Foundationhelped fund two seminars on aspects ofSoviet international behavior: the roleof the military in Soviet strategy, andSoviet treaty compliance.

A special two-week program on theSoviet economy, funded by the SocialScience Research Council, was held foryoung economists. The workshopincluded Russian-language tutoring(also available for other Laboratoryparticipants this summer).

A Mellon Foundation grant helps todefray the housing expenses ofLaboratory participants. The program isalso funded by grants from the U.S.Department of Education and by theJulia A. Whitney Foundation of NewYork City, which has helped present afestival of Russian culture during theLaboratory.

An added plus for the Laboratory wasprovided this year when theInternational Research and ExchangesBoard (IREX), which specializes inorganizing scholarly exchanges with theSoviet Union and Eastern Europeancountries, contracted to have thosegoing next year for the first time oncultural exchanges come here forintensive language training and/or anintensive orientation session.

To a great extent the SummerResearch Laboratory has led to thedevelopment of the Slavic ReferenceService at the U. of I.

Many who came here maintainedtheir contacts with personnel in theSlavic Library, and began to sendrequests for information. Now, from200 to 400 requests come every monthby mail, by telephone, or by telex fromaround the world. Harrison Salisbury ofThe New York Times is a frequent userof the service and an enthusiasticbooster of it. The Central IntelligenceAgency is a frequent "customer," andeven the executive branch of thefederal government, which has theLibrary of Congress readily available,occasionally seeks help with research.

If the UIUC Slavic Library doesn'thave the specific material available, thestaff knows where it may be found atother libraries, or from other sources,in North America or Western Europe.

Or, if materials aren't availableanywhere in the western world, theLibrary will use its "exchange partners"in the Soviet Union or in other EasternEuropean countries. Dr. Choldinpointed out that in those countrieswestern books and periodicals oftenmay not be purchased in the usual way.

Marianna Tax Choldin heads the Slavic andEast European Library which ranks third insize of all Slavic holdings in the UnitedStates.

Therefore libraries barter withpartner-libraries in the West forpublications they need, offering nativepublications in exchange.

"Dealing in this way is often slow,"Dr. Choldin said, "and it may take upto a year, but an item requested willusually come through eventuallybecause our sources are socooperative." Upwards of one thousandsuch requests from Slavic ReferenceService users are handled every yearthrough Soviet and East Europeansources. Older material usually comesin the form of microfilm, which is thenloaned to or copied for the requestor.Printed matter may also be loaned orcopied, of course. By trading in thisway the Slavic Library has become theonly western source for manypublications.

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Why the Scholars Come HereWhy do scholars come to the Universityof Illinois at Urbana-Champaign everysummer for the Summer ResearchLibrary on Russia and Eastern Europe?

Doug Clayton of the University ofOttawa, in Ottawa, Canada, said he hascome back "three or four times"previously and is attracted primarily bythe "materials that I can't get anywhereelse" than in the Slavic and EasternEurope Library at the University Library.

Others echoed the point, while alsociting the professionalism andhelpfulness of the library staff, theready access to research material,competent speakers, the scholarly"atmosphere" on the University ofIllinois campus, and the housingarrangements.

Young-Sang Yim of Seoul, Korea, washere this summer for the first time,while others have returned frequentlyover the years since the summer seriesfirst began in 1973.

From theLibrarian's View

* (The following is excerpted from aspeech by Librarian Hugh Atkinsonbefore the Association of Specialized

*and Cooperative Library Agencies, adivision of the American LibraryAssociation.)

My commitment to multi-typenetworks came about because of thevery practical experience that I havehad in Illinois and with the existinglibrary systems-ILLINET, the statewidenetwork, and the network of librarieswhich jointly use the same computersystem, LCS. I wasn't trained to be aproponent of the multi-type network,but rather have become a convert to it.

The very positive (and to me,extraordinary) results of these networkshave convinced me of their efficiency.We have to remember that it is notnecessary for the outcomes, theproducts and the uses of the networksto be "fair." Rather it must be a systemthat is valuable to each of theparticipants.

