The environment of the librarian.
SZENTE Ferenc
Personal, philosophical confessions about the global problems facing mankind, which can be solved by joint thinking and by changing our attitude. The importance of knowledge will increase; the professional, devoted librarian will play a modest, but determinant role in shaping the future. The librarian’s role will be related to reconcilement, moderation, mediation. Peaceful transformation worldwide can be guaranteed by laying down the general cultural bases, involving the im. Tportance of the library system too. The librarian must be always professionally prepared, and should resist becoming void of pleasure and sinking into apathy. (pp. 181-184)
The activities of the Centre for Library and Information Science at the National Széchényi Library in 1992.
The overview was compiled according to the basic functions of the institution. The coordination activity of the Centre covers three fields: 1. secretarial-organization tasks related with the Chamber of Libraries and Information Institutes, 2. foundations and competitions abroad and in Hungary, 3. expert activities (participation in the debates on the law on civil service and on the draft library law etc.). – Advisory and bibliographic activities related to collection development were provided on an increased amount of books in the acquisition aid “Új Könyvek”, and the renewal of services by computeri-sation was started. The Calendar of events and – as a database – the Calendar of anniversaries was edited. The bibliographical plans of libraries were also maintained as a database. – In the field of reading sociology the following subjects were of strategic importance: 1. the reading culture of Hungarians living outside the borders of Hungary, 2. the reading culture of future teachers, 3. library conflicts, 4. the reading skills of 9-14-year-olds. The related research reports have been or are being prepared. – Education and consultation included continuing the courses of library assistants and of information specialists; and together with the Lajos Kossuth University, Debrecen a course of information specialists in humanities was started. The total number of participants at these courses amounted to 430. Teaching aids were compiled (a chrestomathy on reading, examples on bibliographic description, The representation of information); and tasks of methodological guidance and professional consultation have also been fulfilled. In August 1992, together with the World Federation of Hungarians, the 3rd professional meeting of Hungarian librarians from all over the world was organized in the National Széchényi Library. – In the Library Science Library the number of readers and books has increased, that of requests for copying and interlibrary lending has decreased. The rules of borrowing have been made stricter, so that more readers can be served. In the exam periods the opening hours have been made longer, the increase coming to 56 hours a year. The library’s publications (MAKSZAB, KF, HLISA) and the databases (MANCI, THES, IFLA, library addresses) continued to be edited. (pp. 185-193)
The computerised databases accessible in the Department of Reader Services and Information of the National Széchényi Library.
GYESZLY, Suzanne D. – PATAKI Gábor – TOKAJI NAGY Erzsébet (Comp.)
(pp. 194-197)
The history of foundations.
ANDRÁSSY Lászlóné
The history of the development and operation of foundations is discussed starting with their place in Roman law, then dwelling on the Middle Ages and the age of enlightenment etc., finally describing the present Hungarian practice. In Hungary in 1935 a legal regulation summarized the issues related to foundations and provisions (although the terms “funds” and “foundations” have been mixed up for a long time). Today libraries cannot survive without foundations and competitions. The process of the socialization of state tasks started in the 1980′s. According to the law No. I of 1990 the court is competent for the registration and ceasing of foundations, while the attorney for their supervision. The author sets out how foundations can be established, what kinds of regulations affect their economic management, how can private persons and institutions apply for foundations funds; and introduces the TEXTAR database of the Department of Funds and Foundations at the Ministry of Culture and Public Education. (pp. 198-205)
The history of the National Agricultural Library.
KUTTORNÉ TELEK Judit
The need for a national agricultural library has arisen as early as in the 18th-19th centuries. The first step to establish it was made, however, in 1946 when the Ministry of Agriculture founded a documentation centre. The role, tasks, name and head of the institution have been changed almost every year. The National Agricultural Library was organized in 1951, with three tasks: to be a research library, a special library with national responsibilities, and a network centre. In 1967 the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and its documentation centre, Agroinform was established. From 1987 the centre operated as an enterprise, the Library remained its important organizational unit. In 1989 the Library was housed in an enlarged wing of the centre’s building. Its international relations (with FID, CABI, IAALD, AGRIS, IFIS etc.) have increased. The central library – as a network centre – supported the work of special libraries in 180 institutions and enterprises. (pp. 206-210)
Unrealized plans, or the years as enterprise.
