Online Catalogs and Russian Newspaper Bibliographies

*American Red Cross in North Russia. Garden of the governor's mansion in Archangel.* 8 January 1919. American Red Cross Collection. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

Researching Russian newspapers often requires the use of sources beyond the newspapers themselves. The first step is to identify the newspaper, which library holds the title, and what years or issues are available. That may seem obvious, but if the newspaper has a common title such as Slovo, Izvestiia or Pravda, there could be many such titles which an online catalog or reference book can help distinguish. Below are descriptions of selected resources providing bibliographic information of Russian newspapers. Online catalogs are described first, followed by sections for general printed bibliographies of Russian newspapers, bibliographies of émigré newspapers, and bibliographies specific to the Library of Congress collections. Most of these sources trace information about editors, corporate bodies, changes to publication locations, and dates of issue. Some go further and describe the history and political orientation of the newspapers.

In the body of this guide each entry for a title in the Library of Congress collections may list a bibliographic source used to verify first and last dates of publication. Most of those sources are integrated below along with additional materials on the topic of Russian newspapers. The more general printed bibliographies are indicated with abbreviations in parentheses, such as (LPIPI) for Letopis' periodicheskikh i prodolzhaiushchikhsia izdanii, whereas certain classic bibliographic tools are identified by their well-known compilers, such as Lisovskii for his landmark bibliography of 19th century Russian periodicals. In cases of online catalogs or websites which have been used as bibliographic sources, a link to the source is given within the actual entry, but most are also annotated below with more details.

Online Catalogs

Although the first source consulted for newspapers in the Library of Congress collection is the Library of Congress Online Catalog, online catalogs from libraries in Russia are extremely helpful because of their thoroughness. Any research library in Russia will have more comprehensive collections of Russian newspapers than what is available in research libraries in the United States. The catalogs most useful in the preparation of this guide are described below.

Gazety i zhurnaly RNB ot A do IA: Newspapers and Periodical of the Russian National Library from A to IA External
For chronological and alphabetical access to digitized Russian newspapers from the collections of the Russian National Library. Thousands of digitized newspapers are available via this catalog, sometimes with links to external digital collections. Search in Cyrillic or use the calendar or alphabet guide.
Svodnyi katalog gazet Rossii (1703-1917) External
This is a union catalog of pre-revolutionary Russian newspapers showing the titles and holdings of several major libraries in Russia, including the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg, the Russian State Library in Moscow, and the State Public Historical Library in Moscow. Search in Cyrillic.
State Public Historical Library External
This online catalog has three databases, all of which contain records for newspapers and periodicals: Catalog of Titles up to 2000; Catalog of Titles from 1996-2010; and Catalog of Non-Traditional Press. Many of the more obscure titles in the Library of Congress holdings were identified in Catalog of Non-Traditional Press. Search in Cyrillic characters.
Katalog gazeta: Russian State Library External
The Russian State Library in Moscow is the largest library in Russia and it has an outstanding newspaper collection. The catalog of newspapers has both current and historical titles and includes detailed holdings of most titles. It also includes many of the "independent press" titles from the glasnost'/perestroika era. For identifying Russian newspapers this catalog is the first source to use. Search in Cyrillic.
National Library of Russia: Periodicheskie i prodolzhaiushchiesia izdaniia na russkom, ukrainskom i belorusskom iazykom External
The National Library of Russia is the second largest library in the country. Its wealth of resources are discoverable through its many online catalogs. This catalog of Periodika does not include newspapers, but it may be useful for research in cases where the format of a periodical is not clear. In addition to bibliographic records, holdings information for a particular title also are available. Search in Cyrillic.
Russian Historical News Sources External
Slavic librarians from the East Coast Consortium of Slavic Collections in the United States compiled this helpful guide to locating digitized newspapers from Russia, including instructions on how to search one of the major Russian databases of Russian digital newspapers.

General Newspaper and Periodical Bibliographies

Below are sources that can be used to verify bibliographic information for Russian newspapers. The sources are arranged chronologically by dates of coverage. Each era has its most comprehensive print bibliography. For pre-1900 it is Lisovskii's Russkaia periodicheskaia pechatʹ. For the period 1900-1916, the most comprehensive source is Beliaeva's Bibliografiia periodicheskikh izdanii Rossii. For the Soviet era, Gazety SSSR 1917-1960 is the most comprehensive, but after 1960 the bibliographies become more fragmented with coverage for only a few years or just one year, requiring the use of many different volumes. Also included here is a bibliography of bibliographies for Russian periodicals, a description of the index to Russian/Soviet newspaper articles, and several older compilations of Russian newspapers held by various U.S. libraries.

