Ukraine: Information and Resources

On the evening of February 23, I was sitting comfortably watching Chicago PD when NBC interrupted the program with a breaking news alert regarding war in Ukraine. This did not surprise me and I am sure many who also follow world news closely may have expected to see something of this sort happen after a few months of not-so-secret Russian military activity in nearby border areas. What I did not expect was what happened the next day, that friends and family would ask me why this was happening, since I surely must know as I have a political science background. Frankly, I did not, since I was not really a student of international relations. But I am also a librarian and curious, so I went looking for answers for them and myself. Another unexpected aspect of this was as I watched the news unfold and read more about the conflict, an old anxiety re-emerged from my childhood, the fear that was ever-present during the Cold War. For those of us who can remember the constant tension that could burst into a hot war at any moment, and possible nuclear war, any discussion of the current situation will strike a familiar chord since it is rooted in centuries old conflicts between Eastern European countries. It is also worth noting that Ukraine is home to Chornobyl, site of the world’s most horrific nuclear energy disaster.

Before delving into the resources, let’s first take a look at something that caught me off-guard and helps start the conversation. In discussing the escalation of troops in Crimea with two friends a few weeks ago, I called the country the Ukraine and was politely corrected and my Gen X membership was noted by my fellow conversationalists. This faux pax actually speaks to the heart of the matter, Ukraine is the country that has been independent of Russia since 1991, while the Ukraine was the regional name used while the area was part of the Soviet Union (and briefly occupied by Germany during World War II) between 1922 and 1991. Likewise, Kiev is the Russian spelling and pronunciation of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

As is the case with most Eastern European countries, there are several regional ethnic groups with long histories of territory changing hands and most conflicts such as this emerge when one nation wants to re-annex another that has gained independence. In the case of Ukraine, the Ukrainian culture and society have lived and existed under different nations over the years, with parts or the whole country once being part of the Ottoman empire, Galicia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Austria, Germany, Russia and eventually the Soviet Union. In 1768-69, a peasant uprising resulted in the first incarnation of an independent Ukraine. In essence, the current conflict is a continuation of that ongoing regional friction, as Russia is attempting to reclaim an area that has a variety of cultural and political ties to both Russia and an independent Ukraine.

This brings us to the main question I had to answer when asked about the current conflict, how do we find information about the current situation as well as the political and historical background that has led us to this point? I will outline a few library resources below, but do invite you to also consult the library website and be aware of upcoming programs at the library. My colleagues at MCLS have put together two guides for our patrons, one for adults and teens and another for children. They include books, websites, and other options for finding out more about Ukraine. We are also working on some programming on the conflict that will allow patrons to hear from experts on the history and politics of the region, so be sure to watch our social media, website, and events calendar for those.

Library Catalog – A search for Ukraine will bring you plenty of books, eBooks, and videos on the country. There are a lot of travel books and children’s books in the search results, do not discount them. I often have advised adults who have reference questions about background issues to take a look at a book from the juvenile section, as they often do a very a good job of covering the basics so children can understand a concept. There is no reason an adult cannot benefit from this same formula, it is like getting a Wikipedia article that has been vetted for accuracy and has a little more meat to it. Travel books also hold a wealth of information, particularly to point out the cultural and historical highlights of a country. In this case, skimming over a travel guide would help explain why certain areas that are being bombed might be a strategic location or to explain what may be lost in rubble shown on the news. Travel guides also have a terrific collection of maps and regional information.

One large collection in the library catalog is the eBook and eAudiobook collection in hoopla. You do not need a special reader to use the materials, you can read or listen to them in your browser or download the hoopla app for your phone or tablet. You just need to sign up for a free account and link your library card and PIN to it. The collection includes short papers on recent political issues that have led to war, as well as historical looks at the country from pre-historic times to the days of the Soviet Union. One area of particular interest related to the conflict is Ukraine’s role in the Holocaust. As noted before, the county was occupied by Germany during World War II and Nazi forces used the area for some of the worst mass killings during the war. One thing I discovered looking into this subject is oddly, a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust has become a political football in the last two years with pro-Russian supporters wanting one type of memorial and Ukrainian officials wanting a different type.

Magazines and Journals - Related to our catalog is our comprehensive search of our electronic databases, which will return over 3 million results for Ukraine. While no one would want to sort through all of those resources, it is worth following that search link and exploring what is on the page. Right at the top you can see a research starter (look for the orange square with a light bulb icon) and use that to get an overview of the country and current events. On the left you can pare your results down by a variety of options, including item type (magazine or book, etc.) and also by subject – one option is charts, diagrams, etc. that will get you plenty of maps and data if you are looking for more than just text. You can dig as deep as you would like; perhaps all you want is a surface overview from some popular magazines like Time, or you might want a more academic resource like a journal on foreign affairs to get a much deeper detail – all are possible using the refine options to the left.

News Resources – the library offers two really good news resources for anyone looking to keep up with the latest updates – PressReader and the New York Times. PressReader offers magazines and newspapers in over 60 different languages from 120 different countries, all showing up the same day so you get the latest issue right now. Both the website and app offer translation of these sources into about 30 languages so you can read a Russian newspaper translated into English (or Spanish or Hindi). World newspapers are a great way to get a broader perspective beyond American media. For the New York Times, patrons can get a code good for free access for 48 hours. All you need to do is set-up a free account at the New York Times website and then log on to the link above with your library card and PIN.

Electronic Resources – for more background on Ukraine, there are a few databases we have that will give you an interactive experience with timelines, photos, charts, and maps. The first is Points of View Reference Center, which looks at current events from a pro/con and different sides of a story perspective. The resource has a series of articles looking at the ongoing political issues in the country over at least the past 5 years. The Ancient and Medieval History and the Modern World History databases are two that feature a variety of media tools to examine the history of Ukraine and its relationship to other countries in the region. Articles are supplemented with videos, audio, charts, and documents to illustrate topics such as how Ukraine and Poland were once known as Galicia. If you want to stick more to text or are a student, the History Reference Center cannot be beat for digging up journal and more detailed magazine articles.

General and Kids Resources – One strategic aspect of Ukraine for Russia is its location as the gateway to Eastern Europe. Did you know Ukraine borders Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Bulgaria? It does and you can learn all about the geography of the region in World Geography & Culture Online, which includes maps and tons of other information from average weather to most popular religions. For children, many of these same databases are reconfigured to return results for their reading level and comprehension and can be found on our Early and Elementary Education resources page. In particular, you will want to take a look at Explora Primary, Middle Search Plus, Primary Search, and The World Almanac for Kids. Also note, like my suggestion to take a look at kid’s books, none of these databases should be dismissed by an adult looking for some quick information to get a better grasp on understanding what is going on right now in Ukraine.

- by Laura, Information Technology