GULÁCSINÉ PÁPAY Erika
In 1987 instead of the information centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (Agroinform), which had been a result-oriented institution, the Agricultural Information Enterprise, under state control, was established. The former organizational units were transformed as well. The enterprise operated the library as a separate organizational unit. Its tasks were kept: to work as a national and network centre, in the field of coordination. The reorganization has not brought about the expected result, and the enterprise went bankrupt by 1992. When the library operated as an enterprise from 1987 to 1992, at the start there was considerable development (new wing of the building in 1989 etc.), but later on the library’s operation has declined (the automation slowed down, staff problems and budget problems arose). As achievements can be considered: a reading room of special collections was set up, the international exchange of publications could be kept at its previous level. Most of the basic publications could be issued. After the bankruptcy the library left the enterprise and operates now as the Agricultural Special Library of the Agricultural Museum. What has happened in the year since the separation will be described in a future article. (pp. 211-215)
Roundtable conference in Hungary. Cooperation between American and Central-Eastern-European agricultural libraries.
GULÁCSINÉ PÁPAY Erika
The National Agricultural Library (Beltsville, USA) invited to its conference in 1991 also Central-European librarians, to obtain information about the opportunities of cooperation and assistance. The next meeting was held in Budapest in autumn 1992, organized by the National Agricultural Library (Budapest). The American library donated its Hungarian partner a CD-ROM workstation. (pp. 216-217)
Agricultural databases.
(R. Á.)
Compiled on the basis of data from the national Information Infrastructure Development (K) network and the metadatabase of Hungarian Hosts. (pp. 220-221)
The network of agricultural libraries – as viewed by a member library.
ZALAINÉ KOVÁCS Éva
The network of agricultural libraries has considerably strengthened in the 1960′s due to the active coordination work of the National Agricultural Library. The member libraries benefited from the network especially in the field of acquisitions and coordinated collection development. The network’s libraries with national responsibilities have been coordinating their tasks in various fields from the 1970′s on. Cooperation circles have been formed too. The organization has grown and developed further in the 1980′s. To organize novel forms of cooperation the Coordination Council of Agricultural and Food Industry Libraries was set up. The crisis of the Agricultural Information Enterprise has endangered also the operation of the network of agricultural libraries. The author is convinced that these libraries will need to cooperate in some form in the future too. (pp. 222-224)
The timeliness of information supply and the demand for services among agricultural specialists.
MONSPART Judit
The author made a survey of the needs and opinions of 617 rural agricultural specialists, inquiring about the chances to obtain professional information, and the influence and peculiarities of the information flow. She deals with the intermediary role of special literature and of libraries. She recommends that the counselling system to be established for small farms should connect to the existing system of public libraries, and holds the view that the adaptation in Hungary of the “telecottage” movement, wide-spread in the Scandinavian countries, may help the disadvantaged small settlements to join up. (pp, 225-237)
The libraries of ecclesiastic schools: past, present, future.
KOVÁCS Mária
The author sent questionnaires – with the support of the National Széchényi Library Centre for Library and Information Science – inquiring about the present state of the libraries of ecclesiastic schools, to 120 libraries figuring in the list of ecclesiastic libraries. The questions related to the past of the collection (before and after secularization), the present facilities, the technical equipment, the activities of collection organization, the librarian, his/her educational attainment, the working hours. The response rate was cca. 35 %. The responses indicated that many libraries build up the collection from scratch (to just one library was a part of its former collection returned). In the bigger libraries information technology is already present, in the form of computers, copying and fax machines, but all these three appear in just one or two places. Technical services, catalogue building are goingon – at a certain level – everywhere. Most libraries are staffed by an independent librarian; half of whom are professional librarians. If there is no independent librarian, a teacher or a pupil undertakes the operation of the library. Most libraries have got an independent room, even if not apt for library purposes. Because of the scarce resources there is no planned acquisitions, conservation and processing. The Department of Coordination of the Centre for Library and Information Science will contact ecclesiastical libraries, and is ready to assist them. (pp. 238-244)