After the section on General Periodical Bibliographies is a section devoted to diaspora newspaper bibliographies, followed by descriptions of several printed bibliographies of newspapers in the Library of Congress collections. For all titles, follow the links for fuller bibliographic descriptions in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digitized versions are provided when available.

Russkaia periodicheskaia pechatʹ: bibliografiia i graficheskiia tablitsy by Nikolai Mikhailovich Lisovskii
Call Number: Z6956.R9 L39
Published/Created: 1915
Additional record for this title: https://lccn.loc.gov/44052820
Electronic copy: Feb-Web External
Lisovskii's landmark bibliography is still useful today, because it arranges the entries chronologically by first date of publication. Also provided are indexes and charts elucidating the growth of periodical publishing in pre-revolutionary Russia.
Svodnyi katalog serialʹnykh izdaniĭ Rossii. 1801-1825 by T.B. Rebrieva (ed.)
Call Number: Z6956.R9 S946 1997
Published/Created: 1997-2006 (3 volumes to date)
Although this work overlaps Lisovskii, it is far more detailed with rich information about editors and contents, including indexing of the contents for each volume. Many entries also have citations to read more about the periodical under discussion. To date it is still incomplete for 1801-1825 and it is unclear if the project will continue with titles published after 1825. A unique feature is the union listing that provides holdings of multiple libraries in Russia. Each volume has an index for article titles. Although this is primarily for journals, some titles that might be considered newspapers are included.
Bibliografiia periodicheskikh izdanii Rossii (BPIR) by Liusiia Nikitichna Beliaeva (ed.)
Call Number: Z6956.R9 L353
Published/Created: 1958-61 (4 volumes)
Electronic copy: Feb-Web External
Beliaeva's multi-volume work is the natural successor to Lisovskii, covering nearly 10,000 titles from 1900-1916. Both newspapers and journals are included. The entries are arranged alphabetically by title with indexes by subject, place of publication, issuing body, and names for further access.
Russkaia periodicheskaia pechatʹ. Spravochnik by Aleksandr Grigorʹevich Dementʹev (ed.); Matvei Samoilovich Cherepakhov (ed.)
Call Number: Z6956.R9 D4; PN5274 .C43
Published/Created: 1957-1959 (2 volumes)
Electronic copy of 1792-1894: Feb-Web External
Electronic copy of 1895-Oct 1917: Feb-Web External
Although this source is not comprehensive, it is unique for its textual descriptions of the history and significance of each periodical listed, including notable contributors and editors. Entries are organized chronologically by first year of publication. Indexes for titles and names aid discovery.
Gazetnyi mir Rossii XIX - nachala XX veka: katalog dorevoliutsionnykh gazet v fondakh Rossiiskoi gosudarstvennoi biblioteki by V.N. Bulgakova et al.
Call Number: Z6956.R9 G285 2014
Published/Created: 2014 (2 volumes)
The rich newspaper collection of the Russian State Library in Moscow is the focus of this two-volume bibliography. With entries and detailed holdings for 5,247 pre-revolutionary newspapers, this work is essential for those needing to access such materials. Particularly valuable is a territorial chronological index of titles at the end of the second volume.
Russkie dorevoli︠u︡tsionnye gazety v fondakh Gosudarstvennoĭ biblioteki SSSR imeni V.I. Lenina: alfavitnyi katalog by Gosudarstvennaia biblioteka SSSR imeni V.I. Lenina. Otdel gazet.
Call Number: Z6956.S65 G67 1986
Published/Created: 1986 (5 volumes)
The Russian State Library (formerly the Lenin Library) is the largest library in Russia. This multi-volume bibliography provides holdings for their collection of pre-revolutionary newspapers. This work has been superceded by Gazetnyi mir, described above.
Russkie dorevoliutsionnye gazety v fondakh Biblioteki Akademii Nauk SSSR, 1703-1916: alfavitnyi katalog by Biblioteka Akademii nauk SSSR
Call Number: Z6956.S65 A39 1984
Published/Created: 1984 (2 volumes)
This works details holdings of pre-revolutionary Russian newspapers held in the collections of the Library of the Academy of Sciences. Note that some of these items may no longer be available due to the fire that devastated the library in the 1988. The bibliographic data are supplemented by a chronological/geographical index.
Periodicheskaia pechatʹ v Rossii v 1917 godu : bibliograficheskiĭ ukazatelʹ by Gosudarstvennaia publichnaia biblioteka imeni M.E. Saltykova-Shchedrina
Call Number: Z6956.S65 P45 1987
Published/Created: 1987 (3 volumes)
For the study of the press of the Russian Revolution, this bibliography is essential. It lists the holdings of the collection of the Russian National Library (formerly the Saltykov-Shchedrin) and provides unique details on newspaper editions published in 1917. The third volume has indexes for names, places of publication, and publishing body.
