Simon Mária Anna: A Magyar Tudományos Akadémia kutatóintézeti könyvtári hálózata (A MTAK kiadványai 51. Budapest, 1966)
The library-network of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
50 fields than in the rapidly growing natural sciences and technology. Research institutes engaged mainly in fundamental researches in natural sciences and engineering, have much younger libraries. They are still in the phase of laying the foundations of the collection, and their present personnel is hardly sufficient to fulfil this task. In these institutes the demand on scientific information exceeding the usual reference services of libraries, is increasing very slowly. To build up a high level scientific information service particularly in institutes engaged in natural sciences is a task for the forthcoming years. Staff. In 45 research libraries of the Academy 65 full-time and 31 part-time librarians were employed in 1965. Their joint stock amounts to somé 730 000 library units and forms one of the most important scientific collections in Hungary. If we take it into account that the tasks relating to the holdings of research libraries (accession, a more complete cataloguing and classification of the material, building up a comprehensive information service employing modern library equipments and tools), are still to be solved, it turns out that the actual number of librarians will hardly suffice to perform these tasks. The fact that 32 out of 96 librarians work in 5 major libraries gives further evidence of the difficulties. These difficulties are alsó increased considerably by the requirements which had to be raised for librarians. Since 60 to 80 per cent of the holdings of research libraries were written in foreign languages, the first requirement is proficiency in languages. A good passive knowledge of at least two or three languages is indispensable for a librarian so that he may master his material and may give effective help to the research workers. Of the totál of librarians employed in research libraries 45 are university or college graduates, but only 25 of them obtained qualification in librarianship in higher educational institutions. These figures show real needs; professional training in librarianship, however important and useful it is, will not be sufficient and the thorough knowledge of the subject field covered by the institute in which he or she works, is equallv important. Quite different is the situation when the librarian is a scientist or engineer without training in librarianship. In this case it is necessary — and with a view to the Library Training Act it is obligatory too — to earn a complementary diploma or to participate in high level training in librarianship. To sum up: a good librarian in research libraries should have the following personal qualities: activity, comprel ensive erudit :on,
