The state, aims and vision of the future of Hungarian church libraries
GÁBORJÁNI SZABÓ Botond
The group of libraries maintained by various churches consists of institutions with very different state and features from the professional point of view. Their aim is to provide the educational, scientific, and information base of a given region. Belonging to churches, they share one feature: their main collection interest is theology. For a long time the state of these libraries was characterised by an insecurity of financing, the overload of librarians, the lack of technical background, and in many cases the lack of operating conditions altogether. Their situation has improved after 1989, the political change, but they did not manage to overcome their problems inherited from the past. At present the lack of personnel, professionals, and financial resources causes the greatest difficulties. Legal conditions have changed for the better, but there was no breakthrough in the development of these libraries.
The Union of Church Libraries was formed to enhance cooperation and to overcome common difficulties. Their aim is to improve the marketability of church libraries which are public collections, while preserving the values of church institutions closed for the public. Organisational revival could be enhanced by the development of the network of ecclesiastical public collections, in the framework of which resource sharing could be an answer to the difficulties of document provision. The member institutions could develop into telematical and methodological centres, offering easy to use information bases for all church libraries. In order to protect collections belonging to church libraries, and to modernise services, these libraries require support and protection in the same way as do government institutions.
German cataloguing traditions in Hungarian libraries
POGÁNYNÉ RÓZSA Gabriella
The study aims at presenting how the successive stages of processing are reflected in the first Hungarian handbooks of librarianship. The works analysed were written between 1893 and 1943 (the authors are Károly Kudora, Zoltán Ferenczi, Pál Gulyás, Géza Káplány). It is clear from these manuals of librarianship how the art of cataloguing has occurred in Hungarian practice, and when and how the prevailing cataloguing approaches (Prussian Instruction or the Anglo-Saxon cataloguing rules) have appeared in the works. The regulations of the National Book Trade and Bibliographic Centre assumed the Prussian Instruction, but disregarded the grammatical rules of filing, and was more flexible in other respects as well. In the handbooks the approach to cataloguing followed the changes, and international trends of librarianship, as it is illustrated by the author. We can look back on our predecessors with pride, since they had good handbooks, and the knowledge of these useful manuals help us understand how the present situation has been formed.
A reflection – hopefully clear – of the improved version of webKat.hu
PAJOR Eniko
One hundred university and college students from Szeged were asked about the services of the Neumann House, and especially of their opinion of webKat.hu. webKat.hu is the online catalogue of the János Neuman Digital Library and Multimedia Centre appearing on the Internet about documents belonging to the Hungarian cultural heritage. The database is searchable by keyword, other data elements (such as author, personal names, corporate names, language, place of publication, subject heading, etc.), topics, url (or part of it), data of public collections. Few of the students of the faculty of arts knew this service before, but those who used it were satisfied with the results. The author summarised the opinion of students regarding metadata, indexing, multiprotocol support, and formulated some suggestions. The questionnaire and a selection of the most interesting answers can be read in the appendix.
Quality approach in a medical library
KÖVESHÁZINÉ MUNTYÁN Alexandra
Nowadays the requirement of quality and quality insurance occurs in every field. Medicine is one of the largest and most rapidly developing discipline in the world.
Department libraries working at the Semmelweis University play a decisive role in the educational, medical, and research activities of the maintaining institution. The author attempted to offer not only theoretical considerations, but also a practical approach to the feasibility of quality management at a department library. A possible way of applying the quality approach is presented through the example of a medical library.
The author studies the essence of the quality management, and points out that in the case of department libraries, it is also worth dealing with defining goals and aims, the analysis of the environment, and the possibilities. A quality approach enhancing library operations, the development of the information infrastructure, permanent learning and further training, a management based on the principle of quality, and proper funding are required for department libraries to be able to take part in the development, and the improvement of the quality of services in a constructive manner. In this case they will meet expectations and requirements.
Library users and public libraries
TAMÁSI Csilla
A Dutch-Hungarian survey was made in 1999-2000 about the use of public libraries in Hungary as a part of the programme “Social transformation in Central and Eastern Europe” with the participation of Biblioservice Gelderland. The Hungarian research included all the county libraries, Budapest, and the small and medium town libraries of some selected regions. The questions of the Dutch sample questionnaire were adapted to the Hungarian public library situation by the Hungarian organisers. The 18 questions regarded three areas: composition of users, type of library use, and quality of library use. Hungarians were motivated by the chance to get a national overview by means of the survey, and that data will be suitable for international comparison, for finding out user needs, and thus to enhances the development of services. It was revealed that the users of public libraries turn to the libraries mostly to satisfy their educational information needs, and recreation is less important. Public libraries are used in the first instance by younger generations involved in self- or further training, and their majority is satisfied with the services of libraries. The work of the staff and their attitude is appreciated most. However, libraries are unable to cope with needs for Internet use, requirements for modern IT, and electronic media everywhere. This area is to be developed strongly. It is also an important conclusion of the study, that the development of information gateways, and the introduction of IT is becoming more and more important in small settlements as well.
Thoughts on two centuries of book and library culture
BÉNYEI Miklós
The paper is based on the introductory study a recently published compilation on the history of books and libraries, which demonstrates the development of library culture by presenting articles, book chapters, regulations and acts regarding books, written documents, the development of writing, and the changing role of libraries in the past two hundred years.
RÓZSA György: The advancement of developing countries is “based on global libraries”…
An essay on the role of a global, multifunctional cultural centre and library in the elimination of the cultural backwardness of developing countries.
GAZDAG Tiborné: IFLA in focus: the Periodical Section in the IFLA organisation
A summary of the technical organisations of IFLA, the work of sections, on the tasks and activity of the author’s own section, the Periodical Section.
PAJOR Eniko: Gallica – digitalisation project in the French National Library
The Gallica project is a part of a large scale digitisation programme of the French National Library (BNF). The study presents the digitisation plans of BNF involving types of documents and subject areas, their technical realisation, and the main features of the Gallicia project as well as its role in the digitisation efforts of the library.
MOHOR Jeno: Italian steps towards a new method of subject cataloguing.
A review based on the studies of issue 3. 2001 of Bollettino AIB
The subject heading list of Italian libraries, called Soggettario, was compiled in the 1950s on the bases of the Library of Congress subject headings (USA) and the subject heading list of the Frienze Central National Library. A complete revision of the list and the elaboration of a new indexing tool has become indispensable by now. The summary is based on the reports of working groups, and experts involved in the revision.
BAWDEN, David: Information and digital literacy: a review of the concepts
(Abstr.: Koltay Tibor)
A summary and analysis of the many terms and notions used in technical literature the common feature of which is that they assume the presence of a skill (e.g. information literacy, computer literacy, media literacy, digital literacy, etc.).
A late review
Könyvtárosok kézikönyve 3. A könyvtárak rendszere
(Manual of librarians 3. The library system)
(Eds. Tibor Horváth and István Papp) (Rev.: Futala Tibor)
Aims and tools (quality and managers)
Skaliczki Judit – Zalainé Kovács Éva: Minoségmenedzsment a könyvtárban
(Quality management in the library)
(Rev.: Mohor Jeno)
In search of lost time but also looking ahead
A Békés Megyei könyvtár évkönyve 1952–2002.
(Annual of the Békés County Library 1952-2002)
(Rev.: Futala Tibor)