Nesovetskie gazety 1918-1922: katalog sobraniia Rossiiskoi natsional'noi biblioteki
Call Number: Z6956.S65 R67 2003
Published/Created: 2003
The Russian National Library in St. Petersburg has a substantial collection of newspapers from the Civil War era. This bibliography provides holdings in their collection for 502 anti-Soviet, anti-Bolshevik, White movement newspapers from this era. There are indexes for place of publication and names. The European Reading Room holds a microfilm set of the same name, and this bibliography also serves as an index to that collection since the individual newspapers are not included in the Library of Congress holdings in this guide.
Periodicheskaia pechat' SSSR, 1917-1949: Bibliograficheskii ukazatel' by Vsesoiuznaia knizhnaia palata.
Call Number: Z6956.R9 V8
Published/Created: 1955-63 (10 volumes)
In 10 volumes this bibliography covers Soviet periodical publishing from 1917-1949. Newspapers are not included, however some titles that a researcher might think of as a newspaper will be included. Each volume describes periodicals in a particular subject with indexes by title, lace of publication, language of publication, and issuing body to aid discovery.
Gazety SSSR 1917-1960. Bibliograficheskii spravochnik by G.L. Episkoposov (ed.)
Call Number: Z6956.R9 G34
Published/Created: 1970-84. (5 volumes)
For Soviet newspapers from 1917-1960, this is the most important and authoritative source. The first volume contains titles from Moscow, Leningrad, and capital cities of the former republics. The next three volumes have the regional newspapers arranged by title. The final volume contains indexes by place of publication, language of publication, and subject of publication.
Letopis' periodicheskikh izdanii SSSR by Vsesoiuznaia knizhnaia palata
Call Number: Z6956.R9 L36
Published/Created: 1933-1989
The volumes of this authoritative bibliography which are devoted to newspapers succeed Gazety SSSR 1917-1960. It becomes cumbersome to use as fewer years are covered in each volume, but it contains hard to find information about when titles may have ceased or changed titles. The entries are arranged by SSR and then by oblast'. Within each oblast' the titles are further divided by the extent of their coverage - oblast' newspapers, city newspapers, or raion newspapers. There are also seperate sections for military and transportation newspapers. Numerous indexes also aid discovery: titles, languages, places of publication, and subject. The coverage ends with the volume for 1981-1985, which was published in 1989.
Letopis' periodicheskikh i prodolzhaiushchikhsia izdanii. Novye, pereimenovannye i prekrashchennye izdaniem zhurnaly i gazety = Zhurnaly i gazety Rossii. Novye, pereimenovannye i prekrashchennye izdaniem (LPIPI) by Rossiiskaia knizhnaia palata
Call Number: Z6956.R9 L359
Published/Created: 1917-
This annual bibliography succeeds Letopis' periodicheskikh izdanii SSSR. It tracks new titles, title changes, and ceased titles for a given year. Journals and newspapers each have their own sections and indexes. The newspapers have indexes for subject, place of publication, and language of publication.
Gazety, zhurnaly dli︠a podpischikov Moskvy by Agentstvo "Rospechatʹ"
Call Number: Z6956.R9 G35
The latest edition of this title is available in the Russian reference collection in the European Reading Room. It is intended to provide information for potential subscribers and serves to capture the current breadth of periodical publishing in Russia. Entries are divided into sections for journals and newspapers, and then arranged by subject. Each entry provides a contact phone number for the publisher, periodicity, number of pages per issue, and the price.
Letopis' gazetnykh statei = Statii iz rossiiskikh gazet by Knizhnaia palata
Call Number: AI15 .L35; Microfilm 93/6887; subscription database
Published/Created: 1936-2014; 2015-
LC Location: Gen Coll; MERC
Part of the national bibliography of Russia and the former Soviet Union, this weekly title selectively indexes the contents of major Soviet newspapers. Minor newspapers are not included. For many newspapers and time periods, it is the only way to discover the contents of a newspaper other than looking at the newspaper itself. The entries are arranged by broad subject category, which makes the bibliography challenging to use. Each weekly issue must be consulted, but for some years there are annual indexes. Every issue or annual compilation has an author index. Because of the sheer scope of the print bibliography and the minimal additional indexes, this source for 1936-1997 is for the intrepid only. Although LGS began publication in 1936, The Library of Congress lacks some of the earlier issues. In print LC holds 1936, 1940:17, 1943, 1944-1945 [incomplete], 1949, 1955 [incomplete], 1956-present. Under call number Microfilm 93/6887 are 1953-1980.

