The fall semester is well underway, and I welcome you to the first official entry of the REEES Library & Museum Collections Blog. Here you’ll find updates on what’s new in library and museum collections, services, and events, with a special focus on the interests of the REEES community.
It seems appropriate to start with an introduction, for those who don’t know me already: I am Anna Arays, Librarian for Slavic and East European Studies at Yale University. Prior to Yale, I worked at The Ohio State University as a Special Collections Cataloging Associate, working primarily with Church Slavonic manuscripts and other Slavic materials. I arrived at Yale in 2016, stepping into a post that had only been occupied by 3 people since its inception in 1963, which certainly speaks volumes (pun intended) about the Slavic collections at Yale. Those predecessors – Aleksis Rannit, Tatiana Fedorow Rannit, and Tatjana Lorkovic – will surely feature in future installments of this blog, as their incredible achievements still shape the character and trajectory of our collections today. Yale was one of the first American academic libraries to begin cultivating a Slavic collection, which is evident in its temporal, geographic, and thematic scope. I look forward to highlighting various aspects of this phenomenal collection, and helping the Yale and larger New Haven community become better acquainted with it through this blog.
Now that I’ve told you a bit about myself, I’ll add a few words about what I do, which can be rather neatly divided into three categories:
- Collection development: I purchase books, serials, databases, and other library materials originating from or about Russia, the Former Soviet Republics, the Baltic States, Southeast Europe, and Eastern Europe. Any questions about library materials, including rare and archival ones, concerning these areas can come to me. I am happy to discuss acquisition priorities and methods, and I can accommodate purchase requests if you need something in a hurry.
- Instruction: I help students and faculty conduct research using our collections via one-on-one consultations, classroom visits, workshops, and other methods.
- Outreach: I attend and organize events and exhibits using our collections, and disseminate information about them on various platforms (now including this blog).
You are welcome to ask me about any of these things at any time – I can be found in Sterling Memorial Library Room 210, and on Monday afternoons (3-4:30) and Thursday mornings (10-11:30) you can find me in the Slavic Reading Room for open office hours. You can also reach me at anna.arays@yale.edu.
Stay tuned for announcements on new acquisitions, upcoming events, and more.