Collaborative Librarianship

Volume 2 Issue 3 Article 2

2010

“A Long Way from ”: A Collaborative Project between Archivists, Librarians, and Historians from the Steppes of Saratov Province and the High Plains of Colorado

Janet Bishop Colorado State University - Fort Collins, [email protected]

Kenneth Rock Colorado State University and Saratov Sate University, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Bishop, Janet and Rock, Kenneth (2010) "“A Long Way from Moscow”: A Collaborative Project between Archivists, Librarians, and Historians from the Steppes of Saratov Province and the High Plains of Colorado," Collaborative Librarianship: Vol. 2 : Iss. 3 , Article 2. Available at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship/vol2/iss3/2

This Scholarly Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Collaborative Librarianship by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Bishop and Rock: “A Long Way from Moscow”

“A Long Way from Moscow”: A Collaborative Project between Archivists, Librarians, and Historians from the Steppes of Saratov Province and the High Plains of Colorado

Janet Bishop, Coordinator for Archives and Special Collections, Colorado State University/Member, Joint Academic Board for the International Center for German-Russian Studies, Colorado State University and Saratov State University ([email protected])

Kenneth Rock, Professor Emeritus History, Colorado State University/Co-Chair, Joint Academic Board for the International Center for German-Russian Studies, Colorado State University and Saratov Sate University ([email protected])

Abstract

This article describes the authors interactions with Russian archivists, librarians, and historians during a 2008 delegation visit to Saratov Province, the state of archival holdings and special col- lections in the Saratov area, and preliminary discussions regarding proposed collaborative digiti- zation and academic research projects. A reciprocal visit by Russian and Ukrainian colleagues the following year to participate in the Inaugural Conference on German-Russian Studies is also de- tailed. The authors, both members of the Joint Academic Board for the International Center for German-Russian Studies at Colorado State University, discuss outreach strategies and lessons learned regarding a wide-ranging collaborative international project with information profes- sionals and academics in a region previously closed to the West.

Keywords collaborative digitization, , Saratov Province, Russian archives, archives, international projects, international exchange, history, community outreach, German-, Colorado State University

1. Introduction SSU’s Scientific Library and local archival repositories to examine materials related to In September 2008, a small delegation from Russia’s historic German ethnic popu- Colorado State University (CSU) consisting lation—the ancestors of approximately one- of two top level university administrators, third of the current population of Colorado. the faculty emeritus chair of the newly- This visit, two years in the making, marked formed International Center for German- the launching point for an ambitious inter- Russian Studies (ICGRS) academic board, national collaborative project that paired and the Coordinator for Archives and Spe- archivists and librarians with historians, cial Collections traveled to Saratov, Russia university administrators, lawyers, business to discuss possible projects related to a joint entrepreneurs, leaders of local and national strategic partnership proposed for CSU and heritage societies, and community members Saratov State University (SSU). In accor- of a “hidden” ethnic minority. dance with CSU’s land grant mission of “teaching, research, and service”, two mem- In addition to outlining some of the colla- bers of the delegation examined the region’s borative archival and library-based projects model farms and agricultural instructional proposed by the joint partnership and and research activities. The remaining two ICGRS, this article will describe the authors members (the authors of this article) visited interactions with Russian colleagues during

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the 2008 visit, the state of archival holdings in the Saratov area, and the reciprocal visit As a land grant school and research head- by Russian colleagues the following year to quarters of the state’s agricultural extension participate in the ICGRS “Inaugural Confe- service, Colorado State University (CSU) has rence on German Russian Studies”. This long been interested in the accomplishments article will also include an examination of of the state’s agrarian producers. Thus ex- the challenges these authors and other tension agents, agrarian researchers, and project members have faced in trying to social scientists had noted across the dec- maintain a fine balance between the aca- ades of the 20th century that the “Rooshuns” demic objectives of ICGRS proposed – the colloquial name English-speaking Co- projects and the more general genealogical loradans early applied to the Volga German interests of local constituencies—many of agrarian field workers – were diligent farm whom are alumni and supportive donors to folk and hard workers with large families CSU. who, through their work ethic, had steadily risen from “stoop laborers” in the beet fields Lastly, this article will mention some of the to tenant farmers, dependable renters, and “lessons learned” so far from this collabora- ultimately increasingly prosperous farmers tion between professional colleagues who, and agrarian landowners of vast irrigated despite differences in language, culture and enterprises across rural Colorado. The experiences, share their love of preserving prosperous decades of the 1940s and 1950s items that chronicle the cultural heritage of a brought expanding bounty from agrarian people and making the historical documents crops and livestock, plus opportunities to accessible to a wider group of individuals. ambitious second generation Volga German The activities that the authors describe in the Americans for education, commercial and following article definitely document a professional employment, urbanization, and “work still in progress” involving a wide significant integration of a once separated range of individuals and resting upon mul- and often misunderstood ethnic community tiple conversations, consultations, intricate into the wider social and economic fabric of negotiations, unceasing e-mail and tele- mid-and late 20th century Colorado. phone communications, exchanges of inter- national delegations and fact-finding mis- America’s 1976 celebration of its bicentenni- sions, video conferences, and seemingly al, accompanied by the widespread popular- endless committee meetings from 2006 to ity of best-selling books such as Alex Ha- the present day. ley’s Roots and James Michener’s Centennial – one of whose leading characters was the 2. Background “canny Russian Hans ‘Potato’ Brumbaugh” – not only raised the historical conscious- German-speaking immigrants from Imperial ness of numerous Americans but also fos- Russia, primarily from the Saratov steppe tered Colorado’s ethnic groups to take pride region along the lower Volga River, arrived in their heritage and their predecessors’ in large numbers in Colorado and the achievements. The bicentennial atmos- neighboring Great Plains states of Kansas, phere, plus limited funding at that time for Nebraska, and the Dakotas from the mid- local academics to conduct research abroad, 1870s until the outbreak of the First World prompted some CSU historians, anthropol- War in 1914. In Colorado they comprised ogists, and linguists to consider research one of the largest ethnic minority popula- closer to home with local populations such tions and their presence in eastern Colora- as Colorado’s “Germans from Russia”. do’s irrigated river valleys contributed im- pressively to the growth of the sugar beet Research documenting this unique ethnic industry and the overall agricultural prod- population led to the founding at CSU of the uctivity of Colorado’s rural economy “Germans from Russia in Colorado Study throughout the 20th century. Project” under the leadership of CSU pro-

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fessor of Russian history Sidney Heitman. others, literally everywhere, not only via the This historical, ethnographical, and oral his- internet, but also via new associations, such tory project resulted in a number of publica- as NGOs, international projects, and part- tions, including monographs, papers, and nerships. reports as well as conferences and instruc- tional courses at CSU throughout the 1970s From such motivations there arose the CSU- and 1980s. The Colorado State University SSU strategic partnership as well as the In- Libraries (CSUL) Archives and Special Col- ternational Center for German-Russian Stu- lections department was designated from dies (ICGRS). Envisioned to foster original the start as the repository for the project’s academic research in the history of Volga oral history interviews, tapes, and tran- Germans by US and Russian students and scripts, plus other collected photographs, scholars, as well as to disseminate informa- manuscripts, books, and artifacts. Formal tion regarding German-Russian heritage to ownership of the project’s materials was interested members of the local community, transferred to Colorado State University the ICGRS has as its mission to build upon Archives and Special Collections in 1996. In and expand the “Germans from Russia” ma- 2002, the photographs, research files, and terials housed in the CSUL Archives and oral history tapes and interviews from this Special Collections. In this regard, a particu- research project were fully processed and lar focus of the ICGRS has been to explore intellectually housed within the University the possibilities of collaborative digitization Archive as the Sidney Heitman Germans from projects that will make some of the materials Russia in Colorado Study Project Collection. housed in Saratov-based repositories more Books and monographs collected by project accessible, on an international scale, to the researchers remained cataloged in Special general public. Although still in its nascent Collections. An Institute of Museum and stages, the proposed digitization of mate- Library Services (IMLS) grant in 2002, as rials—many previously under “closed” part of the Colorado Digitization Program’s access until the opening of the region in the Western Trails Project, allowed for the digi- early 1990s—is of great significance to re- tization of selected oral history tapes, tran- searchers and local descendants of the Sara- scripts and photographs by CSUL staff for tov . web access. The resulting site is accessible today from the CSUL homepage: While the CSU-SSU strategic partnership http://lib.colostate.edu/gfr/. and joint center appear to be a unique colla- boration amongst Russian and US academic The remarkable events throughout 1989 that institutions, it is important to mention that marked the collapse of Communist regimes several other academic libraries of the Great throughout East Central Europe, the demise Plains region have ventured into collabora- of the Soviet Union from August to Decem- tive activities with Saratov-area institutions ber of 1991, the unanticipated termination of during the 2000s, both at an explorato- the “Cold War”, and the subsequent evolu- ry/temporary level and on a more ongoing tion of the former USSR into the Russian basis. Of note are the collaborative projects Federation completely transformed the bi- spearheaded by our neighbors to the north polar world of the late 20th century into an at the University of Wyoming Libraries (UW era of new beginnings, uncertainties, and Libraries) with Saratov State University’s expectations. It also realigned international Scientific Library, including a joint publica- political, economic, social, and academic tion chronicling the history of the two libra- relationships during the first decade of the ries from 1957-2007, as reported by M. Far- early 21st century. An important aspect of rell, Dean of UW Libraries in June, 2010. such sweeping change was that Russian in- Staying connected with UW Libraries activi- tellectuals, research scientists, academics, ties, as well as keeping UW Libraries in- scholars, librarians, archivists, and the gen- formed of our activities, is another signifi- eral public sought to communicate with cant aspect of the many-pronged collabora-

