ANN ARBOR—
Yugoslavian telephone books may be the only form of documentation of residency that still exists for Kosovo refugees, and the University of Michigan Library is the largest repository of these unusual, yet vital, forms of demographic information.
Librarians at the U-M and Harvard libraries are coordinating a project to collect additional phone books and to microfilm all data. Several non-government organizations, the U.S. government, and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have expressed interest in the film.
“One of our goals, and certainly the most pressing goal, is to provide information on residency and home ownership for the Kosovars forced to flee to other countries,” said Janet Crayne, project coordinator at the U-M Library’s Slavic Division.
“Refugees had to forfeit all deeds and personal identification prior to crossing the border from Kosovo to another country. The information in our phone books could facilitate and expedite repatriation.”
The Yugoslavian phone books have a separate section on Kosovo so established Kosovar residences can be noted and traced on a yearly basis, said Crayne. Donations have come from educational institutions and private individuals and Crayne is urging everyone who may have access to Yugoslavian phone books to do likewise.
“We intend to microfilm all the phone books that can be acquired from the former Yugoslav lands,” said Crayne. “The last Yugoslav census did not provide reliable and/or consistent demographic information. Because of mass displacements it is necessary to preserve all available information on residences in this region.”
The project also includes census data from the region for 1971, 1981 and 1991, as well as trade directories.
For more information, or to donate phone books, Web: http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/

Libraryhttp://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/