47. évfolyam, 2001. 4. szám

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Könyvtári Figyelő (Library Review) New Series, 11. (Vol. 47.) No. 4. pp. 633 – 645.

The study follows the development of Ervin SZABÓ's ideas of library policy from the first years of the 20th century until 1914. (He was the director of the Metropolitan Library, today named after him the Ervin Szabó Metropolitan Library.) The years following the millennium were favourable for the establishment of a metropolitan library in the public library fashion. At that time Ervin Szabó did not sympathize with civil initiatives, he trusted in organized workers more. Later when he got in touch with the Hungarian representatives of civil radicalism (e.g. Oszkár JÁSZI), he developed more flexible ideas concerning library policy. Several attempts were made for the introduction of the public library model into Hungarian librarianship. After these attempts had failed, it became obvious that a metropolitan library with non-scientific collection interest was the most likely to function as a library open to the public. A proposal was submitted to the capital in 1910 concerning the establishment of a public library in Budapest. The proposal was supervised and definitely supported by E. Szabó. The key issue was whether people in Hungary can be involved in the financing of public libraries as they are in the Anglo-Saxon world. E. Szabó wrote about a plan to establish branch libraries all over Budapest. One of the possibilities for bringing about libraries was that existing smaller libraries joined the network voluntarily. However, it never happened. Another possibility was to establish libraries from donations. The branch library on Almássy square had come into being from the donation of the Deák Lodge but this example was not followed. The leaders of the city considered the establishment of the branch library network as a part of the development of social institutions in Budapest started at that time. This idea was rejected by E. Szabó. In spite of the difficulties, the central library came into being, as well as some branch libraries. When the new building of the Metropolitan Library was about to be built, it became necessary to reconsider the library system of Budapest. Szabó suggested that there should be rational cooperation among the major libraries of Budapest to be realized through the harmonisation of their collection interests. Szabó thought that social sciences were to be collected by the proposed metropolitan public library, leaving humanities for the old libraries. Leaders of the major libraries did not support his idea. There were controversies between Szabó and those who preferred the development of school libraries, too, for he thought that branch libraries should be responsible for the provision of young people as well. Later his opinion changed to some extent in this respect. E. Szabó was constantly attacked because of the radical political and sociological literature that was found in the Metropolitan Library. It was a characteristic feature of his approach that while accepting liberal library policy he was open to socialist and liberal ideas, as a politician he followed a different trait of thinking.

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