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tions that this project has created, as it helps 3.1 Historic Challenges to Archival Re- us share significant “lessons learned” and search in Russia encourage each other’s progress. Lenin’s Decree of 1918, mandating that the Mention was also made of our CSU-SSU majority of Russian records be managed collaboration during the International Af- under a Single State Archival Fond, has been fairs Roundtable session at the 2009 Society recognized as the single most important fac- of American Archivists annual convention tor influencing Russian archival policies in Austin, Texas. Brief follow-up conversa- throughout the 20th century, notably in ar- tions were held with archival colleagues ticles by Grimsted and Allen & Baumann.1 from religious and privately-funded organi- Patricia Kennedy Grimsted, the preeminent zations to get a sense of their experiences in scholar on Soviet-era archives, notes that working with Russian repositories (primari- Bolshevik power “brought to Russia the ly in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and most highly centralized state archival sys- Province). The authors would also like to tem and the most highly state-directed prin- note that organizations such as the Rotary ciples of preservation and management of Club are creating a presence in Saratov; a documentary records … the world had few US-based genealogists and members of seen.”2 In addition, Grimsted theorizes that heritage societies such as the American His- Marxist-Leninist ideology “gave unprece- torical Society for Germans from Russia dented importance to the national documen- (AHSGR) have also worked with Saratov- tary legacy and to the … reorganization of a based archivists, researchers, and librarians comprehensive state archival system.”3 So- from the mid-1990s onward to examine and viet-era decrees regarding the document investigate information pertaining to the types included in the State Archival Fond, German-Russian experience. issued at intervals throughout the first half of the 20th century, came to list almost every 3. Literature Review type of archival item that one could con- ceive of including: organizational, cultural, A review of literature related to the topics and religious records; scientific and research examined within this article was conducted papers; manuscript collections and personal via searches of two library science databases papers; census documentation and farm sta- (Library Literature and Information Science and tistics; and non-print materials such as films Library, Information Science & Technology Ab- and photographs.4 It is important to note stracts), the CSUL online catalog, and several that the intellectual organization of these books previously consulted by the authors. items within one fond did not preclude ma- While articles have been written in Russian terials from being housed in repositories regarding USSR/Russian Federation library scattered throughout the USSR. Although and archival issues (including professional archival management policies and funding training, organizational restructuring, me- for archival processing came from the feder- thodology, and repository holdings), it al level, day-to-day administration of these should be noted that this literature review items fell to archival workers in local reposi- was restricted to English-language pieces tories. and therefore only contains citations written in English. Lenin’s recognition of the importance of Russian records in documenting the histori- Based on the issues that the authors are ex- cal record is, perhaps, reflected in his for- amining within this article, our literature bidding of the destruction of archival mate- review was focused on the following four rials without the written permission of the topics which are described, in full, below. Main Administration of Archival Affairs. While Soviet-era archival methodology placed great emphasis on preservation, or- ganization, and description of items, access

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to materials by researchers, especially those local Russian population because of their outside of the USSR, was hard to come by. subject matter documenting the cultural and Application to do archival research in the social life of the Volga Germans—many of USSR during the later years of the Soviet era whom, due to their German ancestry, were usually required the researcher to be offi- deported by Josef Stalin to Siberian gulags cially affiliated with an educational ex- in 1941. change program, such as the U.S.-based nonprofit organization The International Due to these conditions, it is not surprising Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), and that our literature search revealed only one sponsored by an educational institution in description of research specifically done in the USSR. Even with this sponsorship, Saratov archives. In “A Journey from St. access to repositories was not guaranteed as Petersburg to Saratov”, researcher Donald visas could be denied, topics of research re- Raleigh describes a fifteen year battle to gain jected, and paperwork delayed. Much has access to Saratov-area repositories, ending been written about the challenges facing in his hard-won arrival in Saratov in 1990.6 Western researchers. In the aptly titled Ad- ventures in Russian Historical Research: Remi- Thus Saratov, although less than 500 miles niscences of American Scholars from the Cold away from Moscow, has been, metaphori- War to the Present researchers note their cally speaking, a “long way away” for re- struggles in gaining access to Soviet-era ma- searchers, due to the closed nature of the terials.5 city and the sensitive nature of materials documenting residents who came to be con- Great changes in archival administrative sidered “enemies of the state”. Natural dis- organization came about after the 1991 asters, political uprisings, governmental pol- coup. Glavarkiv, which had been the central icy, and a national paper shortage have also administrative unit for archival materials contributed to gaps in documentation in within the State Fond for almost a half cen- Saratov-area archives, which has become a tury, morphed into Roskomarkiv. By 1996 unique challenge for researchers now gain- this agency was known as Rosarkhiv, the ing access to these repositories. As Ivan Federal Archive Service of Russia. As we Komarov, the director of the Engels Archive, note in Section 3.3, by 1993 funding for cul- noted in 2009: tural repositories was decentralized and shifted downwards from the federal level to Unfortunately [the] line-up of the docu- regional governments. This had great im- ments of some [fonds] is not complete. In pact on the daily operations of archival re- 1774 during the peasant uprising under positories. Paradoxically, while the period [the] command of Y. Pugachev the majority saw an opening of US research access to of the documents concerning the early years Russian repository materials, the very fate of of the colonists’ stay on the Volga were de- these repositories was at risk. stroyed. Natural disasters—fires and flood—did not help to preserve them either. 3.2 Conditions Unique to Saratov Province The Soviet government’s policy concerning Repositories religion [and the] “paper famine” of the twenties, when precious documents were Because of its position as a military and used as drafts, are also to blame.7 manufacturing center, Saratov was classified as a “” under the Soviet system Although little was found in our literature from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s. All search specifically addressing these historic traffic into the city by Westerners was research challenges in the Saratov region, it banned unless by special permission and is our hope that more research will be done Western researchers did not venture into the on this fascinating topic. province’s archives. Numerous archival collections were inaccessible as well to the

