The Editor’s farewell to her readers.
GERŐ Zsoltné
(pp. 7)
In memory of Gyula Haraszthy (1910-1990)
FÜLÖP Géza
The author is paying tribute to the recently deceased professor Gyula Haraszthy , first dean of the Library Science Department of the Eötvös Loránd Science University, author of the first Hungarian language textbook on classification, teacher, and director of several large libraries in Budapest. (pp. 13-15)
Current issues in librarianship in Hungary
PAPP István
The dramatic changes in the political and economic system of Hungary have their influence on librarianship and librarians, too. Librarians have to decide, among many things, how to go on. Upon the invitation of the Hungarian Library Association István PAPP compiled a set of recommendations for discussion and the Section of Special Librarians also put out a draft on actions to be taken. The journal presents these two documents as well as the readers’ reactions received so far. (pp.17-46)
Information science for specialized literature and information management
SEBESTYÉN György
New developments in the graduate education of information scientists for public collections at the Library Science Department of the Eötvös Loránd Science University. – Due to the rapid development of information technology the graduate courses offered by the Library Science Department of the Eötvös Loránd Science University were extended, e.g. 1. more emphasis is given to computer technology, 2. a new class on information management was introduced, 3. the education of information scientists was extended to special public collections (archives, museums etc.). The old and the new curricula are compared in tables. (pp. 47-53)
Schools, libraries and the new political system in Hungary
NAGY Attila
Unesco’s International Literacy Year as well as the dramatic political changes in Hungary both motivated the organization of the international conference “School and library in the turn of the century” (Budapest, National Széchényi Library, March 2, 1990). Apart from reviewing the most important problems (devaluation of knowledge, decrease in education, the poor quality of reading skills and habits etc.) efforts were also made to call the attention of the political parties coming to power to the problems of public education and public libraries. (pp. 54-63)
Reproduction of catalogue cards in the National Széchényi Library
BACZONI Tamásné – SERES Tibor
The addressing machine (“adrema”) introduced in the National Széchényi Library for the reproduction of catalogue cards has been used for approx. 50 years. Due to new standards for technical services as well as to the development of computer technology, reproduction technologies were also modernized. Master cards printed from a computer file can be reproduced in adequate quality by copy machines; the copier Sharp-SF-756 and the Canon PC-25 proved to be capable of mass production. In order to drop entirely the outdated “adrema” system the items of the address plates will be copied to master cards in two years. A part of the new cards is still produced by a Robotron type electric typewriter, but in the near future microcomputers and laser printers will be used for the production of the master cards. (pp. 65-68)
Public image of librarians in Hungary
GEREBEN Ferenc
Participants of a questionnaire survey conducted in 1985-1986 were requested to complete the following statement: “a librarian is a person who …”. For approx. 20 percent of the adult population (basically those with low education and non-readers) the librarian was an unknown person. Some respondents emphasized the librarian’s lending activity. Nearly ten percent of the participants regarded the librarian as an educated, intelligent and knowledgeable person (mainly those who do not go to libraries). Another ten percent saw the librarian as an intermediary conveying the products of culture, and an educator. According to a very large proportion (40%) of the respondents the most important role of the librarian was to help the readers in selecting material for reading. Ten percent of the adult population (those with higher education) attribute a pragmatic role to the librarian. 25 percent mentioned human relations, abilities to communicate with the readers and to help them. Five percent listed generalized positive qualities (often in order to conceal their ignorance) and only a few (mainly those with an academic degree who read much) criticized the behaviour and work of the librarian. The author would like to see more people criticizing the library and the librarian but use the library, and less enthusiastic but distant non-users. (pp. 69-79)
From cards to floppy disk: development in the production of an abstracts journal
NOVÁK István
Based upon selected international library and information science periodicals belonging to the holdings of the Library Science Library of the Centre for Library Science and Methodology, the Library has been publishing a quarterly abstracting journal titled Könyvtári és Dokumentációs Szakirodalom (Literature on Librarianship and Documentation) since 1969. The article describes the development in the production of this journal as a result of automation. After introducing the reader to the traditional editorial functions the achievements and the savings of former clerical tasks due to the introduction of the Micro-ISIS, Microsoft Word, and Ventura Publisher software packages are presented. (pp. 81-90)
Legal information services in the Parliament Library
NAGY Csaba
The Library of the Hungarian Parliament (Budapest) is a scientific research library of administrative and legal sciences, contemporary history and politics open to the public. It is also a depository library of the United Nations. It has a valuable collection of foreign parliamentary materials too. In the last decade computer assisted legal databases were built up, containing more than 21,000 foreign and 15,000 Hungarian titles at the end of 1989. The library published the volumes of 1980-1981 and 1982-1983 of the “Bibliographica Juridica Hungarica”. (The further volumes are in preparation.) In 1980 the library started to publish the semi-annual volumes of the “Bibliography of the Hungarian Legal Literature”. Further, it prepares the bibliography for the “Acta Juridica” and supplies the Hungarian material for the “International Bibliography of the Social Sciences. Political Science”. The legal databases of the library are mainly used by the lecturers and students of the universities, the staff of the research institutes and government agencies. The general public has also access to the legal databases. (pp. 91-93)
Development of the music and sound departments of county libraries between 1978 and 1988
SKALICZKI Judit
The study compares the findings of two surveys, conducted in 1978 and 1988. The first survey collected general information such as where and when music and sound departments were established, what kinds of documents they collected, how the material was processed and disseminated. The first survey concluded that music departments became common in county libraries but many problems remained to be solved. The second survey’s main objective was to find out how users’ needs changed and how they were satisfied. It was concluded that emphasis shifted from in-library use to loan, but equipment for sound reproduction, an indispensable device for lending, is still missing in many libraries. (pp. 94-100)