A Fővárosi Szabó Ervin Könyvtár évkönyve 1997-1998
Tanulmányok - Tartalmi kivonatok angolul
It analyses 2400 questions in detail, based on a five-day survey in 1997. At last, it discusses issues related with the users and the staff of the information service. Vörösné Jánosi Katalin: The library’s social functions. Findings of investigations in two libraries in the 13th district The investigations were aimed at analysing the social functions of the library relying on experiences from two Budapest public libraries. As first, the essay reviews the opinion of librarians on the potential functions, as set out in oral interviews. Then it analyses the same from the point of readers, based on a questionnaire survey. From the social functions in the narrower sense it sums up the issues of library use by the ill, based on observation and interviews. The survey confirmed that the most important social function of libraries is their role in ensuring equal chances of access to documents. A test question related with prejudice, calling attention to the role of libraries as-social meeting points, examined the frictions originating from library use and the common use of materials, within a given geographical unit. It was found in both libraries under examination that if the library is near and the user has "got into the habit of being there", library visits become part of his living pattern and those living in the neighbourhood of the library may visit it even more than once a week. The librarians and readers of the libraries in the survey agreed that the most important social function in the narrower sense was the provision of a shelter for children without supervision. Concerning library use by the ill the most important finding was that libraries cannot - because of their special needs - fully satisfy their needs, but it strives to grant them a high priority. Although the survey was rather limited in scope, as the findings indicate identical trends in both libraries, in the authors' opinion the relevance of findings may surpass the borders of a district. Károlyi Ágnes: A letter to the departments of sociology The Library could answer many questions, could provide assistance to preparing projects (at seminars, diploma works) in higher education - shoulcj it be requested... The author of the bibliographical essay - reference librarian in the reading room of sociology of the Metropolitan Szabó Ervin Library - presents and describes, based on this, in eyeryday practice frequently formulated wish, the unbelievably rich Zola collection of the library, relying on the Library's holdings, catalogues and three databases. The Zola literature to be found in the Library could be interesting for art historians, political scientists, film producers, psychologists, librarians, men of letters and press historians. From these groups the author addresses her suggestions in the first place to the departments teaching sociology. 196
