Online Romanian Directories at the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress has digitized Romanian directories from 1923-4, 1937, 1938, 1958, and 1959 and made them available to the public via the links below:

1. Anuarul "Socec" al României-Mari = "Socec" Annuary of the Great-Roumania. Bucuresti: Editura "Socec & Co." Soc. Anon. (LC call number: DR286.A1A6; in European Division)

This two-volume address book for organizations and businesses throughout Romania was intended to be an annual but appears to have been published for the first time around 1923 as the 1923-24 edition, and later reprinted as editions for 1924-25 and 1925-26, but with no changes except for altering the edition years on the cover and title page. It stands as the most complete survey of Greater Romania during the interwar period.

The Library of Congress's copy of Volume I, (Capitala) is the edition reprint with front cover dates 1925-1926 (title page date is simply 1925), though it most likely reflects information compiled around 1922-23. It covers Bucharest only, and its several parts have separate paginations, adding up to nearly 1,000 pages. Some 50,000 officials, professionals, and tradesmen are included. Part I lists government offices, directors, and upper management. Part II lists "Diverse Institutions" - religious, cultural, charities, schools, public assistance, hospitals, the press, societies, and circles and clubs. Part III, the largest section, covers commerce, industry, and the professions, including businesses, owners, professors, teachers, etc; it is preceded by a subject index in English, French, German and Romanian. The finding aid for Volume I provides further detail.

The Library of Congress's copy of Volume II, (Provincia) is the edition reprint dated 1924-1925, though, like Volume I, it most likely reflects information compiled around 1922-23. It covers the rest of Romania other than Bucharest. Its several sections have separate paginations, adding up to over 2,200 pages. Nearly 350,000 officials, professionals, tradesmen, landowners, etc., are included. It begins with Part IV, Provinces of the Old Kingdom. Part V concerns The New Roumanian Annexed Provinces - Bucovina, Transilvania, Banat, Crisana, Maramures, Basarabia. These parts are arranged by judet, then by city or commune. It lists organizations, businesses, directors, owners, etc. It concludes with indexes of the villages and towns listed in the volume. The finding aid for Volume II provides further detail.

The website Search Engine for Online Historical Directories (http://kalter.org/search/) includes a search box for the Socec directory, which it calls "Romanian Business and Organizational Directory," volumes I/II. Of the three ways offered for searching the Socec directory, "OCR-Adjusted" usually retrieves far more matches than "Regular" or "Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex," although each method may retrieve matches not found otherwise.

No published citation or description of this work has been identified by the recommending officer for Romanian materials at the Library of Congress. Additional information would be appreciated and should be directed to Grant Harris, (grha@loc.gov).

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20078205001ab.2 (Page-turner version)

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20078205001ab.1 (.pdf version)

Dated August 1937 (updated through June 15, 1937), this is the earliest volume held by the Library of Congress of the annual telephone directory for Bucharest and the surrounding county (judet) called Ilfov. It provides residential and organizational listings. The residential listings, arranged alphabetically by last name, cover digital images 151-434 (original page numbers 145-428). That section numbers approximately 2,250 individual telephone subscribers. An alphabetical index to commerce, industry and the professions (Comerţ, industrie, şi profesiuni. Index alphabetic) covers digital images 19-22 (original page numbers 17-20), followed by the organizational listings themselves on digital images 23-145 (original page numbers 22-143).

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20080225001ab.2 (Page-turner version)

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20080225001ab.1 (.pdf version)

Dated August 1938 (updated through June 15, 1938). Annual telephone directory for Bucharest and the surrounding county (judeţ) called Ilfov. It provides residential and organizational listings. The residential listings, arranged alphabetically by last name, cover digital images 149-429 (original page numbers 1-281). That section numbers approximately 33,500 individual telephone subscribers. An alphabetical index to commerce, industry and the professions (Comerţ, industrie, şi profesiuni. Index alphabetic) covers digital images 21-24, followed by the organizational listings themselves on digital images 25-147 (original page numbers 2-123).

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20080317003li.2 (Page-turner version)

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20080317003li.1 (.pdf version)

Covers cities throughout Romania. An index to cities and districts is available on image numbers 27 and 28.

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20080317002li.2 (Page-turner version)

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20080317002li.1 (.pdf version)

These directories are also linked to the corresponding entry in the Library of Congress online catalog. The presentation is via "page-turner" display or searchable .pdf. Searching is not entirely reliable, and thus results should be confirmed manually by turning to the appropriate page. The .pdf files also have bookmarks leading to each lettered section.

Questions about directories from Romania at the Library of Congress should be directed to Grant Harris, Head, European Reading Room (grha@loc.gov).

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