UCL SSEES Library

The collection on Romania is to be found on the Lower Ground Floor of the Library, and covers the history, politics, economics, social sciences, culture, language and literature of the country. Books on the historical Principality of Moldavia are to be found with the Romanian section, although books on the Moldavian S.S.R. and the current state of Moldova are shelved with the Russian and Soviet part of the Library's collection. Books on Transylvania may be similarly divided between the Romanian and Hungarian sections of the Library. Books in the Romanian section have the classmark Rou.

The majority of the collection consists of works in Romanian or English, although occasionally books may also be acquired in other European languages. The Library subscribes to daily and weekly newspapers from Romania (e.g. Adevărul, Luceafărul, România liberă) as well as to scholarly serial publications originating from or pertaining to the area. Among periodicals are many volumes of the Analile/Anale/Analele of the Romanian Academy, Bucuresti, 1867-, and several sub-series of Analele stiintifice ale Universitatii "Al. I. Cuza" din Iasi, New series, Iasi, 1955-, Analele Universitătii Bucuresti, Bucuresti, 1952- and Studia universitatis Babes Bolyai, Cluj, 1956- .

The strength of the Romanian collection owes much to the purchase by the School in 1952 of some 3,500 items from the library of Dr Moses Gaster, who was a pioneer of the study of Romanian literature. Thanks to this purchase, the School acquired a valuable collection of sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth century books, many printed in what is now Romania, as well as books and pamphlets of later date on all aspects of Romania, its language and literature. Further information about the Gaster collection may be found in 'A survey of the Gaster books in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies Library', by Dennis Deletant, Solanus, no. 10, 1974, pp. 14-23.

The section of the Library on Romanian history includes the important series of published sources Documente privind istoria României, Bucuresti, 1952-, while the literature section is well developed, particularly on the writers V. Alecsandri, M. Eminescu, I.L. Caragiale and M. Sadoveanu. Bibliographies include Bibliografia românéscă veche 1508-1830, 4 vols., Bucuresti, 1903-1944. The Library also subscribes to contemporary sources and statistical works (e.g. Recensământul populatiei si al locuintelor, 18 martie 2002 and Anuarul statistic al României = Romanian statistical yearbook).

Library staff also maintain a page of Internet resources on Romania.

This page last modified Monday 3 December 2007.