Beginning with 1998, the Library of Congress subscribes to the database Russian National Bibliography (onsite access only), which contains Letopis' gazetnykh statei from 1998 through 2014, plus its succeeding title Statii iz rossiiskikh gazet from 2015 to the present. It is much easier to use in a searchable database, but still has little subject access. With 200-300 citations per issue, it is still very selective containing significant articles from the largest newspapers only.
Obshchie bibliografii russkikh periodicheskikh izdaniĭ. by M.V. Sokurova and M.V. Mashkova
Call Number: Z2491.A1 L44
Published/Created: 1956
This work is a standard of Russian bibliography of bibliographies for Russian periodicals. It can be helpful to locate bibliographies which have been published in journals, as well as to give an overview of the field of Russian periodical bibliography.
Russian periodicals in the Helsinki University Library, a checklist. by Library of Congress. Processing Department
Call Number: Z6945.U5 R8
Published/Created: 1959
Electronic copy from Hathi Trust: http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001174965 External
The Library of Helsinki University has a deep collection of Russian materials, including scarce Russian periodicals. This bibliography could be a starting place for research into Russian newspapers, especially since it is now available in electronic form. Many of the titles listed are now included in the online catalog of the Helsinki University Library.
Soviet and Russian newspapers at the Hoover Institution: a catalog by Karol Maichel
Call Number: Z6945 .S7983
Published/Created: 1966
The Hoover Institution has a substantial collection of Russian political materials, including scarce Russian emigre periodicals. When researching emigre titles, it is often imperative to piece together information from various sources. Although many of the newspapers held by Hoover are now listed in their online catalog, sometimes a print bibliography is easier to use for identification of titles.
A list of Russian newspapers in the Columbia University Libraries by Karol Maichel and Michael Schatoff
Call Number: Z6956.R9 C6
Published/Created: 1959
Electronic copy from Hathi Trust: http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001174954 External
Presenting the Russian newspaper holdings of Columbia University Libraries, this print bibliography mostly has been superceded by the Columbia University online catalog.

Émigré Bibliographies

The most comprehensive source of Russian emigre newspapers and periodicals is Svodnyii katalog periodicheskikh i prodolzhaiushchikhsia izdanii russkogo zarubezh'ia v bibliotekakh Moskvy (1917-1996 gg.), compiled by A.I. Bardeeva. However, overall there is no one bibliography that is truly comprehensive for diaspora serials.

