Beyond approval plans: Methods of selection and acquisition of books in Slavic and East European languages in North American libraries

Collecting and acquiring Slavic and Eastern European (EE) print materials for North American libraries is a complicated task. Many university and public libraries rely on vendor approval plans to build their Slavic collections. But non-approval-plan-based (NAPB) collecting methods are also an important way to enrich library collections with non-mainstream materials such as books from remote regions, books by alternative and small publishers, or grey literature. Based on a questionnaire, this article provides an overview of contemporary collecting practices for Slavic materials in North American libraries, emphasizing the value of book fairs, buying trips, exchanges, gifts, independent book agents, North American foreign-language bookstores, and online bookstores for the creation of strong comprehensive and specialized Slavic collections.