Rózsa György (szerk.): The Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1826–1976.

I. Historical outline

Circumstances changed for the better with the economic stabilization and almost at the same time (in 1925) Zoltán Ferenczi was appointed the chieflibrarian, who had a good deal of experience both in theory and practice. He started subscriptions to the most important periodicals again, and revived exchange relations. He procured new stack-rooms making it possible to house the whole stock in an adequate way. After his death this dynamic growth came to a stop. Discontinued acquisitions during World War I and the following years ought to have been made up for and the uncatalogued material processed. The Academy received as a bequest by Count Ferenc Vigyázó not only an estate, but an extraordinary valuable library of 17 000 volumes (a rich collection of rare books, precious codices, incunabula and old Hungarian books), in addition the library of Aurél Stein and the Kegl-library, both of which contained oriental material. These collections and other former arrears were processed, but the making up for gaps in acquisition and that of new scientific publications were neglected. The Vigyázó estate might have been profitable for the Academy, but the economic crisis and later the outbreak of World War II prevented the proper exploitation of the estate for Hungarian scientific life. The period between the two World Wars was nothing but years of decline in the Library's history. It became underdeveloped and was closed to a wider public. Work in the Library was carried out under more and more unfavourable circumstances, without having enough personnel. Purchases were accidental, deposit copies essentially involved a quantitative growth only, thus merely increasing the existing want of space. One merit of this period was the developing of exchange relations: between 1929 and 1938 exchange agreements were established with 450 institutions and despite the contemporary government's chauvinistic attitude to cultural policy, the Library continued maintaining relations with the academies of neighbouring states, even with those of the Soviet Union (Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev). During World War II, when the country was a theatre of war, the main task was to save the stocks. The most valuable manuscripts and rare books were deposited in the air-raid shelter of the Academy's building, of the National Bank and in the cave-cellars under the Castle Hill. The palace of the Academy, in its exposed site, was hit several times during battles, but fortunately the stocks suffered relatively slight damage. In 1944, the year of the centenary, the Library was in a state of total paralysation. Services came to an end, there were neither lights nor heating in the building, all activities were suspended, stack-rooms and premises without windows were exposed to devastation. 1949 - 1976 After the liberation of the country restoration works were started with great difficulties. Manuscripts and books, having been put in safe places, were brought back successfully.