I frankly don't care how many itemsare borrowed from us, except that itshould not seriously interfere with theresearch of our students and faculty.What is important is how many itemswe can borrow to satisfy theinformation needs of our students andfaculty. I don't really look for a greatamount of balance, and shouldn't, for Iexpect we will be a net borrowerwithin the general interlibrary loannetwork. The fact is that not all thevalues of the network are the same foreach participant.

One kind of small academic librarymay well depend upon a network toprovide for a small core of individualfaculty members the ability to continuea research commitment, and thus toretain a high-quality faculty. Another,say a community college, may use thesame network to provide materials forinstruction, or for student use, in areaswhere only an occasional course isoffered, or an experimental programtried out. A larger institution may wellcount its benefits in the numbers ofitems borrowed.

We have found that in well over halfof the materials we borrow are itemswe already own but are in fact notimmediately available. Also a largeportion of the borrowed items areowned by unlikely libraries. Theoverlap between libraries is less thanwe had expected, and unique itemsmay be found in almost every kind andevery size of library.

I think we are at a time in libraryhistory where the amount of activitywithin networks will grow enormously.The people within the libraries arerealizing for the first time that libraries

are dependent upon one another, andnetworking is recognized as not just anice additional service, but as one ofthe fundamental parts of library activity.

Three Estate GiftsWill Benefit LibraryThree endowments have beenannounced recently that will be ofsignificant importance to the Universityof llinois Library atUrbana-Chamnpaign.

All materials purchased with theincome from the Library's endowmentfunds will be identified with the namesof the donors.

Endowment funds are a welcomesource of ongoing support, for incomefrom them will be used in future yearsto enhance the Library's collections andservices. The three most recent estategifts are as follows:Estate of Phyllis Baxter ErwinLibrary Friends member Phyllis BaxterErwin established, through her estate,an endowment fund to benefit the RareBook collection. Ms. Erwin, who livedin Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, earnedundergraduate and graduate degreesfrom the University in 1943 and 1965.Estate of Evelyn E. PflaumEvelyn E. Pflaum, a Library Friendsmember from Columbia, Missouri,provided in her will for theestablishment of the Barbara LynnPflaum Memorial Endowment Fund tohonor her daughter. Barbara Pflaum,who died in 1981, received her master'sdegree in biology in 1968 from theUniversity of Illinois. The endowmentfund will be used for libraryacquisitions in the natural sciences.Estate of Winfield S. and Evalene K. AngusThe Angus Endowment Fund to benefitthe Library was established through thegenerosity of Winfield S. and EvaleneKramer Angus of Miami, Florida.Income from the fund will benefit theLibrary's collections, programs andservices. Mr. Angus earned UIUCdegrees in 1930 and 1934, while Mrs.Angus' degrees were conferred in 1928and 1936.

We Need Your HelpYou can ensure the UI Library'scontinued excellence by:

* telling others about the LibraryFriends and encouraging them tojoin

* sending us lists of potential membersand contributors

* helping the Library solicit grantsfrom foundations

* obtaining your company's ororganization's participation in amatching gift program

* passing the information aboutLibrary Friends membership on inyour newsletter or publications.

The Benefits of MembershipAs a Friend of the University of IllinoisLibrary, you receive:* Special circulation and stack privileges for

Library materials* Friendscript, the quarterly newsletter* Non Solus, the annual bulletin* Invitations to exhibits, lectures and

receptions* A 30% discount on University of Illinois

Press publicationsThe Friends welcome everyone interested inthe continued excellence of the Universityof Illinois Library. There are now over 1400members of Library Friends.

YES, I/We wish to becomemembers of the U of I LIBRARYFRIENDSO University Librarian's Council at UIUC:

$5000 0 Sponsor: $100" Life: $3000 0 Subscriber: $50o Benefactor: $1000 0 Contributor: $25o Patron: $500 0 Student: $10

Please make your check payable toUniversity of Illinois Foundation/LibraryFriends, 224 Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St.,Urbana, Illinois 61801. All contributions aretax-deductible.

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friendscriptAppears quarterly in April, July, Oct.,and Jan. Editor: David Kramer. Officeof Publication: Library Friends, 227Library, Univ. of Illinois, 1408 W.Gregory, Urbana, IL 61801.(POSTMASTER: Send Form 3579 tothis address.) Second-class postagepaid at Urbana, II. and other offices.