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3.3 Traditional Training of Russian Arc- Donchenko & Kersum mentioning the hivists and Professional Status/Separation changing status of library and information of Archival Training from Library Science science education in the first decade of the Training 2000s.12 This hints that there may be some overlap in areas of specialization for library Throughout the 20th century, the Moscow science and archival students. We also State Historico-Archival Institute (MGIAI) sense that training for the two disciplines was the main training school for Russian may be merging in cities in the Russian Fed- archivists. Grimsted, Burke, Blouin ,and eration far removed from Moscow and Saint Bolotenko have noted the rigorous and tho- Petersburg. For example, in his article on rough training this institute has provided— the state of library education in the Russian especially in the areas of historical study Far East, Richardson makes mention of “the and research, records management, preser- Librarian---archivist” certification for grad- vation, organization and description of ma- uate students at Khabarovsk State Institute terials, foreign languages, and antecedents of Art and Culture.13 of the Russian language.8 Introduction of information science-based classes came to Given their rigorous training and the Soviet MGIAI in the early 1980s and as of the late emphasis on the importance of records, it is 1980s this department emphasized “work not surprising that Russia’s archivists tradi- with scientific and statistical data”.9 In con- tionally had an esteemed spot in the Soviet trast to American archival programs, topics hierarchy and were “designated ‘intellectual such as reference services, public outreach, workers’ (nauchnye sotrudniki) in the Soviet and access do not appear to have been em- archival system.”14 Paradoxically, while phasized in the traditional course of training Gorbachev’s period of glasnost brought hope for Russian archivists. MGIAI was incor- to Russia’s archival community that there porated as a department of the Russian State would be a new openness in information University for the Humanities in March dissemination, the period after the 1991 1991, several months before the coup and coup severely compromised the fortunes of formal dissolution of the Soviet Union. At Russian archivists and signified an identity the time of its incorporation Natalya Ba- crisis with regards to their status. True suf- sovskaya, the Provost of the University, fering came about in Russian repositories as noted that the MGIAI was continuing in its the ruble went into a freefall and funding leadership in Russian archival education by for cultural repositories was decentralized introducing training in oral history metho- and shifted downwards from the federal dology as well as offering courses to Russian level to regional governments.15 Salaries archival students in the field of Jewish histo- were reduced to the bare minimum, heat ry, culture, and archives.10 turned off, rooms closed. It was only through the strong dedication of archival While archival training within the US is in- staff and directors–many of whom were creasingly based within Library Science juggling two or three jobs to stay afloat— graduate programs—and the terminal de- that materials were saved. Throughout his gree of many US academic archivists is an article “Frost on the Walls in Winter: Rus- MLS/MLIS—it it is of special note that, tra- sian and Ukrainian Archives since the Great ditionally, there has been a separation in Dislocation” George Bolotenko reports sto- Russia between the training of archivists ries of repository space being rented out by and the training of librarians. In his 1988 archival directors for use as bars, banks, and article, Blouin affirmed that “The Moscow youth hostels during the years between 1991 State Institute of Culture trains individuals and 1999, all with the purpose of garnering for work in libraries. There is little inter- auxiliary funds to preserve the historical change between that institute and the record.16 MGIAI”.11 That said, in our literature search we found articles by Richardson and

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The points noted in Bolotenko’s article were in Russia” in the late 1990s.20 A twist on this especially relevant to us in light of our con- traditional type of exchange program was versations with colleagues from Saratov- the “American Corners” program reported area archival repositories, both during our in the library literature, where designated trip to Saratov in 2008 and during their visit areas of Russian Federation libraries were in conjunction with CSU’s Inaugural Confe- devoted to English-language collections21— rence on German-Russian Studies in 2009. including a core collection ”on the United States, its history, government, language, 3.4 Visits to Russia by American Library culture, and people” 22 managed by English- and Archival Professionals/East-West Ex- language staff. The American Library Asso- changes and Collaborative Projects (mid ciation (ALA) has also looked towards fund- 1980s to present) ing for Russian libraries for books, software, and library systems. One example of this is Various visits to Russia by American library Michael Dowling’s description of Carnegie and archival professionals, from the time of Corporation’s awarding of a 2001 grant to Gorbachev’s era of glasnost through the first the ALA International Relations Office in decade of the 2000s, have been reported, in order that this office might aid libraries in brief and at great length.17 Many of these the South Caucasus.23 accounts note the exhilaration felt by visitors to be traveling to Russia, the overwhelming Due to established international protocols wealth of information exchanged, and the regarding cultural heritage objects, the basic immense courteousness and warmth that tenets of provenance, and the intrinsic na- they were shown by their Russian hosts. ture of primary source materials, East-West Significantly, several authors noted an “all exchanges involving US and Russian archiv- too brief” quality to their visits, similar to ists from the time of Gorbachev’s era of our experiences in traveling to Saratov. glasnost have been based on the sharing of information regarding archival theory, prac- East-West exchanges and collaborative tice and training; establishing protocols; projects between libraries and librarians working towards establishing international during the last three decades of the Soviet standards of description; and increasing in- era were primarily based on book and pe- tellectual access to Russian archival collec- riodical trades wherein—in theory—a US tions, rather than on physical exchanges of library would send duplicate stocks or free original materials. Of note in this respect is samples of American publications to a li- the three-year project between Russia’s Ro- brary in the USSR which would, in return, sarkhiv, the US-based Research Libraries send Russian publications to the US library, Information Network (RLIN) and the Hoov- thus sparing “the bother and expense of er Institution to work on developing stan- dealing with international vendors”.18 Al- dards for exchanging Russian archival de- though complexities and complications ex- scription through RLIN using MARC AMC isted in the functioning of these exchange format.24 The one proposal that we found of programs, Olsen notes that they remained a physical exchange of US-Russian archival popular collaborative effort and were materials referred to the not-for-profit trade viewed as an “important aspect of interna- of copies (surrogates) rather than original tional communication”.19 documents.25

As is noted by Grimstead and confirmed by An early example of a glasnost-era archival our literature review, many of the US-Russia exchange was the meeting between US arc- library-based exchanges in the years after hivists and scholars with representatives of the 1991 coup were continuations of these the main Archival Administration of the Soviet-era exchange arrangements— Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1986 in especially “given the persisting budgetary order to delineate “areas of cooperation and problems and inadequate book distribution exchanges between the soviet Archives and

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American archival institutions”.26 These in the previous section. Sadly, we suspect areas included the Exchange of Specialists in that, even into the first decade of the 2000s, the Field of Archival Affairs, Exchange of the establishment of an information tech- Publications on Archival Affairs, Joint Do- nology infrastructure that would support cumentary Exhibitions, and Access of Re- such collaborative digitization projects was searchers to Archives.27 Subsequent to this hard to establish “within a transitional, eco- meeting, Allen and Baumann note many nomically chaotic, and only partially demo- other visits by US archival delegations, up to cratized political milieu.”30 the 1991 coup.28 4. The CSU Fact-Finding Delegation and Although somewhat outside of the scope of Visits to Saratov-Area Repositories, Sep- our literature search, mention should also be tember 2008 made of the web-based ArcheoBiblioBase (http://www.iisg.nl/abb/rusfed.php) As mentioned in the introduction to this hosted by the Netherland’s International article, preparations for the 2008 fact-finding Institute of Social History and spearheaded delegation to Saratov were two years in the by US-based Patricia Kennedy Grimsted. making and were preceded by several visit- This massive database contains a listing of ing delegations from the Saratov area. regional and provincial archives throughout Through a lead from a former CSU alumnus the Russian Federation with bibliographies and member of the State Board of Agricul- of available finding aids to Russian Federa- ture (now the Board of Governors), CSU tion collections. Reflecting the fluidity of administrators were alerted in early 2006 Russian politics, the database notes that, that there was potential for an academic co- operation between CSU and SSU to facilitate “…the present listings encompass adminis- access to significant historical documents trative-territorial units for Subjects of the from heretofore closed archives in the Sara- Russian Federation as of January 2008. tov area that documented the Volga German However, with the recent abolition of some experience in Imperial and Soviet Russia. ‘autonomous okrugs’ the full implementa- Ensuing talks with this former board mem- tion of corresponding archival arrangements ber and a locally-based doctoral student and have not yet been carried out. Researchers expatriate alumnus of SSU laid the ground- interested in those regions should anticipate work for reciprocal exploratory visits be- further archival changes and should try to tween SSU and CSU delegations to examine get in touch with local authorities…to verify future academic, archival, and agricultural current arrangements”.29 cooperation between the two institutions. Support for this unique endeavor was wide- Through conversations with colleagues both spread, both within Colorado and the Rus- stateside and in Russia we are aware that sian Federation. As then-Senator Ken Sala- large-scale microfilming projects of Russian zar noted to SSU Rector Dr. Leonid Kosso- genealogical materials have taken place in vich and copied to the Honorable Vyaches- the years after the 1991 coup—notably by lav V. Volodin, Vice Chairman of the Feder- church historians working with the Church al Duma of the Russian Federation on April of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mor- 28, 2008, mons) in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Sama- ra Province. Little mention of these micro- “…the more citizens and institutions…of filming projects was found in our literature different countries can work together, the review. Our review also revealed little men- better we are able to understand each other tion of digitization of local collections con- and, more importantly, jointly solve global ducted by Russian repositories in collabora- problems and challenges. Academic institu- tion with US repositories. This is unders- tions are ideally suited for these kinds of tandable, especially given the dire economic partnerships and exchanges.” conditions in post-1991 archives mentioned

