A Fővárosi Szabó Ervin Könyvtár évkönyve 1997-1998
Tanulmányok - Tartalmi kivonatok angolul
Katsányi Sándor: Social science library versus universal public library In the 1890s two libraries operated simultaneously maintained by the Budapest City Administration. The special collection of the Statistical Office of the Capital was established by the director of the office, Mr. József Kőrösy. This collection has officially been qualified as a statistical reference library, but in fact the social scientist, Mr. József Körösy developed a social science library. The curator of the parallel collection with the name "city library" was the head of the archives of the capital, Mr. László Toldy. This latter collection has become step by step and unnoticed a public library with a universal collection interest and was used in the early 1900s by a wide user community. In 1903 the city decided to cease the duplication. From the two collections and the two concepts it chose to keep the social science library at the Statistical Office and has closed the other library. The head of the reorganised library was Mr. Kőrösy, and he invited the social scientist, Ervin Szabó to work as his librarian. This is how the central collection of the city library gained its social science orientation that is valid till now. Barczi Zsuzsa: Book acquisition in the Metropolitan Szabó Ervin Library The essay analyses the acquisition practice of the library during a period of ten years; it evaluates the quantitative indices of collection development, the variety and number of copies of books purchased, comparing book acquisition data from 1987 and 1996. Based on some issues of the acquisition aid Új Könyvek (New Books) from the period concerned it analyses the changes in the book market and book offer for libraries according to quality and contents. The essay also deals with the role of larger service units (the regional centres of the system, the Central Library, the Central Supply Service) within the supply system. Bartos Éva: Lists of “best sellers” in the Metropolitan Szabó Ervin Library, 1991-1996 Between the years 1991 and 1996 the lists of most successful works have been compiled in the public libraries of Budapest. The titles most sought by users are listed on the basis of the impressions and experiences of librarians every month and every year. These compilation prepared with tools and methods similar to those of opinion polls - no matter how superficial and limited it is - may offer an interesting contribution to how the demand for books has changed. Reading research has indicated already at the beginning of the 1980s orientation to utility and commercialisation. There was an essential change in this process towards the end of the 1980s related to the democratic social transition under way. Due to social challenges following the collapse of dictatorship, people turned to the reality of their present and recent past, and this was manifested in their reading interest too. Since the composition of the book market had also dramatically changed, it was found that the works in most demand in 1990-1991 were the ones revealing bald facts, documentary literature, the so-called disclosure literature, historical and political literature struggling to regain its credit, and works by authors formerly in a marginal position or even banned from publishing. By the mid-90s the flood publishing has culminated, the scale of supply has got out of control, and superabundance has made the rea'der uncertain. Reading interest has changed for the worse once again. Sándor Ottóné: Ten years of the Community Information Service The article reviews the main stages in the development of the community information service operating - mainly by phone - in the Metropolitan Szabó Ervin Library since 1987. It deals with the holdings belonging to the service, the computerised databases it accesses and its technical equipment. 195
