Skip to main content

Members may have seen a petition posted to the website of L’Année philologique (anphil.org), expressing concern about funding for the German office of L’Année. Here is a brief account of the situation, of which the APA Board has been aware since January, and how we have decided to proceed.

The Société Internationale de Bibliographie Classique (SIBC), based in Paris, is the international not-for-profit organization that oversees L’Année. The German office is one of six self-sustaining offices that prepare entries for L’Année;the others are in Paris (the main editorial office), Genoa, Granada, Lausanne, and Durham, NC. This last is the American Office, which is the responsibility of the APA and reports to our Research Division. The funds raised in our current Gateway Campaign to date ensure the continued operation of the American Office (though we continue to solicit contributions to meet all NEH challenge grant requirements), but the APA is very concerned about the health of the German Office, which prepares a significant amount of the content in each issue of L’Année: its funding is up for renewal in a difficult fiscal climate. It is important for members to realize, however, that a threat to an individual office does not mean that the operation of the bibliography as a whole is in danger.

The APA has several formal and informal representatives on SIBC’s Board. They include Hans-Friedrich Mueller, Chair of our American Office Advisory Board; Lisa Carson, Director of the American Office; Roger Bagnall, Vice President for Research; Dee Clayman, President in 2010 and Director of the DCB project; and Philip Stadter, former Director and member of a number of relevant APA committees. The SIBC Executive Committee will meet at the end of this month to discuss the situation of the German office, and the APA will coordinate with SIBC in responding to issues or problems.

In early May please look for further information on the APA website and suggestions for action by individual members.

Jeffrey Henderson
President