Recent AcquisitionsA number ot important acquisitionswere made in recent months by theUniversity of Illinois Library atUrbana-Champaign. They include acelestial globe calculated for the year1800, the Gottfried Fraenkel collectionof early printed music, the Rainer MariaRilke collection, and a collection ofmore than 11,000 American andEuropean classical and contemporarymusic recordings.

A partial list of the new acquisitions,which were purchased entirely or inpart with Library Friends funds, is asfollows:

Cary's New Celestial Globe (London,1800) is the work of the Cary brothers,John and William, famous Englishcartographers, engravers, globe makersand publishers. They produced celestialand terrestrial globes renowned fortheir accuracy. It is approximately 12inches in diameter and includes theinscription, "upwards of 3500 starsselected from the most accurateobservations and calculated for the year1800 with the extent of eachconstellation precisely defined by M.Gilpan of the Royal Society." The globewith its original base was purchasedwith funds from the Library Friends,which also financed the glass cover andwill provide a suitable stand for it.

The Gottfried Fraenkel collection ofearly printed music was purchased thisspring through the Library Friends fromthe late Professor Fraenkel's two sons,Gideon and Daniel. Professor Fraenkelwas a distinguished professor ofentomology at the University for manyyears. The collection is a major one,consisting of approximately 765 musicalworks published between 1674 andapproximately 1920, but mostlybetween 1750 and 1850. Approximatelytwo-thirds are first or early editions ofthe works of nine great composers,Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart,Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin,Mendelssohn, and Schumann.

The premier item in the Fraenkelcollection is Louis Hector Berlioz's DivoVirgilio Les Troyens, Opera en CinqActes, Paroles et Musique de HectorBerlioz. Particularly rare is Les Troyens,and the copy now stored in the RareBook Room was the only complete onein private hands-one of only fiveoriginal copies-and is unique becauseit contains the printed dedication whichwas probably bound in later. It containsmarkings and corrections in Berlioz'shand.

The Library Friends and Roman E.Farquhar provided the funds to acquirethe large and extremely valuablecollection of sound recordings from theestate of Edward Kokoefer, who owned

Mrs. Gerhard Mayer of Champaign (center) examines part of her late husband's collection ofRainer Maria Rilke's works with Mrs. Sara Lo, head of the Modern Languages and LinguisticsLibrary in the UIUC Library, and Tom Kilton, assistant librarian in the department. Thecollection was financed by Library Friends and Mrs. Mayer, with a partial contribution by theModern Languages and Linguistics Library.

a music shop in Champaign for manyyears. His personal collection containedmore than 11,000 classical andcontemporary music recordings fromthe United States and Europe, issuedfrom the late 1920s through themid-1960s. Many are sealed in theiroriginal wrappers, and a large numberare limited editions in boxed sets andrare issues no longer available. Theentire collection is in the Music Library.

Acquisition of the approximately2,000 volumes of the Rainer Maria Rilkecollection of the late Dr. Gerhard

Mayer of Champaign was madepossible by the collective contributionsof the Library Friends and Dr. Mayer'swife, Mrs. Ruth Mayer, and partialcontribution from the ModernLanguages and Linguistics Library'sGerman monograph fund. The worksby and about Rilke, one of the mostprominent German-language lyricists ofthis century, were collected by Dr.Mayer for twenty years. Now housed inthe Rare Book Room, they complementother Rilke materials already owned bythe Library.

A few of the sound recordings of the late Edward Kokoefer are shown. They are part of acollection of 11,000 financed jointly by Library Friends and Roman E. Farquhar, which ishoused in the Music Library.

New Books Signed by Old Chinese HandsThe Asian Library in the University ofIllinois Library at Urbana-Champaign isengaged in a special kind ofcollection-autographed copies ofbooks and plays by the old Chinesemasters.

It isn't an expensive type ofcollection, even though items areunusually precious and difficult to find.The authors whose signatures WilliamWong, the Asian Librarian, seeks arethose who rose to prominence in the1920s and '30s after the May 4, 1919,new literary movement and before thelong period of turmoil which beganwith the conflict with Japan in the early1930s.

It had been decreed that thetraditional literary style of China wouldbe modernized as of the 1919 date, andtherefore modern Chinese literature istraced back to the "May Fourth" datein 1919. Prior to that benchmarkChinese literature was in the classicalstyle. Since then the literature has beenin the colloquial, or modern, style.

