The collection of classical authors at the main library of the University of Tartu is generally old and meets only the basic needs of students and teachers. In recent years, the library has acquired new books on the topic, working in close cooperation with the Department of Classical Philology. Due to a limited budget, however, the amount of new acquisitions in classics is very limited (appr. 10 to 20 books per year). The university library also subscribes to about a dozen of the principal journals of classical philology; nevertheless, many important periodicals are unavailable.

In teaching and in research, the collection at the University Library is supplemented by the Department Library of Classical Philology. It was founded as early as at the beginning of the 19th century by Prof. J. K. S. Morgenstern, but during World War I most of it was evacuated to Russia and remained there. In the 1920s, the library was supplemented with the most important publications of the time. In 1954, during the Soviet regime, Classical Philology as a specialty was abolished at the University of Tartu, and the library was incorporated into the Museum of Classical Antiquities (now the Art Museum) of the University of Tartu. The use of the library resources was complicated, as the funds were stored in a warehouse and were not readily accessible.

After the re-opening of the (then) Chair of Classical Philology in 1990, efforts began to restore the library. With the help of colleagues from Western universities (Jaan Puhvel, Carl Joachim Classen, Maarit Kaimio, Jürgen von Ungern-Sternberg and others), many important books and periodicals were acquired. In 1993, 1646 books were brought back to the Museum in the main building of the University, where the departmental staff and students could use them. The whole library was unpacked and made available in 1999 and 2000, after the department moved to its current rooms. The availability of recent books has slightly improved during the last years, mostly thanks to donations from private libraries and legacies (Hildebrecht Hommel, Paavo Numminen, Lalla Gross, Heinz Happ), as well as international help from other universities, publishers (Beck, Teubner, Les Belles Lettres and others) and foundations (notably, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). At present the library contains ca. 7000 items (including periodicals and off-prints).

The main room of the library of the Department of Classical Philology provides seating for 4. Some parts of the library are located in a class room and in the staff room. There is currently no librarian. Dr. Ivo Volt, who works at the department as a research fellow, takes care of the library and is also responsible for maintaining the computer resources and providing help with electronic study materials, web pages, electronic publishing, etc.

The library of the Department of Classical Philology joined the Estonian scientific libraries' electronic catalogue in 2000. At the moment, about 2000 books and periodicals have been entered into this catalogue, which is accessible through the Internet (ESTER).

The Library of the Department of Classical Philology is very grateful for all donations. If you have books on classical studies that you would like to donate to us, please contact dr Ivo Volt at the address Ivo.Volt[at]ut.ee. You can also have a look at our list of desiderata.