RECOLLECTIONS OF DIRECTORS
The first five years of the Hungarian Library Institute – 2000–2005
DIPPOLD Péter
The first director of the Hungarian Library Institute (HLI) summarizes the events in the first five years of HLI. He describes Hungarian librarianship in the given period as the background, and describes the organization scheme of HLI, as it was adjusted to new tasks. HLI consisted of four departments with new names and new functions: Department of Organization and Analysis, Department of Education, Department of Information on Collection Development, and Special Library of Library Science. Without describing the work of departments, the study browses through the achievements of HLI, and provides a draft picture of its activities in international and Hungarian projects aiming at research, education, assistance to collection development and special library services.
Keywords: Grants for libraries; History of librarianship; Legal regulation on librarianship; Library institute; National library; Partnerships; Responsibilities; Staff
Activities as Director of the Hungarian Library Institute, 2006–2011
BARTOS Éva
In the period 1977 through 1983, the author worked in the predecessor of the Hungarian Library Institute (in the Centre for Library Science and Methodology) as a researcher in the Reading Research Department. In 2001, she returned to HLI as Head of the Department of Education. In 2005, she applied for the post of the Director of HLI with success. This article is a subjective recollection of the activities of HLI in the period 2006 through 2011. At that time, it was especially important to get acquainted with the professional documents of the EU and to join EU projects. Two projects are discussed in more detail. The PULMAN project aimed at promoting the case of public libraries with a special focus on improving library supply to the disadvantaged and those living in small communities. The CALIMERA project undertook to monitor technical developments and solutions already emerging from IST, and to assess their potential as widely transferable technologies for use by local institutions. In the period reviewed several analyses took place about the career of librarians, their training, the image of librarians in society, as well as about the qualification of librarians and their self-evaluation, based on the international guide compiled by the CERTIDOC project. It was a huge task as well to elaborate the system of education and further training of Hungarian librarians living in the neighbouring countries. From the strategy of library development for 2008 through 2013, and its Portal programme, she highlights the project work assisting reading research (the event called Year of reading for families), as well as support to adult education. She also mentions in short the meeting of the library institutes of Visegrád Countries in 2010, a reunion of the former centres for library science and methodology.
Keywords: CALIMERA project; Disadvantaged library users; EU; Grants for libraries; Hungarian librarians in neighbouring countries; International projects; Library institute; National library; Public libraries; PULMAN project; Services
Seven years in the Hungarian Library Institute
BÁNKESZI Katalin
Having filled in a number of leading posts at other institutions (the Neumann House, National Széchényi Library, MOKKA) the author joined HLI in 2011 for a term of five years. 2012 was a difficult year for public collections, and HLI, too, was severely hit by restrictions: its basic, special and ad hoc tasks had to be fulfilled with a staff whose number was reduced by 50%.
The review of activities covers the following fields: 1) operative support programmes (HLI participated in these long-term EU programmes both as an applicant and a supporter of applying libraries), 2) support to the further education of Hungarian librarians in the neighbouring countries, 3) elaboration of electronic teaching materials and e-learning developments, planning of a distance education framework, 4) organization of the 7th Meeting of Hungarian Librarians in the World in 2013, in co-operation with the Library of the Hungarian Parliament, 5) participation in the strategic planning for librarianship in the cycle starting in 2013, 6) co-operation with some e-publishers who undertook the provision of their e-books (bibliographic work and information services), 7) construction of the Directory of Hungarian Libraries, using data collected earlier, 
participation in development programmes for libraries, public education and museums (Active communities, Museum and library developments for all) in co-operation with partners.
Keywords: Distance education; Electronic books; Electronic learning materials; Grants for libraries; Hungarian librarians in neighbouring countries; Library directory; Library institute; Library of the Hungarian Parliament; LIS database; National library; Publishing and book trade; Registry
Memories of an acting director
HANGODI Ágnes
Between mid-July 2016 and April 2017, the author worked as Acting Director of the Hungarian Library Institute, in addition to her duties as Head of the Department of Education. In this period new classrooms were furnished in HLI as required by the training goals of the 21st century. Work began on the project called Acting Communities – Active Community Involvement, supported by the European Union, in which HLI participated as a consortium member. Expert work started by HLI for the project of the Budapest Szabó Ervin Library called My Library. A new website was designed, and the first steps were made for editing and publishing the professional journals of HLI using the Open Journal System.
