New Open Access Resource: “‘Handbook for European Studies Librarians’ Provides Practical Guidance And Fosters Collective Knowledge”

From the University of Minnesota Libraries:

The “Handbook for European Studies Librarians,” a new open-access book published by the University of Minnesota Libraries, is now available to read online as an e-book or to download as a PDF.

The handbook is intended to serve as a practical guide for academic librarians, library and information staff (LIS) professionals, and scholars. The handbook’s authors draw upon their own deep expertise — based on hundreds of individual research consultations — to help librarians without specialized knowledge of Europe and Eurasia confidently answer research queries and get up to speed on resources for collection development.

Additionally, it delves into current trends in the European Studies librarianship field, as well as recommendations for diversifying library collections.

The handbook addresses a crucial gap in the field, as co-editor Brian Vetruba notes. “No European Studies librarian comes into their job knowing all regions and aspects of Europe. There was a point in my librarian career where I could have used this [handbook].”

While anyone with computer access can do research in English and find resources independently, explains co-editor Dr. Heidi Madden, effectively utilizing these resources requires highly specialized knowledge. For example, to answer a reference query about statistics, a librarian must know how individual countries gather statistics, and which are excluded from European-wide aggregators. And while anyone can find primary sources in translation, the only way to lay out the primary source landscape needed by the researcher is to use catalogs and other resources in the vernacular languages and from the regions.

The authors of the handbook help readers step into these huge and often unfamiliar research areas, providing context and guidance to help librarians know where to start when faced with questions by researchers in these fields.

The handbook is split into 30 chapters in three parts:

1. “Resources and Tools for Regions of Europe”
2. “Resources on Underrepresented Groups in Europe”
3. “Current Issues in European Studies Librarianship”

Chapters in part one include information about the publishing landscape, collection development tools including domestic and international vendors, and disciplinary resources such as journals, databases, and catalogs. Part two addresses strategies for diversifying collections with discussions of primary sources and other core materials related to underrepresented groups. Finally, part three covers current issues and trends in European Studies librarianship, providing introductory readings, resources, and takeaways.

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