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Subsequent to these interactions, on August While we encountered desecrated Volga 29, 2008, SSU formally announced the crea- German churches in ruins off the main tion of its International Center for Russian- roadway in Grimm’s cemetery, where the German History and Cultural Studies. A majority of recent graves and metal Ortho- week later, on September 2, 2008, the CSU dox crosses memorialized deceased Rus- Faculty Council authorized the creation of sians, we encountered a circular Volga CSU’s International Center for German- German tombstone with a well-worn date of Russian Studies (ICGRS). So it was that the death indicating the year 1786. The ob- stage was set for our small delegation to viously dire economic straits of the area “journey to Saratov” in mid-September. The were sobering, but the kindness and good composition of this delegation was some- nature of our hosts and the area residents what unique as it mixed two university ad- we encountered was heartwarming. ministrators (the Vice Provost for Strategic Outreach and Planning and the Interim 4.1 Records of Interest in Saratov-Area Reposi- Dean of the College of Agriculture/Director tories of the Agricultural Experiment Station) with two members of the faculty from different— In preparing for our visits to Saratov-area but complementary—disciplines, history repositories, we were especially interested and archival/library science. in confirming the presence of the following documents that are of high importance to After 32 hours of travel, including a domes- documenting German Russian culture: tic flight out of Moscow on a Soviet-era YAK plane that had seen better days, the delega- • Imperial Government Records of the tion arrived at Saratov’s regional airport and Chancellery for the Supervision of was escorted by interpreters to the appro- Foreign Settlers (Kontora/Tutel- priately-named “Oasis Hotel”. After a Kanzlei Records): The Russian Kon- morning press conference with the Rector of tora (Tutel-Kanzlei in German), Saratov State University (where the CSU- founded in 1766 and lasting until SSU joint university strategic partnership 1870, was the office of supervision was officially announced), the CSU adminis- over foreign settlers such as the trators toured agricultural research exten- Volga Germans. Kontora officials sion sites in rural areas of Saratov province provided colonists with land, ma- to discuss possible research and develop- terial goods and building permits; ment initiatives, while SSU historians es- they also were responsible for giv- corted the CSU faculty delegates to a cluster ing approval for the most basic ele- of villages that were once former Volga ments of settler life—including German colonies on the western hill side of moving residence and marriage. the Volga River, including Beideck, Schil- The Kontora also acted as a conflict- ling, Krasnoarmeisk (Balzer), and Grimm settling office. (Kamenskii). • Imperial Provincial Records: Sara- This was an important preamble to our tov government materials pertain- week-long visit to area archives and reposi- ing to passports issued from 1870 to tories, and reinforced the strong influence of 1917. We were also looking for any Volga German culture on the region. In ad- provincial governmental records dition to learning that a chilly wind— that would document economic, reminiscent of the winds of eastern Colora- agrarian, and social life in the com- do and the Great Plains—blows across the munity—as well as general census Volga Steppes, we discovered sturdy wood- records. en and brick hip-roofed houses that had been built by 19th century settlers and were • Soviet-Era Records: We were look- currently inhabited by Russian villagers. ing for information on the Volga

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German Autonomous Soviet Social- • Miscellaneous Photographs, Maps, ist Republic (lasting from 1918- Blueprints, Ephemera 1941), as well as any records docu- menting Stalin’s drive for collectivi- • Monographs related to Volga Ger- zation of agriculture and the depor- man culture (primarily at the SSU tation of the Volga German popula- Library) tion to Siberian gulags starting in August 1941. We were hoping to While we had a list of “items of interest”, it find documentation of the Cold War is important to note that, for the most part, experience of the Soviet Union’s we had no idea whether we would find remaining German-speaking citi- these materials in the repositories that we zens, as this has been a period lost were slated to visit. Although we knew that, in mystery since all such records realistically speaking, the whirlwind nature were classified/closed until the era of our weeklong visit meant that we were of glasnost in the late 1980s. only going to get a “gist” of each reposito- ry’s holdings, we had determined that we • Religious Records: We were looking would attempt to get a general assessment for any records that would shed of the volume of materials held at each one light on the religious life of the Vol- that we visited and the general condition ga Germans such as: and arrangement of items with an eye to- wards preservation needs, facilitating de- o Records of the Protestant Con- scription and access to collections, joint aca- sistory –Lutheran, Reformed, demic research possibilities, and the digiti- and Mennonite Churches zation potential of select items. In some cas- es, we were more successful than others in o Records of the Roman Catholic achieving our assessment goals—although Diocese of Tiraspol (Kherson): getting exact figures for materials footage It was our understanding that and items held usually remained elusive. the Bishop of Tiraspol was re- What we found, though, in all cases, was sponsible for oversight of all that the directors and staff of the reposito- Russian Catholics in the em- ries that we visited were friendly and ex- pire—save those of Polish ance- cited about our visits, intensely curious stry. Although Tiraspol was in about our professional opinions and out- the Black Sea Area (currently look, and immensely proud of their collec- Moldova—the would-be inde- tions. Initial reserve often gave way to open pendent state between the bor- and relaxed rapport—especially between der of Ukraine and Romania), the director and staff of the GASO archives. we understood that copies of these records had been kept in 4.2 The V. A. Artisevich Zonal Scientific the “safety” of Saratov Provin- Library, Saratov State University cial archives---away from the vulnerable borderlands prone to Our visit to the SSU Scientific Library was invasion by non-Russian Ger- primarily to meet with librarians and IT mans. staff to discuss the possible digitization of German-language publications salvaged o Local Protestant and Catholic from the Engels (Poskrovsk) library of the Parish Records: We were on the former Volga German Autonomous Soviet lookout for any birth, confirma- Socialist Republic (1918-1941) after the de- tion, marriage, and death certif- portation of the Volga German population icates from the Volga German to Siberian gulags. We also wanted to ex- villages surrounding Saratov. plore the possible involvement of Scientific Library staff in digitizing materials within

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other regional repositories. A sampling of Catherine II, and materials on the 1773-1774 over 60 publications, representing the Scien- Pugachev uprising in the Saratov region. tific Library’s larger German-language print After viewing these selected materials, we holdings, was arranged on a table for us to were invited into the stacks in order to gain examine. some comprehension of GASO’s massive collections of materials on the Volga Ger- While at the library, we were also privileged mans, including administrative, village, and to view SSU’s Rare Book Room and its im- parish records for Saratov Province, from pressive collection of antique and rare books the Saratov Gubernia, the Zemstvo (provin- and drawings, many of which dated from cial assembly), and the Duma. Of major the 18th and 19th centuries. A pleasant sur- significance are GASO’s 1173 files of Konto- prise was the tea party—complete with sa- ra materials dating from 1766-1780, as re- movar and plates of cookies—set up for us ported by N. Shirova in an e-mail attach- in one of the Scientific Library meeting ment to the authors, 31 January 2010, trans- rooms. This gave us the opportunity to chat lation A. Kuraev-Maxah. We have since with the director and IT staff and answer learned that GASO has recently published questions about technical services, digitiza- an annotated inventory of Kontora records tion projects, and fundraising initiatives for as a result of a two-year collaboration with libraries and archives in the United States. German scholars. The director and staff seemed especially in- trigued by some of our recent outreach and As we examined such historic materials in events at CSUL, including the traveling ex- the archival stacks with mounting excite- hibits that we have set up for the Agricul- ment, emotion, and appreciation, a lively tural and Natural Resources Archive at discussion spontaneously evolved about Denver’s National Western Stock Show, the professional archival procedures, the pre- annual fundraiser for the Water Resources servation of valuable historical sources, aca- Archive, and “Friends of the Library” events demic research in archives, and the reputa- highlighting Special Collection materials. tion of archives and archivists in Russia and We started to examine the make-up of the the United States. One especially poignant potential donor base of Saratov. What sort moment was when one of the authors was of individuals would the library court if directly asked if she was happy in her pro- they embarked on development and donor fession as academic archivist (to which the efforts? author replied “yes” and gave a brief de- scription of what made her happy on a daily 4.3 The State Archive of Saratov basis). The authors sensed the subtext of (GASO) and the State Historical Archive of this question might be related to the issues the Volga Germans in Engels (the “Engels mentioned by writer Bolotenko as outlined Archive”) in the previous section. We were deeply moved by the connection we felt toward We paid extensive visits to the State Archive Director Shirova and her staff and the mu- of (GASO) and Engels Arc- tual academic and archival respect that was hives—the region’s two largest repositories displayed by all. of Volga German materials—on two sepa- rate days over the course of our week-long Our cordial host and guide at the Engels visit to Saratov. At GASO we formally met archive was Sveta Gotsko, who first led us Director Natalia Shirova and her archival to the reading and museum rooms, where staff who had prepared for us an initial and we viewed display cases containing Volga fascinating viewing of significant archival German historical documents, photographs, and special collection items, including mar- and paintings, and then into the repository’s ginalia from a 16th century Bible that first new addition which houses the bulk of ma- mentioned the existence of Saratov, docu- terials documenting Volga German history, ments bearing the signatures of Empress culture, and politics. One item of particular

