At the opening of 1970 the chief of the Slavic and Central European Division noted in his annual report, "The inauguration of the near-to-comprehensive acquisitions arrangements under the National Program for Acquisitions and Cataloging and Public Law 480 necessitated a fundamental rethinking of this philosophy and the formulation of new techniques and procedures. At present these programs are operative in major sectors of our area assignment — Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Germany, the USSR and Yugoslavia — and further extensions are feasible in the near future." With these new programs the Division continued its high-level of acquisitions from its regions of responsibility. Also becoming an important topic in the annual reports in this decade is automation and how it will enhance the Division's work.
On July 31, 1978, the Slavic and Central European Division became the European Division, and the Division's area of responsibility was expanded to include France and Italy, the Benelux countries, and the Nordic countries, as well as the enclaves of San Marino, Monaco, and the Vatican City.
The chiefs of the Slavic and Central European Division in the 1970s were Sergius Yakobson (1951–1971), Paul Horecky (1972–1977), and David H. Kraus (Acting) (1978–1982).
Below are images of selected items acquired by the Slavic and Central European Division during 1970-1979.
Varavīksne. Volumes acquired in the 1970s. Library of Congress General Collections.
Image of Nikola I of Montenegro, from an 1897 issue of Bosanska vila. 1897. Acquired in 1973. Library of Congress General Collections.
The speech of Yugoslav immigrants in San Pedro, California. Acquired in 1973. Library of Congress General Collections.
Rabotnitsa i si︠a︡li︠a︡nka. Acquired in the 1970s. Library of Congress General Collections.