Keywords: Community development in libraries; Education for librarianship; Library building; Library institute, Local co-operation; National library; Public libraries; Website
Fragments from the first twenty years of the Hungarian Library Institute
FEHÉR Miklós
The activities of the Hungarian Library Institute are presented in the past twenty years. The current director of HLI reviews the most important events and tasks, starting with 2000, when HLI was founded, based on work plans and annual reports. HLI performs basically three functions: 1) As a methodological centre, it manages data, records and statistics about the library system in Hungary. It provides guidelines, rules and professional supervision for unified work processes and quality management. It assists the work of the Ministry of Human Resources with research, analyses, trend reports, comments on legal regulations. 2) HLI is a centre of training and further training. Its primary target group are Hungarian librarians, living in the mother country and in the neighbouring countries. Its courses are open for teachers and professionals from cultural institutions and other public collections as well. 3) HLI’s special library serves as a documentation and information centre. It publishes professional journals and bibliographies of nationwide relevance.
The article discusses selected activities from HLI’s rich and versatile profile, reflecting at the same time the development of the Hungarian library system in the past twenty years.
Keywords: Further training; International co-operation; Legal regulations on libraries; Library school; Local co-operation; Methodological centre; National library; Publishing; Qualification; Services; Social requirements; Staff; Tasks;
STUDIES
Twenty years of the LIS Library at the Hungarian Library Institute
HEGYKÖZI Ilona – FAZOKAS Eszter
The Library and Information Science Library is a department of the Hungarian Library Institute (HLI). It was founded in 1949. Its collection covers library and information science, librarianship, the relevant work processes, as well as their history. In the past 20 years the collection was enriched by several gifts and donations, and books from abroad from project-related funding. In the mid-2000s, with the foundation of the European Book History Collection, the history of writing, books, printing, press, publishing, book trade, libraries and reading gained a stronger focus in the collection than before.
The main goal of the LIS Library is to provide professional information in a variety of ways: to users face to face, by phone and e-mail, editing occasional and regular bibliographies, constructing databases, compiling short trend reports and review studies, SDI, and background materials for decision-making. The staff wishes to transfer current information, tailored to the needs of users. More and more services are provided in the online environment.
Information sources rely, among others, on the Library’s own publications: the national special bibliography of the field (MAKSZAB, twice a year, e-publication), the national professional journal Könyvtári Figyelő (Library Review, quarterly, in print and e-format), annual special bibliography of book history (in print and e-format). Currently, these publications can be edited and published almost fully automatically from the HUMANUS database.
Users of the LIS Library include practising librarians, students and faculty, researchers, bodies managing Hungarian librarianship, leaders and staff of the national library and HLI. The LIS Library provides information on the libraries of other countries, on developments in the international library scene, as well as on Hungarian librarianship for interested colleagues from abroad.
The LIS Library is keen to organize events which attract participants even from the general public (such as presentations of professional books, small exhibitions, museum nights, bibliotherapy classes etc.).
In 2020, with the foreseeable modification of the Library Law, the LIS Library will possibly again be listed among the special libraries with national responsibilities.
Keywords: Events; Library journal; LIS Library; Reference; Special bibliographies; Users
Achievements of two decades in the further training of Hungarian librarians living in the neighbouring countries – the Further Training Network of Hungarian Librarians in the Carpathian Basin
HANGODI Ágnes
As prescribed by law, HLI provides professional support to the education and further training of Hungarian librarians living in the neighbouring countries in their mother tongue. In the last twenty years, based on a development concept, HLI provided further training courses for these librarians on various current topics, based on co-operation agreements with the dedicated training centres in the relevant countries, with funding from the National Cultural Fund (NKA) and grants from the Ministry of Culture. HLI is responsible for organizing these courses, while its partners in the relevant countries invite participants. The successful completion of training events is acknowledged by a certificate. In the past two decades, dedicated training centres were chosen, new locations and new target groups of participants were identified in almost all neighbouring countries, partnerships have been extended and the number of instructors invited to hold courses increased.