Many Chinese writers were veryproductive during the first two decadesof the May Fourth era, but beforeWorld War II which was followed bythe Civil War in the mid-1940s andsubsequent rule by the communistregime dating from 1949. The "culturalrevolution," from 1966 to the late 1970s,further limited cultural and artistic workuntil the recent downfall of the "Gangof Four," the radical faction leaders inthe Chinese government.

Original works of these prominentauthors are no longer availableanywhere, but reproductions of theirworks are now being published in thePeople's Republic of China. The staff ofthe Asian Library is working through anumber of sources to obtain theirautographed copies. Of special valueare those signed by authors featured inReturn From Silence: China's Writers of

Celestial globe made in England andcalculated for the year 1800 is in the RareBook Room. It was purchased with LibraryFriends funds.

the May Fourth Tradition," adocumentary film consisting of personalinterviews with the five most famouswriters in the modern era of Chineseliterature. The film was made availablein 1983 by Chung-Wen Shih, a notedscholar on Chinese literature at GeorgeWashington University in Washington,D.C.

The five authors featured in ReturnFrom Silence are:

-Mao T'un, or Mao Dun, the foremostrealist novelist and most influentialleader who served as Minister ofCulture in the People's Republic from1949 to 1965, and was honorarypresident of the All-China Federationof Literary and Art Circles until hisdeath in 1981.-Pa Chin (Ba Jin), the nation's mostprolific writer who succeeded MaoT'un as leader of the literary circle, andis president of the Writer's Association,a division of the All-China Federation;he is also president of China PenCentre, an organization whichpromotes contact between Chinese andforeign writers, which was establishedin 1980.-Ts'ao Yu (Cao Yu), a playwright andpresident of the Dramatics' Association,another division of the All-ChinaFederation.-Ai Ch'ing (Ai Qing), a poet, and TingLing (Ding Ling), a woman novelist,who serve as vice presidents of theAll-China Federation and, along withTs'ao Yu, are vice presidents of ChinaPen Centre.

Ting Ling, known for her vividdescriptions of rebellious youth, wasthe recipient of the Stalin Prize forLiterature in 1951, but was expelledfrom the Communist Party as a rightistin 1957.

The Asian Library collection includessigned copies of all except Mao T'unwho died in 1981 before anautographed copy of his work could beobtained.

In addition, prominent in theChinese autographs collection is asigned work of Hu Shih, who died in1962. Hu Shih, a philosopher, was aleader of the Peking University galaxyof intellectuals and a disciple of JohnDewey. His efforts to promote the useof the colloquial or vernacular languagein writing sparked the May Fourthmovement. He was Chinese ambassadorto the United States from 1938 to 1942,and became president of PekingUniversity in 1945. His autographedcopy was in the collection of AlfredKaiming Chiu (1898-1977), first librarianof the Harvard-Yenching Library ofHarvard University. Following Chiu'sdeath, part of his extensive collectioncame to the Asian Library at the

Mi Al A f E

reproduction of his drama, dedicating it"with compliments to the Asian Library atthe University of Illinois," dated April 24,1983, at Shanghai. The author is one of themost important writers of the "May Fourth"movement in China.

University of Illinois, thanks to a gift byMrs. Yu Chiu.

English translations of works by thefive authors are available in theUniversity Library. All but the poet, AiCh'ing, have been subjects ofdissertations and monographic studiesproduced in the United States.

Dr. Wong pursues his collectionthrough correspondence with thewriters, personal interviews with themon his trips to China, assistance frombook vendors in China, searchingthrough existing collections, searchingon the open market for autographedworks, and through inviting writers tovisit the United States.

The Asian Library, now in its 20thyear, has a collection of 250,000volumes. It collects and regulates booksand periodicals in all the Asian and theMiddle Eastern languages. It isadministratively divided into two majorareas: East Asia, which includes theChinese, Japanese and Koreanlanguages; and South and West Asia,covering languages in India, Pakistan,Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Arabic world.Narindar Aggarwal, an expert on SouthAsia bibliography, is the Assistant AsianLibrarian in charge of South and WestAsian Library services.

