Cornell and Columbia University libraries have announced an agreement to collaboratively support Slavic and East European collection development at both institutions. The collaboration will create the second-largest university collection of this type in North America.

This is the first in a series of resource-sharing agreements between Cornell and Columbia developed through the 2CUL resource-sharing partnership. The agreement promises to significantly enhance the depth and breadth of Slavic and East European library holdings by coordinating collection development activity to limit overlap, allowing the two libraries to acquire significantly more material across the two campuses.

Robert Davis, Slavic and East European studies librarian at Cornell and Russian, Eurasian and East European studies librarian at Columbia, will support East European studies research activities at both universities.

"It's been great to work with Rob, who is very knowledgeable in acquisitions for this region and has been very good about soliciting faculty input," said Holly Case, associate professor of history at Cornell.

"Our 2CUL partnership makes this kind of resource-sharing agreement possible," said Anne Kenney, Cornell's Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, "and it's a perfect example of how the larger collaboration allows both libraries to serve our specialized users and help with deep research."

When fully implemented, faculties and students of both institutions will receive expedited interlibrary loan and onsite access to Cornell and Columbia's extensive Slavic, Eurasian and East European collections, which include 500,000 monographic titles in the vernacular languages of these regions.

"During a time when institutions are financially strapped, this is an excellent example of doing more with less," said John Micgiel, director of Columbia's East Central European Center.

Cornell faculty and graduate students will be provided with direct access to the Slavic and East European librarian via telephone, e-mail or video conference. He will visit the Cornell campus each semester to provide face-to-face instruction and consultation services.