LibGuides: Slavic Studies: Russian Studies

Welcome to Russian Studies!

Welcome! Добро пожаловать! This section of the LibGuide is for students seeking more information on the Russian language, Russian studies, and research in Russian libraries/archives.

Even during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, you can use these resources to stay connected to Russia and the Russian world.

Research Resources

Libraries and Archives

State Libraries and Archives

Dokusfera
Russian National Library's open access electronic library. Interface available in English but most sources in Russian.
Manuscript Collection (Russian State Library)
A large digital repository of Church Slavic manuscripts and early printed books from various libraries. In Russian.
Presidential Library Digital Collections
Thematic collections of digitized material, relating to Russian politics and politicians. Navigable in English and in Russian, sources in Russian.
Russian National Library (Digital Library)
The Digital Library provides simple and efficient access for local and remote users to the most valuable and rare documents from our collections. It allows readers to quickly obtain the publications they need, including large-format maps, atlases, newspapers. Interface in English, most sources in Russian.
Russian National Library (Online Catalogue)
The online catalog of the Russian National Library, including some digitized items. In Russian.
State Public Historical Library
Digitized historical Russian journals, newspapers, magazines, and more. In Russian.

Research Tools and Guides

Guide to Russian Electronic Resources
Guide published by the University of Illinois.
Yandex
Russia's top search engine, featuring Google-style tools including maps, translation, news, etc.

Digital Collections: History and Politics

Blavatnik Archive
Vast online archival collection pertaining primarily to the history of Soviet Jews. Interface in English, source language varies.
Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System Online
Digital collection consisting chiefly of summary transcripts of interviews conducted with refugees from the USSR during the early years of the Cold War.
ImWerden
A free access, independently operated electronic library of literary, historical, philological, and reference works. Also includes a collection of audio and video recordings of authors reading their own work. In Russian.
National Security Archive
GWU's National Security Archive features a Russian language interface and an extensive collection of Russian archival documents and declassified CIA documents.
Stalin Digital Archive
Documents, images, and archival material pertaining to the life of Joseph Stalin. Interface in English, sources mostly in Russian.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collections
Digital collections of the USHMM. Many sources pertain to Soviet/Russian history and experience of WW2 and the Holocaust.
Wilson Center Audio Archive of Russian and Soviet History
Online archive of audio files compiled by the Wilson Center. Material in English and Russian.

Digital Collections: Film, Literature, and Culture

ArtDoc Theater
Archive of documentary films made in countries of the former USSR since the early 2000s. Films in various languages, some require a small payment to view.
MosFilm
Online archive of one of the major Soviet film production studios. In Russian.
Odesa Film Studio
Official YouTube channel of the oldest Soviet film studio. Features films in Russian, mostly without subtitles.
Russian Classics
Collection of Russian literature available online in the original. Requires Brown login.
Russian Film Hub
Wide selection of Russian and Soviet films with English subtitles. Some films are not available in the US.
Russian Theatre Designs from the Harvard Theatre Collection
Soviet and Russian Cinema Online
Low-cost (but not free) service offering hundreds of Soviet and Russian films. All available with English subtitles.
Tamizdat Project
Online archive of contraband literature published outside of the USSR, 1950-1990. Interface in English, sources in Russian.
UbuWeb
Includes a collection of Russian avant-garde sound experiments and modernist poets reading their work.

Institutions and Organizations

American Association of Teachers of Slavic and Eastern European Languages
Society for advancing the study and promoting the teaching of Slavic and East European languages, literatures, and cultures on all educational levels, elementary through graduate school
Association for Women in Slavic Studies
Association of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Primary professional organization for the study of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. Organizes annual conference and offers generous research and study funding.
Gulag Museum
H-Russia
H-Net community focusing on the study of Russia.
Museum of the Political History of Russia
Pushkin State Museum
State Hermitage Museum
Victory Museum (WWII)

Russian Language

Russian-English/English-Russian Dictionaries

Linguee
Dictionary and translation examples in context.
Open Russian
Dictionary including examples and grammatical forms of words.
Cambridge English-Russian Dictionary

Pronunciation, Grammar, and Conversation

TypeIt Russian
Webpage that turns Latin alphabet into Cyrillic as you type
Easy Russian
YouTube series featuring Russian conversation and listening practice.
Mezhdu nami (Between Us)
A free, web-based textbook that provides a comprehensive introduction to Russian language and culture. Co-authored by Brown professor Lynn deBenedette.
Rapid Russian
Language learning program that teaches pronunciation and sentence structure through music.
3Ears
Program that allows language learning through interactive stories and videos. Available in Russian, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Ukrainian.

Russian News Resources

BBC Russian
British Broadcasting Company's Russian-language coverage.
Dozhd TV (Rain TV)
Independently owned, Moscow-based TV channel. In Russian.
Echo of Moscow
Russian-language radio broadcaster based in Moscow. Independent, but majority owned by state-affiliated Gazprom Media.
Meduza
Riga-based aggregator and producer of Russian news content. Mostly in Russian, some content available in English.
The Moscow Times
An English-language online-only newspaper.
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
News organization that broadcasts and reports news, information and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Funded by the U.S. Government. Content available in English.

Reference Sources

Some circulation of reference materials has been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To access these materials, please contact library staff and we will be happy to help you!