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interest was the original manuscript of the 4.4 The State Archive of Contemporary 1916 diaries of Jakob Dietz, a Volga German History of Saratov Oblast (GANISO/“KGB who served in the State Duma in the years Archives”) prior to the First World War and the 1917 Russian revolutions. In addition to the visits mentioned above, we made an all-too-brief, somewhat im- We understood Ms Gotsko to say that the promptu, late-afternoon stop at the State bulk of the materials from Engels were es- Archive of Contemporary History of Saratov pecially important in documenting the 1917- Oblast (GANISO), which contains the for- 1941 era covering the Russian Revolutions, mer Communist Party and KGB archives. the subsequent 1918-1921 Civil War, and the After meeting formally with Director Anato- two decades of the Volga German Auto- lii Gerasimov and his assistants, we were nomous Soviet Socialist Republic from 1918 ushered into the stacks, where we were through the Stalinist deportation of 1941. courteously shown ranges of Communist Thus the Engels archive is a very important Party records and individual membership repository of material on the early- to mid- identification cards once belonging to Volga 20th century experiences of the Volga Ger- Germans during the 1918-1941 era of the mans in the Saratov region. As Director Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist I.N. Komarov noted during his presentation Republic. Several dozen photographs of at CSU’s Inaugural Conference on German local residents and villages taken during this Russian Studies, “[The] State Historical Arc- era were also laid out for us to see, presum- hive…was closed for researchers for a long ably part of a larger collection of visual ma- period of time and therefore at- terials. Unfortunately we penetrated no fur- tracts…attention because its resources are ther into this archive’s holdings, since it was poorly studied.” Director Komarov also by now closing time and we could not help noted that “[a]bout 180,000 files (out of but be aware that we were keeping staff 229,000 files stored in the archive) are the from getting to their homes. Despite the documents on the history of the Volga rushed nature of our visit, we found Direc- Germans.”31 tor Gerasimov cordial and curious to hear about life on the High Plains. Interestingly enough, we have since discov- ered that the Engels archive has significant 4.5 Initial Observations Regarding Our holdings documenting the historical agra- Russian Colleagues’ Receptiveness to Digi- rian activities of Saratov-region residents, tal Initiatives versus Print-Based Initiatives which complement the holdings in our Agricultural and Natural Resources Archive One of the chief benefits of being “on site” at CSUL. In addition to documents con- in Saratov was a clearer understanding of tained within the Fond of Administration of the significant challenges faced by our Rus- National Accounting (1918-1941), which sian counterparts—best demonstrated by contains statistical information on animal our sense of the varying levels of enthu- stock, fruit plantations, crop condition and siasm for proposed collaborative digitiza- drought, the Archives’ Fond of the People’s tion initiatives versus creation of print-based Commissariat of Agriculture contains in- inventories. While digitization of local col- formation on “field-seeding, harvest-works, lections has been a major thrust of ARL in- land measuring works and reclamation stitutions during the 2000s and is a major works, [and the] development of forestry” goal of CSUL, there appeared to be a polite .32 Thus, between the CSUL archives and reticence on the part of our some of our the Engels archive we have an exciting con- Russian colleagues to entertain conversation tinuum of documentation on the rural tradi- regarding creation of digital collections, and tions and practices of Colorado’s “Germans more eagerness to steer our conversations from Russia” and their Volga German an- towards discussions of material surveys cestors. leading to published inventories. The au-

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thors speculate that there may be a variety through a collaborative project with neigh- of issues, perhaps, at work with regards to boring institutions or cultural heritage socie- what we sensed during our 2008 visit. One ties—and the entrepreneurial monies we may be the focus on preservation and de- hope to raise through for-profit projects scription of materials—rather than open sponsored through the proposed German- public access to materials—that has tradi- Russian Research Assistance Center (LLC) tionally been the case in educational pro- will help make Saratov’s valuable collec- grams for Russian archivists and in reposi- tions available via the web. Outreach activi- tories throughout the Federation. Another ties, as outlined in the next section, are also factor might be that there still remains an important goal through which we hope “much work to do” just in identifying and to heighten awareness of repository hold- describing the thousands upon thousands of ings in Saratov and perhaps raise funds previously-closed documents housed in Sa- from US donor contributions that will facili- ratov repositories. tate digitization and improve the plight of our archival colleagues. This said, our Sara- A third factor may be the funding potential tov colleagues have, fortunately, started to that inventories and registries—sometimes procure some funding to enhance the infra- printed with a eye towards translation— structure of their repositories—most notably promise for cash-strapped Russian reposito- demonstrated in the new building addition ries, many of which have, ironically, faced at the Engels archive and the purchase of much harder times after the 1991 coup than copiers and computers, funded by monies before. While there definitely is a scholarly, from the German Federal government and academic, and altruistic desire amongst our the private donations of U.S. donors of colleagues to disseminate information that is German-Russian ancestry. publicly and freely accessible, there is also the realistic and very understandable desire 4.6 Conversations with SSU Academics to find more immediate sources of profit and Our Presentation to the Association of that could go to enhancing the infrastructure Researchers of the History and Culture of of repositories (materials, computers, build- the German Russians (Moscow) ing maintenance, heating) as well as the sal- aries of staff. Thus, we suspect that the In addition to our visits to Saratov-area re- strong desire for scholarly discourse and positories we also spoke with numerous cultural exchange sometimes runs in conflict academics, both in Saratov and Moscow, with very basic economic needs and daily about research projects related to Volga practicalities. This is, perhaps, most true for German culture. This included participation librarians and archivists working in provin- in a round robin meeting with SSU faculty cial repositories, especially since 1993 when from the departments of History, Linguis- the Russian Federation’s “Law on Culture” tics, Sociology, and Theology, as well as the decentralized administration of funding privilege of being invited as “honored from one federal source to many regional guests” to the annual conference of the As- governments. After the passage of the law, sociation of Researchers of History and Cul- funding levels for Russian Federation libra- ture of the Russian Germans in Moscow af- ries and archives “varied greatly from re- ter our week-long delegation visit to Sara- gion to region”.33 tov. After giving an impromptu presenta- tion on the nature of the ICGRS and some of Although our situation is certainly much our proposed collaborative projects, we less dire than our Russian friends and col- were struck by the high interest of the aca- leagues, the U.S. economic downturn and demicians in the technical aspects of digiti- cutbacks in state support for higher educa- zation, archival methodology, and German- tion in Colorado have made us especially Russian related materials held in our special empathetic to this plight. It is our wish and collections. We also saw significance in the goal that future grant funding—perhaps fact that members of this association in-

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cluded archival directors as well as re- demic Symposium and a one-day Public searchers and scholars from many provinces Forum. of the Russian Federation, Belarus, the Ukraine and the German Republic. The 5.1 Academic Symposium rapport we established with these research- ers and scholars set the stage for further The Academic Symposium offered an op- scholarly interaction leading up to our Con- portunity for American, Russian, and ference on German-Russian Studies, held at Ukrainian academics and archivists to meet the end of June 2009. one another and share information in their respective specialties of German-Russian 5. The ICGRS Inaugural Conference on history, anthropology and archival-library German-Russian Studies (“From the Rus- science. Topics of presentations included sian Steppes to the American Plains”), June “The Religious Heritage and Russian- 2009 German Churches Along the Volga River”, “The Black Sea Germans of the Dakotas and As noted in our recent report to CSU’s Fa- the Volga Germans of Colorado and the culty Council Committee on University Pro- Central Plains”, “The Volga German Auto- grams we believe that one of the most sig- nomous Republic and Deportation of 1941”, nificant achievements of ICGRS activities to “Russian-German Archival Sources and Ma- date has been its hosting of the Inaugural terials in Saratov”, “Information Technology Conference on German-Russian Studies: From Opportunities and Prospects: Researching the Russian Steppes to the American Plains, the Germans from Russia in North America held at Colorado State University in late and South America”, and “The CSU Ger- June of 2009.34 mans from Russia Special Collections and Digitization Projects”. Preceded by numerous organizational and planning meetings, the ICGRS was able to 5.2 Public Forum bring and host seven Russian and Ukrainian academics and archivists as speakers to this The Public Forum featured more informal conference, as well as a half dozen American presentations by all the Academic Sympo- scholars, archivists, librarians, and media sium speakers, plus media and video dem- specialists from CSU and North Dakota onstrations and a presentation from CSUL State University. Prior to the conference, colleagues on workflow and metadata issues CSUL hosted an opening reception where involved in digital projects. The Forum our Russian and Ukrainian guests had a drew an appreciative audience of over one chance to mingle with CSU administrators hundred attendees. and faculty, local-area politicians, a repre- sentative from Colorado Senator Mark The opportunity to make an international Udall’s office, and members of the German- audience aware of their academic research Russian community. Prominent at this pre- and scholarship proved particularly signifi- conference event was an exhibit of archival cant to many of our invited guests, as all items from the Sidney Heitman Germans from Saratov academics and archivists had li- Russia in Colorado Study Project Collection as mited interaction with the international aca- well as a display of surrogates of documents demic community and next to no contact housed in Saratov repositories and photo- with the Western public from the years 1941 graphs of Volga German buildings in the to 1991. Of special note, too, is the fact that Saratov region, taken by a journalist for the the Directors of the GASO and Engels Arc- Saratov Regional Media Complex. CSU hive, Natalya Shirova and Ivan Komarov, President Tony Frank and SSU Rector Leo- had not had the opportunity to travel out- nid Kossovich formally opened the confe- side of the Russian Federation until this con- rence, which consisted of a one-day Aca- ference. Finally, the conference offered an opportunity for Saratov-area archivists and

