Tag Archives: Library of Congress

Journal of Lakonia Studies at the Library of Congress, Part 2

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In October 2024, I delivered the first twelve of twenty-three volumes of the Lakonia Studies journals to the Library of Congress. Last week, I delivered volumes thirteen through twenty-three. They are now housed in the European Reading Room under the supervision of Dr. Nevila Pahumi1 who oversees the Greece and Cyprus collections.

Carol Kostakos Petranek delivers Lakonia Studies Journals, September 19, 2025
The architectural design of the European Reading Room reflects the classic beauty of the Library

As I explained in this 2024 post, Dr. Pahlumi is most enthusiastic about securing primary sources for the Library’s collections. Historians in their native lands who can walk the grounds, speak with local specialists, and access materials not available outside their countries are the ones who write with first-hand knowledge and accuracy. Their works are eagerly sought by researchers worldwide who visit the Library seeking such materials.

The classical beauty of the Library captivates those who enter

This pdf document lists the Table of Contents for each of the twenty-three volumes of Lakonia Studies2. It is 47 pages–too long to add a typed copy to this post. If there are articles of interest to you, the volume(s) can be purchased from the Lakonia Studies organization for 20 euros per book.

Next year, I will deliver the supplements to the journals. Those books are just as large and comprehensive as the original volumes!

Lakonia Studies Supplements
Lakonia Studies Supplements

Contact the organization for more information or to purchase a volume:
e-mail: etlasp@gmail.com.

And if you are in Athens, make an appointment to visit the office and the staff.
63 Charilaou Trikoupi, 4th floor, 104 81, Athens
Office hours: Monday – Wednesday – Friday 11.30 am – 1.00 pm
Telephone: 210-3304422
6936-734920 (Sokrates Kougeas – president)
6974-343619 (Despina Koutsari – general secretary)

These books should be in the hands of researchers worldwide. If you know of an organization, library or repository that would welcome this incredible collection, please contact either the Lakonia Studies organization or me. Our Spartan historians deserve to be referenced and respected for their exclusive and preeminent works.

1Dr. Pahumi is the Reference Librarian for Latin American, Caribbean, and European Division and oversees the Greece and Cyprus collections at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
2The English version was translated using the Greek Genealogy Assistant chatbot which I created in ChatGPT5. My Greek language skills are elementary, and although I reviewed the translations which appear accurate, there may have errors.

Faris at the Library of Congress

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I am so pleased to share exciting news that the Faris (Φαρις) newsletter of Xirokampi, Lakonia, is now in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Archivist Nevila Pahumi, who oversees the “Greece and Cyprus” collection in the European Reading Room, enthusiastically received the printed copies for the years 1979 to present. Earlier copies (1966-1977) which were published under the title Xirokampi, will be reprinted and donated at a later date.

Nevila Pahumi welcomes the donation of Faris, July 18, 2023

Last month in Athens, Dimitris Katsoulakos brought me forty-four years of printed editions of Faris. It was a thrilling experience to bring these back to the U.S. and donate them to the Library.  Ms. Pahumi explained that it is quite difficult for the Library to obtain printed copies of publications that are created at the local level, especially from rural villages. “We are very happy to have it in our collections, so that generations of future users can access it in both physical and digital form. The ability to service it to users in both formats increases the likelihood that they can work with the historical and more current issues. This kind of primary resource is invaluable, and I thank you for personally bringing it in all the way from Xirokampi.”

Faris is unique because its contents are not only empirical research, but also — and more importantly — it has captured oral histories and first-person accounts of village life and historic events. People who are conducting research about life in Greece will use Faris as a prototype of village life. It is exciting to think of our village of Xirokampi as being a primary source for academicians worldwide!

To access digital copies of Faris, click here. I am honored to have permission to translate and republish selected articles from Faris on an ongoing basis. These posts can be found here.

European Reading Room at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., July 18, 2023

If you know of other publications from Greece which could possibly be donated to the Library of Congress, please email me. Ms. Pahumi is seeking to expand the Greece collection.

While at the Library, I also brought copies of the family history books that I have written about my maternal and paternal grandparents. These were donated to the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room. Please note: the Library gratefully accepts ALL books which are biographical, family history or local history. They can be mailed to:

Library of Congress
U.S. Special Acquisitions Section – RG
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20540-4275

The archivist suggests sending books via UPS or FedEx, not U.S. Mail, because the U.S. Post Office irradiates all incoming mail which could permanently damage or destroy books. If possible, also provide the carrier’s name and tracking number.