Overviews of the Collections

Albanian Collections at the Library of Congress

Grant Harris
Head, European Reading Room

Summary

The Library of Congress has more than 13,500 volumes of monographs, annuals, and bound periodicals from or about Albania, covering nearly all disciplines. Most of the materials were published from 1950 to the present. Special collections contain additional materials, such as rare books, maps, music scores, sound recordings, motion pictures, microfilm, manuscripts, and newspapers.

The European Reading Room

The European Reading Room's reference collections include approximately 200 volumes pertaining to Albania, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, histories, biographical directories, bibliographies and other reference sources. In addition, the reading room makes available for onsite use numerous bibliographic databases and full-text resources, many of which contain citations or texts pertaining to Albania.

Monographs

The vast majority of the collections are single- and multi-volume monographs, comprising approximately 12,000 volumes. Fewer than 15 percent of these titles were published before 1950, mostly in Western Europe and the United States. Over 85 percent were published from 1950 to the present, mostly in Tirana. In the 1950s, the Library received an average of 35 monographs per year. This number has steadily increased - current receipts average 350 monographs per year from or about Albania, with 80 percent published in Albania. The collections are particularly strong in history, language and literature. The humanities, social sciences and natural sciences also are well represented.

Special Collections

The Library's special collections include maps, prints and photographs, motion picture and recorded sound, and sheet music. Because the items in these collections are not all separately listed in the Library's online catalog, readers and researchers should contact the appropriate reading rooms for advice from specialists and to obtain access to additional finding aids.

Many Library of Congress collections have been digitized and are available online. For photographs and other images, see Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. For maps, see Map Collections.

Law

Address/Telephone Directories from Albania at the Library of Congress

The Library has several retrospective Albanian telephone directories. These are described in the above link.

Annuals and periodicals

Newspapers

The Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room has the Albanian-language newspapers listed below. The first four are large-circulation dailies or weeklies in the 1990s/2000s. Most of the titles listed after those are papers established in the 1940s, several of which have ceased publication.

Koha jonë (Tirana, established 1991). Daily. LC began receiving this paper in 2001. In the late 1990s/early 2000s it had the largest circulation among Albanian newspapers.

Republika (Tirana, established 1991). Semi-weekly. LC has microfilm for March 10, 1991 through 1998, under Mic. no. 3580.

Rilindja demokratike (Tirana, established 1991). Semi-weekly, then tri-weekly, then daily. LC has microfilm for January 16, 1991 through 1998, under Mic. no. 3586.

Zeri i popullit (Tirana, established August, 1942). Microfilm available for November 21, 1948; and incomplete holdings for February 13, 1949 through 1998 (but no holdings for 1983, Jan-June 1989, Jan-April 27, 1992, or 1995), under Mic. no. 0006.

Laiko vema (Gjirokastër, established May 25, 1945). Weekly or semi-weekly. LC has incomplete holdings for the original paper edition, from May 25, 1945 through January 18, 1947; and January 1956-December 1961; under Bd. no. 3. LC also has microfilm from January, 1963 through 1984, and May-December 1985, under Mic. no. 0003.

Bashkimi (Tirana, established late October or in November, 1944). Daily. LC has microfilm of November 28, 1944; fairly complete holdings for December 25, 1944 through May 31, 1947; January 6-February 11 and March 2-December 31, 1948; January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1953; February 2, 1954-1988; 1990-1991, under Mic. no. 0004. Continues Bashkimi i kombat - see entry immediately below.

Bashkimi i kombat (Tirana, established November 28, 1943). Daily. LC has incomplete holdings from November 28, 1943 to October 29, 1944, under Mic. no. 0004. Continued as Bashkimi - see entry immediately above.

Illyria (Tirana). Usually weekly. LC has the paper edition for January 11-April 18, 1936, under Bd. no. 6.

Luftetari (Tirana, established May 1, 1945). Usually semi-weekly. LC has the original paper edition, incomplete holdings for May 1, 1945 through April 23, 1949; complete holdings for October 3-December 30, 1954; and in 1955 the following 5 dates: January 1 and 30, and April 3, 7, and 10; all available under Bd. no. 7.

Puna (Tirana, established May 1, 1945). Sometimes semi-weekly. LC has the paper edition, incomplete holdings for May 1, 1945 through December 31, 1946; January 9, 1948 through March 12, 1949; January 7, 1950 through December 29, 1961; all available under Bd. no. 8. LC has microfilm holdings for January, 1962 through 1990 under Mic. no. 5.

Rinia (Tirana, established 1944?). Irregular, then semi-weekly, then weekly, then semi-weekly again. LC has the original paper edition, incomplete holdings for July 18, 1945 through November 15, 1946; complete holdings in 1948 for Apr 10 and April 18-25; incomplete holdings for January 1 through July 5, 1950; and incomplete holdings for February 17, 1951 through December 30, 1953; all available under Bd. no. 9.

Sporti popullor (Tirana, established 1945). Weekly. LC has the original paper edition, complete holdings for January 19, 1955 through December 26, 1956; available under Bd. no. 10.

Tomori (Tirana, established 1940). Daily. LC has incomplete microfilm holdings for September 1, 1940 through February 28, 1941, available under Mic. no. 1327. In Albanian and Italian.

Zeri i rinise (Tirana, established 1942). Semi-weekly. LC has original paper edition for February 3, 1954 through December 30, 1961, under Bd. no. 13; and microfilm for January 1962-1973; 1975-1985; February 18, 1987 - February 24, 1988; and May 2, 1990 - December 1991, under Mic. no. 0007.

An emigre newspaper of note:

Dielli = Sun. (Boston, established 1908). Weekly, in Albanian and English, sponsored by Pan Albanian Federation of America, "Vatra." Microfilm available for 1908-1983, under Mic. no. 2263.

Related material on the Library of Congress website: Selected Internet Resources: Albania. This annotated portal describes more than 150 websites that inform about Albania. It features websites of U.S. government offices, websites produced in Albania, and websites produced anywhere that have a singular focus on Albania. Part of the Library's Portals to the World project.