L'émigration russe en Europe: catalogue collectif des périodiques en langue russe, 1855-1940 by Tatiana Ossorguine-Bakounine
Call Number: Z6956.R9 B25
Published/Created: 1976
This is one of the only bibliographies of Russian émigré periodicals that includes newspapers published before 1917. It covers periodicals published by Russians in Europe, not North America, but is a fine source for identifying titles. Titles are divided into two sections: 1855-February 1917 and March 1917-1939. Entries are arranged in Cyrillic alphabetical order, with an index for names. As a union list this work also identifies libraries in Europe that hold the titles in their collections.
L'émigration russe en Europe: catalogue collectif des périodiques en langue russe, 1940-1979 by Anne-Marie Volkoff
Call Number: Z6955 .V64 1981
Published/Created: 1981
This bibliography is a continuation of the one above. It covers Russian émigré periodicals and newspapers published in Europe (not North America) from 1940-1979. Entries are arranged in Cyrillic alphabetical order, with an index for names. As a union list this work also identifies libraries in Europe that hold the titles in their collections.
Half a century of Russian serials, 1917-1968; cumulative index of serials published outside the USSR by Michael Schatoff
Call Number: Z6956.R9 S35
Published/Created: 1970-1972 (4 volumes)
Schatoff's multi-volume bibliography is often the only bibliography with details on a rare diaspora serial, although in general it is not as rich in bibliographic information as some of the other diaspora bibliographies. There are indexes for subject, country of publication, time period, and editors/publishers.
Svodnyĭ katalog periodicheskikh i prodolzhai︠u︡shchikhsi︠a︡ izdaniĭ russkogo zarubezhʹi︠a︡ v bibliotekakh Moskvy (1917-1996 gg.) by A.I. Bardeeva
Call Number: Z6956.R9 B29 1997
Published/Created: 1999
This volume is the most complete bibliography of Russian diaspora newspapers and periodicals. The bibliography is divided into two sections -- newspapers and journals. One of the features is the detailed list of holdings with issue numbers and dates. When working with émigré titles, any bit of information can be helpful to identify a title. It is held in the Russian section of the European Reading Room reference collection.
Russian Newspapers Published in the United States (Library of Congress Research Guide)
Newspapers are essential primary sources for current and historical study. This guide lists newspapers published in the Russian language in the United States held by the Library of Congress along with links to external databases and websites for expanded research.

Bibliographies of Library of Congress Holdings

These bibliographies of the Russian and East European newspapers in the Library of Congress are superceded by this guide and by the bibliographic records in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. However, these works contain some editorial information that may not appear in the online records.

A Check List of Foreign Newspapers in the Library of Congress by Henry S. Parsons. (ed.)
Call Number: Z6945.U5 C47 1929
Published/Created: 1929
Electronic copy from Hathi Trust: http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001174823 External
Parson's List provides details on the early holdings of the Library of Congress foreign newspaper collection, including Russian titles. It is helpful for tracing the development of international newspaper collecting.
Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian Newspapers 1917-1953: A Union List. by Paul L. Horecky (ed.)
Call Number: Z663.47 R85
Published/Created: 1953
Electronic copy from Hathi Trust: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001174966? External
Although this bibliography is mostly superceded by the online catalog or this guide, it can be helpful to trace the development of Russian newspaper collecting at the Library of Congress.
Newspapers of East Central and Southeastern Europe by Robert G. Carlton (ed.)
Call Number: Z6955 .U52
Published/Created: 1965
Electronic copy from Hathi Trust: http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001174904 External
Electronic copy from the Library of Congress: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20100111001ne.1 External
Although this bibliography is mostly superceded by the online catalog or this guide, it can be helpful to trace the development of East European newspaper collecting at the Library of Congress. The content is newspapers from Eastern Europe in any language, including Russian titles published in the former Eastern bloc.
Newspapers of the Soviet Union in the Library of Congress by Paul L. Horecky (ed.)
Call Number: Z6956.R9 U55
Published/Created: 1962.
(Slavic, 1954-1960; Non-Slavic, 1917-1960)
Electronic copy from Hathi Trust: http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001174962 External
Although this bibliography is mostly superceded by the online catalog or this guide, it can be helpful to trace the development of Russian newspaper collecting at the Library of Congress.
Soviet independent press 1985-1992 by Library of Congress
Published/Created: 2021
During the glasnost'/perestroika era, publishing restrictions were lessened and thousands of new periodical and newspaper titles appeared, the so-called independent press. The Library of Congress collected these materials from all over the former Soviet Union. For long-term preservation the collection was microfilmed in 2011. The contents of this collection are described in this online guide. For Russian titles the online guide replaces the printed guide from 1991.

Russian Newspapers in the Library of Congress

Online Catalogs and Russian Newspaper Bibliographies

Online Catalogs

General Newspaper and Periodical Bibliographies

Émigré Bibliographies

Bibliographies of Library of Congress Holdings