Free year-round service of the University of Illinois Slavic and East European Library. The Slavic Reference Service handles bibliographic and reference questions in the humanities and social sciences from individuals and libraries. Great for highly specialized queries and locating difficult-to-find resources.
From the SRS website:
Answer information queries. If you are in need of a specific piece of information, we will be glad to try to answer your query. We will use print and online resources in our searches. We also assist patrons with their questions on the use of East European and Cyrillic fonts and keyboards on the Internet.
Identify and lend materials in our collection. Identify libraries that hold materials you need. We will search to find libraries in the U.S. and Western Europe that can lend or copy the title you need if it is not in our collection.
Correct citations. Oftentimes, titles are not fully or correctly cited in the existing bibliographic literature. Our staff are trained to search for the correct form of the citation, ensuring that you get the material you need.
Order materials. If you need a specific title and it is not held in the United States, we will order a microfilm copy. When the film is received, we will notify you. You will then be able to borrow the film or order a copy to be made.
Offer a free federally funded service that acts as a clearing house for people seeking information on the Slavic world in the areas of the social sciences and humanities.
Suggest reference materials you might find relevant for your work. Unfortunately, we cannot be held responsible for the completeness or accuracy of Internet information. We do not compile bibliographies on specific topics (see below).
Charge a fee. The Slavic Reference Service is a federally funded agency. There is no charge for our reference services. However, we are not a document delivery service. Should you need a copy of some material from our collection you will be directed to our Interlibrary Loan Department for further information.
Obtain certain kinds of materials, specifically archival materials and full text of dissertations. Dissertation abstracts can be obtained.
Recommend particular books on a topic. We are all reference librarians with subject expertise in a variety of areas. None of us are experts in all areas. Our expertise lies in our familiarity with bibliographic material. Therefore, we are not qualified to suggest a specific book in a subject area over some other work.
Supply detailed genealogical information. Our library is not equipped to handle detailed genealogical requests. We will be happy to identify place names, try to identify maps.