Kamkin -- a call for help

[Donald Jacobsen]

Dear Colleagues:

I'm somewhat of an interloper on this list -- I'm not a linguist but
rather a political scientist.  Nevertheless, my area of interest is Russia
and the countries of the former USSR.  I'm currently a Ph.D. student and
research assistant to Peter Reddaway at the George Washington University.

According to this morning's Washington Post, there is a chance of saving
the Kamkin inventory.  Connie Morella, the congresswoman who represents
the Rockville, Maryland location of Kamkin's warehouse, is apparently
working on a deal with the Montgomery County Executive, Douglas Duncan, to
save the books in dumpsters and dump trucks at the site of the incinerator
for a few days to see if anyone will take them.

Many of you probably have Slavic and East European reading rooms in your
libraries; those of you who don't may have reasonably decent Russian
language collections in your general stacks.

WE NEED TO GET THE LIBRARIANS TOGETHER TO AGREE TO TAKE THESE BOOKS AND
SPLIT THEM UP!  How many times have you contacted your library to suggest
that they acquire a Russian language book only to be told "we don't have
the money?"  Now, there are TWO MILLION RUSSIAN BOOKS just sitting around.

I'll be contacting Cathy Zeljak, our Slavic, East European and Asian
Reading Room director, tomorrow and urging her to contact her colleagues.
Would each of you do the same?

Regards,

Donald Jacobsen

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