Slavic Literature Guide  Tags: slavic research_methods russian east_european literature  

Directories 

The directories listed here index points of entry for archives all over the world.  The wealth of online material can save a great deal of time when planning a research trip that will include visits to regional archives.  Most of the sites that are listed in these directories have, at the very least, citations to published archival guides.  Many have online finding aids.  Two of the most important general directories for archives are:

 UNESCO Archive Portal.
http://www.unesco.org/cgi-bin/webworld/portal_archives/cgi/page.cgi?d=1

and 

Repository of Primary Sources
http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/Other.Repositories.html

Both of these sites have links to archives all over the world.  Both have access primarily through a georgraphic index.  The UNESCO portal has additional materials that can be helpful if you are seeking government regulations regarding archives. 

While both of these sites have numerous links to regional archives they are not comprehensive.  When looking for regional archives it is often useful to start at the national archival site for a particular country.  Most have a page of links for regional archives, some drop-down lists.  Links to many of the national archival sites for the area are listed below.  

The two sites listed for Russia are quite different.  The second grew out of the work of Patricia Grimsted and, as is clear from the URL is not hosted by a Russian Archive.  It is a very useful site and should not be overlooked.

ArcheoBiblioBase

http://www.iisg.nl/~abb/index.php

This site grew out of the work of Patricia Kennedy Grimsted and her vast knowledge of the Russian Archives.  Dr. Grimsted developed English language guides to the Russian archives many years ago and began extending those guides to an electronic format some twenty years ago. 

The entry below gives a general idea of the information available for each archive.  Along with the mailing address and email, there is a link to the archive's website whenever possible.  Information on the archives' facilities are also available here for each archive.  This format builds on Grimsted's original printed guides.  The site also includes links to the citations of reference materials.

Today the English version of the guide resides at the International Institute of Social History in the Netherlands.  Within the subfiles of the website the scholar will find information about and links to archives.