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SSU administrators to discuss their shared that Russian federal law forbids the sale and goals regarding the SSU-CSU Strategic Part- transfer of cultural heritage objects to for- nership and begin to explore a possible eign entities—and that our project is in- coordinated policy towards the publication tended to be collaborative with, and collegi- of materials related to the Volga Germans. al towards, our Russian colleagues, as well as facilitative to the numerous Russian re- Although we had hoped to hold a follow-up searchers we have met. We have had lively conference in 2010, the dip in funding due to exchanges with local constituencies about the global economic downturn and the the challenges and the large amounts of pre- pending issues of project planning (includ- planning involved in large-scale digitization ing the crafting of contracts and agreements) projects—especially one spanning two coun- have prevented us from holding a confe- tries and two cultures. rence this year. We hope to remedy this situation in time to have our next conference We have learned much from our interac- within the next two years. tions with local residents and have enjoyed hearing stories of their experiences and her- 6. Outreach to Local Constituencies and itage, as well as appreciated their support Heritage Societies/Project Fundraising for our activities.

6.1 Presentations to Local Constituencies 6.2 Meetings with Representatives of German-Russian Heritage Societies Throughout the course of our project we have felt it important to reach out to local In addition to our outreach efforts we have residents who have expressed interest in our strived to be respectful of the bonds already Center and pending projects—especially forged by German-Russian Heritage Society those of German-Russian ancestry. In addi- representatives and Saratov-based research- tion to the Public Forum held at last year’s ers and genealogists. In this respect in Au- Inaugural Conference, the authors created a gust 2009 the ICGRS hosted day-long dis- PowerPoint presentation (entitled “Journey cussions with Colorado chapter representa- to Saratov”) which they have given to local tives and board members of the American constituencies and chapters of heritage so- Historical Society of Germans from Russia cieties during the spring of 2009. This fall (AHSGR), including the current AHSGR we are planning to update our PowerPoint, President Jerome Siebert. Both parties ex- as we have been asked give further presen- pressed a willingness to engage in future tations to a variety of Colorado audiences. collaboration on German-Russian topics of mutual interest. As mentioned in the introduction to this article, we have found it necessary to main- Correspondence and discussion regarding tain a fine balance in explaining the academ- ICGRS and AHSGR cooperation have con- ic objectives of ICGRS-proposed projects tinued in the spring and summer of 2010. A while respecting the more general genealog- second meeting with President Siebert in ical interests of local constituencies. Un- March 2010 resulted in more focused con- derstandably, in their excitement about the versations and further investigation into the project and the potential to conduct genea- translation and possible future publication logical research using documents hitherto of two “designated projects”, one regarding “closed”, many local residents come to our a monograph by SSU historian, Arkadiy presentations with the impression that the German, entitled The Bolshevik Power and entire holdings of Saratov-based repositories German Autonomy on the Volga, 1918-1941. will be physically transferred to CSUL. This cannot be a realistic outcome of our project. In addition to discussing standard archival ethics and practices, we have had to explain

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6.3 The German-Russian Research Assis- • Work with partners on Center fund- tance Center (LLC) ing. • Publish in scholarly journals the re- While it is beyond the scope of this article to sults of material inventories and re- discuss it in great detail, we would like to search. make mention of the German-Russian Re- • Become a focal point for scholars search Assistance Center (LLC) that has working on the unique history and been conceived as a for-profit arm of the culture of German-Russians over ICGRS. In the tradition of CSU’s recent re- three centuries on three continents. search-based entrepreneurial enterprises, it • Hold public lectures and events to is the goal that the LLC would create for- highlight special facets of research. profit items related to our international aca- demic projects that could allow additional Intellectual property and copyright issues, stipends and funding for our project re- language and translation challenges and searchers and staff in the Russian Federa- changing policies within the Russian Feder- tion. In our service to local constituencies, ation regarding research and cultural herit- we also hope that the LLC will be able to age objects and reforms in higher education assist local area residents in their genealogi- have all played roles in the fine tuning of cal needs. A former member of CSU’s State some of our objectives. The global economic Board of Agriculture with ties to the region- downturn and sluggishness in our state’s al farming community and Denver-based economy has also slowed the pace of fund- businesses has been working on putting to- ing for some of our projects. Also because gether the details of the LLC, with input of the historic differences in US and Russian from members of the ICGRS academic archival methodology, practice, and policy board, the ICGRS administrative director, we feel that we need to continue our dialo- and staff from the Office of the Vice Presi- gue with our Saratov-based colleagues dent for Outreach and Engagement (former- about their wishes (and what they perceive ly the Office of the Vice Provost for Out- to be the benefits and challenges of our pro- reach and Strategic Planning). posed joint digitization initiatives) before any specific project workflow for digitiza- 7. Next Steps and Lessons Learned tion projects is planned. One of the most important lessons we have learned so far As we noted in our recent biennial review of has been the lesson of humility—as we rea- the ICGRS, the original list of goals and ob- lized we needed to put aside the digital- jectives of the Center contained these ambi- centric sensibility that we cultivate at CSUL tiously proposed activities: to understand the operational, economic, and historic reasons behind the print-based • Inventory and digitize original ma- sensibilities of our Russian colleagues. terials on German-Russian com- munities housed in Saratov provin- With that said, here are a few “next steps” cial repositories and create global and short term activities planned for the public access to these digitized ICGRS. items. • Create an academic collection of on- 7.1 MOUs and International Agreements line resources (i.e., papers and pro- of Cooperation/Investigation of Grants ceedings) in partnership with the Colorado State University Libraries One important “next step” that we have and Saratov State University. been working on is the drafting of an IMOU • Develop archival and international Addendum between SSU and CSUL to study opportunities for CSU and create a set of standards and protocols for Russian partner faculty and stu- future digitization projects. We are also dents. working with CSU legal counsel to draft an

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“International Agreement for Implementa- and labeled in English in order that they tion of Cooperation” outlining protocols for may be ingested into the CSUL digital repo- ICGRS joint academic research projects and sitory with the proper accompanying meta- publications. In addition to these activities, data. We also plan to digitize selected pro- we are also researching possible grant fund- ceedings and presentations from the June ing for our projects that could augment the 2009 Inaugural Conference on German-Russian external donor funding that we have re- Studies. ceived to date. • Updating the ICGRS Website and 7.2 Digital Projects Adding Links to Holdings in CSUL Special Collections During a 2009 meeting with his Presidential Council for the Development of the Infor- Our ICGRS website mation Society, Russian Federation Presi- (http://outreach.colostate.edu/GRcenter/index. dent, Dmitry Medvedev “stressed the need asp) is our principal source of communica- for the digitisation of the resources of major tion and information about our ongoing ac- archives, museums, and libraries”.35 Thus, tivities. In addition to sections on meetings digitization of cultural heritage materials for with visiting scholars and representatives of the purposes of preservation and access has German-Russian heritage organizations, we become a priority for government officials in have narratives on our delegation visits, a way not previously seen in the Russian postings of “future events”, and a selection Federation. This bodes well for future col- of photographs documenting activities. As laborative digitization efforts—both on a a short term project we plan to add links to national level between Russian institutions related German-Russian sites. and on an international level as well. Currently there are over 100 books and mo- As part of our collaborative digital initia- nographs listed in the CSUL online catalog tives we hope to see the day when we will under the term “Russian Germans”. We are have the equivalent of an online finding aid planning to provide a list of these items on to a collection in a Saratov repository, linked the ICGRS website. at the item level to the digital object. While we are optimistic that such a day will come, 7.3 Research and Scholarship Using Arc- we have come to learn that there is much hival Materials/Future Publications groundwork to be laid before this becomes a reality. Collaborative analysis of equipment Joint academic board members from CSU and staffing needs, and condition assess- and SSU have held numerous conversations ment of items needs to take place before di- and planning sessions concerning collabora- gitization commences. We also need to ex- tive academic research and publication, fo- amine workflow and quality protocols, as cusing on feasible “short term” projects as well agreed-upon description standards, well as a few desired “long tem” projects. with our Russian colleagues. Due to these The following is a listing of a few of our realities, we have downscaled our digitally- proposed short term research and publica- based projects for 2009 to include the follow- tion projects: ing: Monographs • Loading of Conference Papers and Photographs into the CSUL Digital • Translation and publication of a Repository monograph by SSU historian, Arka- diy German, The Bolshevik Power and We have approximately 500 photographs of German Autonomy on the Volga, 1918- Saratov-area villages, churches, and cultural 1941, originally published in Rus- sites which currently are being identified

