46. évfolyam, 2000. 1-2. szám

Archívum

Subjective and ironic essay on the heroic age of librarianship. The author speaks about many things, unavoidably about the policy and cultural policy of the past fifty years, and the possibilities allowed by these conditions to librarianship. There are snapshots of the training of librarians, the competition between librarians and people’s educators, the crazy space of technical development from stencils and typewriters to computerised catalogues, of intellectuals who had become political suspects, and who, in spite of their other qualifications, got to libraries, and made the world of librarians more colourful, and also strengthened it. The author remembers professional debates that often had political overtones as well, and shows how many compromises the profession had to make in order to survive, and develop, though between the given limits. Uncomfortable questions are also put: where Hungarian librarianship would stand now if we lived among different circumstances for the past 50 years. Does the level of our public library system match our social, economic and cultural level? How much would be spent on libraries, if tax payers were making the decision? Librarians have one thing to do: permanently prove their importance for the society.

Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Észrevételek