Keywords: Carpathian Basin; Curriculum; Education for librarianship; Further training; Hungarian librarians in neighbouring countries; Library school
Research into reading and library use at the Hungarian Library Institute
TÓTH Máté
The National Széchényi Library’s reading research workshop (an organizational unit of the Centre for Library Science and Methodology, CLSM) has been operating since the 1960’s. The national representative surveys carried out by this team were a very significant, but not the only outcome of their activities. They also carried out research using the tools of sociography, together with a publishing activity which remained relevant to our days. Practical tasks such as bibliotherapy, reading camps and direct methodological work were also accomplished. This heritage has provided a stable foundation for HLI’s related activities, and also involves a responsibility for current staff members to continue these traditions and to preserve intellectual values. The social and technological changes having taken place in the 2000’s brought major challenges for the profession and for the research workshop as well. The need arose for new forms of research and analyses, whose usefulness could be directly demonstrated to decision-makers, this is why new genres came to the foreground: literature reviews and studies about some partial issues of the library system. Expensive surveys on a nationally representative sample could only be carried out with partners. Regular research carried out since the 1960’s was continued in this form, in order to further record the trends based on the data of the time series. Elementary survey data were always published by the Department of Research and Organization Development in quick reports. These data would give now an opportunity for new queries and analyses, for which the author provides some examples. The reading and library-sociological research carried out by HLI over the past 20 years is an organic continuation of the high-quality work accomplished by its predecessor in CLSM.
Keywords: Bibliopsychology; Library institute; Library use; Reading; Reading camps; Reading habits; Reading research
After twenty years. The journal Könyvtári Figyelő (Library Review) between 2000 and 2019
KOVÁCS Katalin
The study provides an overview of the life of this peer-reviewed national professional journal edited at the Hungarian Library Institute in the period 2000 through 2019. Könyvtári Figyelő entered its 65th volume this year. This quarterly magazine has published 80 issues and more than 15,000 pages in PDF format in twenty years. Thanks to the support of the National Cultural Fund (NKA) printed issues continue to be published to our days. The full text of issues can be accessed and searched on an electronic interface (http://ki.oszk.hu/kf) from the beginnings (1955) to the present day (2020/1). Roughly two-thirds of each issue include research articles on the main events and developments in Hungarian librarianship, and one-third deals with the presentation of developments in the international library world. The author reviews the most important articles in the Studies, Our past, and Book reviews columns in two ten-year cycles, and refers to the professional trends summarized at the beginning of her article. The editors are increasingly oriented towards open access and the application of the Open Journal System (OJS).
Keywords: History of the press; Hungary; Library journal; Publishing
Twenty years of an abstracting service – the column „From library and information science journals” between 2000 and 2019
FEIMER Ágnes
Documentation work in the field of library science has a long tradition in the LIS Library of the Hungarian Library Institute. One example of this is the abstracting journal entitled Library and Documentation Literature started in 1969 which later became part of the journal Könyvtári Figyelő under the title „From library and information science journals (Abstracts)”. This article discusses the past 20 years only, of which the former editor of the abstracting part provides an overview. She takes an account of the changes in the preparation of this column, the working methods, the technological background (e.g. database migration), the quantity and formats of the reviewed foreign journals, as well as in the editors and authors. Since 2000 more than 6,500 abstracts were published, the majority of which are original ones (made by contributors),while a smaller part consists of abstracts translated from original journals. The editors have always followed the principles set by their predecessors when selecting articles from foreign journals, i.e. to prefer those addressing new perspectives of librarianship and information work worldwide, discussing „traditional” issues of LIS on the basis of latest theoretical and practical results, providing tangible lessons for solving actual tasks in Hungarian librarianship, or describing the whole of librarianship or its specific areas in more developed countries, the neighbouring countries and developing countries respectively. By selecting an issue every five years, the study tries to outline the state and current problems of international librarianship, development trends, and presents best practice examples as well. It is hoped that these abstracts and the SDI-service based on them will continue to benefit Hungarian librarianship in the future, too.