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sian, Saratov 2004. (Also mentioned ments from Saratov-area archives. It is our in Section 6.2) understanding that Saratov historians and archivists have initiated such a project but Annotated Inventories that it has lapsed for lack of funding.

• Publication of a research project by 8. Conclusion: The Challenges and Re- GASO archive director Natalya Shi- wards of Our Journey to Saratov rova and GASO archivists entitled Annotated Inventory of the Fond of the Since the professional career of one of the Kherson Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical authors was long conditioned by the tense Consistory, 1801-1864, translated by atmosphere of the Cold War era the fact that A.S. Bolshakova, originally pub- we could actually journey to Saratov in 2008 lished in Russian, Saratov, 2008. was in itself remarkably stimulating. Our welcome in Saratov by academics and arc- • Publication of a research project by hival hosts eager to interact and willing to Saratov historian Olga Litsenberger cooperate proved to be emotional and hum- and former Engels archive director bling. Our visits to colleagues in libraries, Elisabeth Erina, An Annotated Inven- archives, and Volga German villages opened tory of the Files of the Collection of up exhilarating research possibilities both Documents of the Roman Catholic academic and archival. Our challenges to Churches, 1789-1934, translated by convert the promises of our collaborative A.S. Bolshakova, originally pub- partnership are still existent. After the eu- lished in Russian, Saratov, 2009. phoria come the years of work at hand to bring some of our proposed projects to reali- Photographs and Visual Materials ty.

• Publication of a research project Modern archives management involves a proposed by SSU historian Arkadiy variety of skill sets including knowledge of German and SSU graduate students copyright, project management, digitization documenting the photographic his- technology, preservation, budget analysis, tory of selected Volga German vil- creation of agreements, and diplomacy—all lages (Grimm, Balzer, Norka, Frank, of which has been in play during this Hussenbach). project. Much of what has been drawn upon during this project is “what they don’t • Publication of a scientific research teach you in school”. Flexibility, a sense of project by SSU researcher A.N. humor, a thick skin, and a ability to “go Bashkatov, Study of the German Lega- with the flow”—as well as cultivating the cy in the : A Photo Pres- art of knowing when to refocus and “down- entation. size” goals when necessary—have been es- sential for participants in this project. Not • Creation of a DVD presentation all days have been easy, nor have all meet- produced and written by Saratov ings gone smoothly. regional media specialist and histor- ical researcher Elena Sofinskaya, We have tried to stress throughout this ar- Voga Heimat Legacy: The Germans ticle that our collaborative project is a “work from Russia. in progress”. This said, we hope that others might gain information about the vast A desirable longer term research project re- wealth of primary source materials in Rus- peatedly contemplated would be collabora- sian regional repositories and glean some tion on a history of the Saratov Kontora ideas about potential international collabor- (Chancellery) of Foreign Settlers, 1766-1876 ative projects they could consider for their accompanied by images of selected docu- own institutions. The authors have learned

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much from each other, and have been great- son’s, Adventures in Russian Historical Re- ly enriched by their interactions with new- search, pp. 139-152. found friends and colleagues, both stateside and abroad. This is probably the best re- 7 Ivan N. Komarov, “State Historical Arc- ward of our collaborative endeavor. hive of Volga Germans in Engels: [A] Gol- den Source of Information on the History, Endnotes Genealogy, and Culture of German Colon- ists in Russia of 1767-1941.” Translated by 1 See the following articles by Patricia Ken- Ivan Kuraev. Presentation at the Inaugural nedy Grimsted: “Lenin’s Archival Decree of Conference on German-Russian Studies, 1918: The Bolshevik Legacy for Soviet Arc- June 2009, [1]. hival Theory and Practice.” American Archiv- ist 45, no. 4 (Fall 1982): 429-43 and “Increas- 8 In addition to Grimsted’s Archives and Ma- ing Reference Access to Post-1991 Russian nuscript Repositories see the following ar- Archives.” Slavic Review 56, no. 4 (1997): ticles: Frank G. Burke, “Soviet-American 718-59. See also “Historical Survey [Part 2]: Archival Exchange Meeting in Moscow.” “The Development and Organization of American Archivist, 50, no. 2 (Spring 1987): Archives Since 1917” in Grimsted’s Archives 254-61.; Francis X. Blouin, “Moscow State and Manuscript Repositories in the USSR: Mos- Historico-Archival Institute and Archival cow and Leningrad (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Education in the USSR.” American Archivist University Press,1972), pp. 23-60. A quick 51, no. 4 (Fall 1988): 501-11.; and George Bo- mention of the Decree of 1918, as well as a lotenko, “ Frost on the Walls in Winter: Rus- thorough description of the structure of sian and Ukrainian Archives Since the Great Glavarkiv—the central administrative arc- Dislocation (1991-1999).” American Archivist hival unit of the USSR prior to 1991—can be 66 (Fall/Winter 2002): 271-302. found in Marie Allen and Roland Bau- mann’s “Evolving Appraisal and Accession- 9 Blouin, ”Moscow State Historico-Archival ing Policies of Soviet Archives.” American Insitute,” 506. Archivist 54 (Winter 1991): 96-111. 10 See Natalya Basovskaya, “The Russian 2 Grimsted, Archives and Manuscript Reposito- State University for the Humanities: A New ries, 23. Home for Archival Scholarship in Russia.” American Archivist 55 (Winter 1992):128-29. 3 Ibid., 24. 11 Blouin, “Moscow State Historico-Archival 4 See Grimsted, Archives and Manuscript Re- Insitute,” 510. positories ; Allen and Baumann, “Evolving Appraisal and Accessioning.” 12 See two recent articles by John V. Richard- son: “Recent Developments in the Russian 5 See author reminiscences in Samuel H. Ba- Far East: The State of Education for Libra- ron and Cathy A. Frierson, eds., Adventures rianship.” Journal of Education for Library and in Russian Historical Research: Reminiscences Information Science, 44, no.2 (Spring 2003): of American Scholars from the Cold War to the 137-52, and “Education for Librarianship in Present. (Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, the Russian Far East: An Update on the Vla- 2003). See also “Procedural Information divostok State University of Economics and [Parts 3 and 4]: Access to Records; Applica- Services.” Journal of Education for Library and tion for Archival Work” in Grimsted’s Arc- Information Science, 47, no. 2 (Spring 2006): hives and Manuscript Repositories, pp. 70-79. 160-64. See also: Natalia Donchenko and Irina Kerzum, “Between Slump and Hope: 6 Donald J. Raleigh “A Journey from St. Pe- Library and Information Science Education tersburg to Saratov.” in Baron and Frier- in Russia.” The International Information & Library Review 38 (2006): 181-4.

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13 Richardson, “Recent Developments in the 23 Michael Dowling, “Aid to Struggling Li- Russian Far East,” 143. braries in the South Caucasus.” American Libraries (September 2005): 24-5. 14 Bolotenko, “Frost on the Walls,” 275. 24 See Natasha Lyandres, Natasha and Olga 15 For mention of Russia’s 1993 “Law on Leontieva, “Developing International Cata- Culture” see Ellen Knutson, “New Realities: loging Standards for Archival Holdings: Libraries in Post-Soviet Russia.” Library Rosarkiv-RLG-Hoover Project, 1994-1997.” Trends 55, no. 3(2007): 716-29. American Archivist 61 (1998): 441-452.