CalendarExhibitsSeptember"The Survivors: An Exhibition of RareRussian Books." Rare Book Room (346Main Library). Exhibit extends untilOctober 5. "VJ Day." UniversityArchives (19 Main Library.)"Landscape Architecture: Then andNow," arranged by Mary Ravenhall,City Planning and LandscapeArchitecture Librarian. Main Corridor,UI Libarary."ALA and Development of FinancialSupport for Library Activities." LibraryFriends case, Main Corridor.October"Selected Notable Acquisitions,1984-85." Rare Book Room."First Homecoming." UniversityArchives."Polish Bookplates and Artwork ofAndrzeja Kot," arranged by ProfessorRoman Duszek. Main Corridor."History of the Library." Library Friendscase.

EventsSeptember 10A panel of Soviet experts will speak at 8p.m. Tuesday, September 10, on theemerging prominence in Soviet studiesof the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign and the Slavic andEast European Library. The event will beheld in room 66 of the Library, with areception following in the Rare BookRoom.November 19A program will be presented in honorof Mark Twain's 150th birthday and onthe occasion of the 100th anniversary ofpublication of "The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn." A film, "MarkTwain's America," will be shown inRoom 66 at 7 p.m., with a receptionfollowing in the Rare Book Room.

(Slavic...from page 2)

The University of Illinois collectionsof Soviet publications in the areas ofgeology and mathematics areconsidered the largest outside theSoviet Union. Other science andtechnology collections are alsosubstantial, but the Slavic ReferenceService concentrates on requests forresearch materials in the social sciencesand humanities.

Mrs. Choldin earned her BA and MAdegrees in Russian and Slavic languagesand literatures, and her doctorate inlibrarianship, at the University ofChicago. She came to the University in1969 from Michigan State Universitywhere she was the Slavic bibliographerfor two years. In 1976 she headed thenewly-formed Slavic Reference Servicein the UIUC Slavic Library, and in 1980became research director of the Centerand director of the Summer ResearchLaboratory. She was named head of theSlavic Library in 1982.

"The Russian and East EuropeanCenter and the University of Illinoishave always worked well together," Dr.Choldin said. The Center is a channelfor funds and also brings togetheron-campus individuals who do researchin Slavic fields, schedules lectures,distributes a newsletter and a weeklycalendar, offers travel assistance, andcoordinates various functions. It alsocounsels students in and about thefield.

The University of Illinois, throughefforts of both the Center and theSlavic Library, has become the primarysource of information for many aroundthe world who seek to learn moreabout the Soviet Union and EasternEurope.

Quotaobles(Editor's Note: Dr. C. Stuart Houston, ofSaskatoon, Saskatchewan, head of theDepartment of Medical Imaging at theUniversity of Saskatchewan and head of theDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology at theUniversity Hospital, was the speaker at theLibrary Friends Volunteer RecognitionProgram earlier this year. He had doneresearch in the UIUC Library for his newbook.)

The library should be thecentral focus of any University. Booksand journals are the starting point forresearch in any field. It is impossible tohave a first-class University without afirst-class library.

Unfortunately, many Universityadministrations in-North America havebeen distracted by buildings,laboratories, and high technologyinstruments, losing sight of the centralvision. They have diverted money awayfrom the library to less basic, moretransient objectives.

It is a pleasure to visitChampaign-Urbana where activesupport from "Friends of the Library"and a succession of wise presidentsmaintains your library system as one ofthe very best in North America. Yourownership of Dr. John Richardson'sdiary, and your generosity in sharing it,allowed me to produce Arctic Ordeal,The Journal of Dr. John Richardson,1820-22. Reviews have been enthusiasticand the book has gone into a secondprinting in a remarkably short timesince October publication.

Mary Ceibert, who provided years ofservice to your esteemed Rare BookRoom, and who was so helpful to me,was herself a B.A. graduate from theUniversity of Saskatchewan in 1935. Fewpeople have the dedication to work for50 years after their Universitygraduation!

^J#^^^6 2•L-

friendscriptUniversity of IllinoisLibrary Office of Development and Public Affairs227 Library1408 W. GregoryUrbana, Illinois 61801

Entered Under second-class permit

at Urbana III. and other offices