Summary guide to the Leeds Russian Archive
Archival collections
Catalogue database
The Leeds Russian Archive Catalogue database contains records for the majority of the 500 or so archival collections, but some records are incomplete (lacking, for instance, item numbers) and a few are in draft form.
Material has been catalogued at the item level, which in some cases results in long descriptions dense with numerals (indicating, for instance, the number of documents, their dates and their item numbers).
Hard copy published catalogues
Four major collections are not represented in the catalogue database, but paper catalogues are available:
- Leonid Andreev Collection, published in 1984
- G V, R N and George Lomonossoff Collections, published in 1988
- Ivan Bunin, Vera Bunina, Leonid Zurov and Ekaterina Lopatina Collections
- Zemgor Collection, unpublished listing 2004
Library Catalogue
Individual collection descriptions are also available through the Library Catalogue.
Collection of Printed Books
The Leeds Russian Archive collection of printed books has been listed in chronological order of acquisition and the majority are on the main Library Catalogue. Work is ongoing.
Access to the Bunin, Bunina and Zurov collections
The University of Leeds is responsible for the administration of the Bunin, Bunina and Zurov collections as bodies of documents, and of the copyrights and intellectual property rights associated with them, which extend to material written by Bunin, Bunina and Zurov held by individuals and repositories elsewhere.
The rights of the Bunin Estate have been routinely violated by publishing copyrighted works letters without permission. As a result, requests for access to the Bunin, Bunina and Zurov collections should be made in writing well in advance of any proposed visit to Leeds and should be addressed to the Leeds Russian Archive at Special Collections.
Additionally, the Leeds Russian Archive is initiating a series of collaborative scholarly editions of large portions of the Bunin and Bunina collections, including the material Dr Greene drew on for her Ustami Buninykh. The latter will therefore not be generally available to researchers until the publications in question have appeared.