16 Bolotenko’s account of the personal strug- 25 Burke, “Soviet-American Archival Ex- gles of Russian archivists during the 1990s is change,” 258. one of the most poignant found in our litera- ture search. For various accounts of hard- 26 Ibid., 254. ships in Russian libraries during the later years of glasnost (1988-1991) see Dennis 27 See “Protocol of the Commission on Arc- Kimmage, ed., Russian Libraries in Transition: hival Cooperation between the American An Anthology of Glasnost Literature (Jefferson, Council of Learned Societies and the Main NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1992). Archival Administration of the USSR Coun- cil of Ministers for 1987-1988” included in 17 In addition to articles already cited by Burke, “Soviet-American Archival Ex- Burke; Blouin; Allen and Baumann; Bolo- change”, pp. 257-259. tenko; and Richardson, see the following: Roxanne B. Mendrinos, “Inside Russian Li- 28 See footnote in Allen and Baumann, braries: An Information Technology Pers- “Evolving Appraisal and Accessioning,” 97. pective.” American Libraries (June/July 1998): 78-80.; Eric Johnson, “The American 29 ArcheoBiblioBase: Archives in Russia On- Corners Program in Russia: Building Suc- line http://www.iisg.nl/abb/rusfed.php cessful Partnerships.” International Leads 16, (accessed June 6, 2010). no. 4 (2002): 1-2,8.; David Grimes, “Turning Corners: American Librarians in Post-Soviet 30 Grimsted, “Increasing Reference Access,” Russia.” American Libraries (October 2003): 749. 56-8.; Susan Leach-Murray, “To Russia … with Books, Archives, and Libraries.” Indi- 31 Komarov, “State Historical Archive of ana Libraries 25, no. 1 (2006): 36-8.; and Sha Volga Germans in Engels,” [1]. Zhang, “From North Carolina to Russia.” International Leads 22, no.1 (2008): 6. 32 Ibid., [5].

18 Margaret S. Olsen, “The More Things 33 Knutson, “New Realities,” 719. Change, the More They Stay the Same: East- West Exchanges, 1960-1993.” Library Re- 34 International Center for German-Russian sources & Technical Services 39, no.1 (1995): 5. Studies. Biennial CIOSU Review: International Center for German-Russian Studies. Internal 19 Ibid., 11. University report to the Colorado State Uni- versity Faculty Committee on University 20 Grimsted, “Increasing Reference Access”, Programs, February 2010, 6. 747. 35 Website of the 21 See Johnson, ”American Corners Pro- http://www.kremlin.ru/eng/sdocs/theme gram”; Grimes, “Turning Corners”. s.shtm (accessed February 12, 2009).

22 Johnson, “American Corners Program”, 1.

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Additional References: Dowling, Michael. “Aid to Struggling Libra- ries in the South Caucasus.” American Libra- Allen, Marie B., and Roland M. Baumann. ries (September 2005): 24-5. “Evolving Appraisal and Accessioning Poli- Grimes, David. “Turning Corners: Ameri- cies of Soviet Archives.” American Archivist can Librarians in Post-Soviet Russia.” Amer- 54 (Winter 1991): 96-111. ican Libraries (October 2003): 56-8.

Baron, Samuel H. and Cathy A. Frierson, Grimsted, Patricia K. “Increasing Reference eds. Adventures in Russian Historical Research: Access to Post-1991 Russian Archives.” Slav- Reminiscences of American Scholars from the ic Review 56, no. 4 (1997): 718-759. Cold War to the Present. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2003. Grimsted, Patricia K. “Beyond Perestroika: Soviet-Area Archives after the August Basovskaya, Natalya. “ The Russian State Coup.” American Archivist 55 (Winter 1992): University for the Humanities: A New 94-124. Home for Archival Scholarship in Russia.” American Archivist 55 (Winter 1992): 126-31. Grimsted, Patricia K. “Lenin’s Archival De- cree of 1918: The Bolshevik Legacy for So- International Center for German-Russian viet Archival Theory and Practice.” Ameri- Studies. Biennial CIOSU Review: International can Archivist 45, no. 4 (Fall 1982): 429-43. Center for German-Russian Studies Internal university report to the Colorado State Uni- Grimsted, Patricia K. Archives and Manu- versity Faculty Committee on University script Repositories in the USSR: Moscow and Programs, February 2010. Leningrad. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Universi- ty Press, 1972. Blouin, Francis X. “Moscow State Historico- Archival Institute and Archival Education in Heitman, Sidney. Germans from Russia in the USSR.” American Archivist 51, no. 4 (Fall Colorado. Ann Arbor, MI: University Micro- 1988): 501-11. films International, 1978.

Bolotenko, George. “ Frost on the Walls in Johnson, Eric. “The American Corners Pro- Winter: Russian and Ukrainian Archives gram in Russia: Building Successful Partner- Since the Great Dislocation (1991-1999).” ships.” International Leads 16 , no. 4 (2002): American Archivist 66 (Fall/Winter 2002): 1-2,8. 271-302. Kimmage,Dennis, ed. Russian Libraries in Bridges, Edwin C. “The Soviet Union’s Arc- Transition: An Anthology of Glasnost Litera- hival Research Center: Observations of an ture. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, American Visitor.” American Archivist 51, Inc., 1992. no. 4 (Fall 1988): 486-500. Kloberdanz, Timothy J. and Rosalinda Klo- Burke, Frank G. “Soviet-American Archival berdanz. Thunder on the Steppe: Volga German Exchange Meeting in Moscow.” American Folklife in a Changing Russia. Lincoln, Ne- Archivist, 50, no. 2 (Spring 1987): 254-61. braska: American Historical Society of Ger- mans from Russia, 1993. Donchenko, Natalia and Irina Kerzum. “Be- tween Slump and Hope: Library and Infor- Koch, Fred C. The Volga Germans in Russia mation Science Education in Russia.” The and the Americas, From 1763 to the Present. International Information & Library Review 38 University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State (2006): 181-4. University Press, 1977.

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Komarov, Ivan N. “State Historical Archive Richardson, John V. “Recent Developments of Volga Germans in Engels: [A] golden in the Russian Far East: The State of Educa- source of information on the history, gene- tion for Librarianship.” Journal of Education alogy, and culture of German colonists in for Library and Information Science, 44, no.2 Russia of 1767-1941.” Translated by Ivan (Spring 2003): 137-52. Kuraev. Presentation at the Inaugural Con- Richardson, John V. “Education for Libra- ference on German-Russian Studies, June rianship in the Russian Far East: An Update 2009. on the Vladivostok State University of Eco- nomics and Services.” Journal of Education Knutson, Ellen. “New Realities: Libraries in for Library and Information Science, 47, no. 2 Post-Soviet Russia.” Library Trends 55, no. (Spring 2006): 160-64. 3(2007): 716-29. Rock, Kenneth. “ ‘Unsere Leute’: The Ger- Leach-Murray, Susan. “To Russia… With mans from Russia in Colorado.” The Colora- Books, Archives, and Libraries.” Indiana do Magazine, LIV, no. 2 (1977): 155-83. Libraries 25, no. 1 (2006): 36-8. Rosefielde, Steven and Stefan Hedlund. Rus- Long, James W. From Privileged to Dispos- sia Since 1980 .New York: Cambridge Uni- sessed: The Volga Germans, 1860-1917. Lin- versity Press, 2009. coln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1988. Vaganov, Fyodor M. “Archival Affairs in the USSR.” American Archivist, 51, no. 4 (Fall Lyandres, Natasha and Olga Leontieva. 1988): 481-86. “Developing International Cataloging Stan- dards for Archival Holdings: Rosarkiv-RLG- Williams, Hattie P. The Czar’s Germans: With Hoover Project, 1994-1997.” American Arc- Particular Reference to the Volga Germans. Lin- hivist 61 (1998): 441-452. coln, NE: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1975. Mendrinos, Roxanne B. “Inside Russian Libraries: An Information Technology Pers- Zhang, Sha. “From North Carolina to Rus- pective.” American Libraries (June/July sia.” International Leads 22, no.1(2008): 6. 1998): 78-80.

Olsen, Margaret S. “The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: East- West Exchanges, 1960-1993.” Library Re- sources & Technical Services, 39, no.1 (1995): 5- 21.

Raleigh, Donald J. “A Journey from St. Pe- tersburg to Saratov.” In Adventures in Rus- sian Historical Research: Reminiscences of American Scholars from the Cold War to the Present, edited by Samuel H. Baron and Ca- thy A. Frierson, 139-152. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2003.

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