A Note to Researchers
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of the African & Middle Eastern Reading Room. |
With the African and the Hebraic Sections of the African and
Middle Eastern Division, the Near East Section moved into magnificently
renovated quarters in the historic Thomas Jefferson Building in
the spring of 1997. As a result, the section now offers the researcher
a calm refuge in which advanced studies may be accomplished and
where an extensive collection of reference works dealing with
the Arab world, Armenia and Georgia, the Iranian world, Turcica,
Central Asia, and the Middle Eastern heritage within the United
States can be consulted.
The section boasts specialists who are trained in the languages
and cultures of each of these areas. A significant part of their
duties is dedicated to active acquisition of research materials
published in both the vernacular and other languages. Working
hand in hand with the African and Middle Eastern Acquisitions
Section of the Acquisitions Directorate, with book vendors, and
especially with the Library of Congress Overseas Offices in Cairo,
Karachi, and New Delhi, these specialists shape their respective
custodial collections during their stewardship and direct the
growth and preservation of the individual collections, while also
opening access to them. The section has often benefited from the
active participation of members of the communities it serves in
the acquisition of materials vital to the health and maintenance
of its vernacular collections, and it appreciates such involvement.
As skilled guides to these valuable research materials, the section's
specialists provide reference and research guidance to Congress,
to their representative communities, to the public, and to representatives
of U.S., Near Eastern, and other governments. Active reference--in
person or via letter, fax, e-mail, or telephone--is an integral
part of their duties to the institution and to the nation. Through
these specialists, the section has created and hosts ongoing professional
seminars, annual lecture series, topical exhibits from items in
its collections, and academic symposia. The section welcomes reference
inquiries and offers of assistance with its acquisitions mandate.
The relevant addresses are
Near East Section
African and Middle Eastern Division
Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Building, Room 220
Washington, D.C. 20540-4820
Phone: 202 707-5421
Fax: 202 252-3180
E-mail: amed@loc.gov
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