Keywords: Abstracts; HUMANUS database; Library journal; LIS database; LIS literature; MANCI database
Notes on the history of the journal Könyv, Könyvtár, Könyvtáros (Books, Libraries, Librarians), 2000–2016
MEZEY László Miklós
The former chief editor (2004-2016) of the monthly journal Könyv, Könyvtár, Könyvtáros (abbreviated as 3K) remembers his career. 3K started in 1992, replacing the former Könyvtáros, at a time when the traditional functions of the printed press started to change. The use of computers spread in Hungary as well, and both the production of journals and the collection of professional information was increasingly transferred to the electronic environment. During the paradigm change the character of 3K was identified as theoretical, and 3K chose a profile to publish essays and disseminate scientific knowledge in a high quality. Its subjects were universal, because 3K dealt with a variety of fringe subjects, too, in addition to library science. The difficulties in this period included continuous adaptation to the changes in financing and the efforts required to provide electronic access. The journal appears regularly today, and its editorial concept – to create a harmony between the past and the future, to inform readers about both professional tradition and novelties, and to provide a forum for younger and more experienced colleagues in various fields and professional areas – has remained timely even after 20 years.
Keywords: History of librarianship; History of the press; Library journal
CHRONOLOGY
A historical chronology of the Hungarian Library Institute, 2000–2020
RÁCZ Ágnes (comp.)
Keywords: Chronology; History of librarianship; Library institute
WORKSHOP
Könyvtárak.hu – a portal to promote libraries and reading
BÉKÉSINÉ BOGNÁR Noémi Erika – NAGY Andor
On March 3, 2020 HLI started a new, national library portal named könyvtárak.hu. It is the objective of this webpage to present and promote libraries and their rich services to the general public, to call attention to exemplary initiatives, to inform about library developments, projects and innovations. This webpage provides a single access point to several library services, among them to digital libraries created by libraries, subject-based library webpages, digital collections, e-learning materials. The contents available with remote access can be well utilized by researchers, pedagogues and interested individuals. The webpage is maintained in co-operation with libraries. Users can browse in libraries, their collections, programmes and events. The Recommendations from children’s literature option is a colourful, modern, professionally controlled compilation for parents, pedagogues and adolescents looking for reading materials, offering a high-standard selection from children’s literature in Hungarian. könyvtárak.hu is at the same time a new, modern interface to the popular game Lose a book!, too. It includes a link to the service Ask the librarian! operated by the National Széchényi Library. The webpage’s slogan: könyvtárak.hu: knowledge, experience, connection refers to the colourful image of the library system as a whole. The article discusses in detail the professional concept, menu and services of the webpage.
Keywords: Digital library; Education to reading; Library promotion; Use of services; Webpage
OUTLOOK
The ALMPUB project
TÓTH Máté
The study reviews the ALMPUB (The ALM-Field – Archives, Libraries, Museums –, Digitalization and the Public Sphere) project, and summarizes its main achievements. The project was initiated and co-ordinated by the Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), and was financed by the Norwegian Research Council within its KULMEDIA programme. In addition to the university leading the project, several partner institutions from Norway and abroad were involved in the programme: the Norwegian National Library, the West Norwegian College, the Tromsø University, two major Scandinavian universities with library science departments (Uppsala, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark), a German (Potsdam) and a Swiss library school (Chur University), as well as the Hungarian Library Institute as commissioned by the National Széchényi Library. The international research investigated the role of libraries, archives and museums in society in a European context. Researchers sought answer to the question how changing technologies impact the forms of cultural expression, as well as how culture and media influence society. Four methods were used: 1) digitization policies were analysed, first of all in Norway, with an outlook to some European partner countries; 2) a representative survey was carried out among the inhabitants of six countries about the role of libraries, archives and museums in society; 3) nationwide surveys were carried out in each country among the staff members of libraries, archives and museums about the tasks, priorities and mission of their organizations; 4) case studies were done in certain fields which help to understand the findings of empirical research on the one hand, and highlight interesting phenomena on the other. During the project conferences and workshops were held, one of these in the National Széchényi Library, Budapest. The ALMPUB project gave birth to new scientific achievements which contributed to a new interpretation of digitization and of public collections as a public sphere. Data processing and the dissemination of results will take place till September 30, 2020.
Keywords: Archives; Community space; Digitization; International co-operation; Museums; Public libraries; Research; Services; Social requirements; Survey
FROM LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE JOURNALS
(Abstracts)