AZ ORSZÁGOS SZÉCHÉNYI KÖNYVTÁR ÉVKÖNYVE 1959. Budapest (1961)

IV. Könyvtár- és művelődéstörténeti tanulmányok - Summaires

Foreign relations of the National Széchényi Library in the years ipjS/jc/ 1 . GOMBOCZ Certain developments can be registered in the field of the Library's international relations in the period that has elapsed since the publishing of our former report in the 1957 yearbook which applied to the years 1953 — 1957. The policy of acquisitions from abroad has been directed more resolutely towards purchase and exchange of Hungarica material, though some difficulties ensued regarding the exact definition of the type and category of publications to be procured. An increase in the amount of foreign currency has been made available for purchases, but with regard to publications not obtainable through the ordinary trade channels, the Acquisition Division of the Library increasingly relied upon international exchanges, operated by the Hungarian Exchange Service functioning within the Library. It is interesting to note that approximately 57 per cent of the material obtained from abroad came from international exchanges. The Hungarian Exchange Service had begun to build up a nation-wide register in card form, incorporating every library and institution with exchange partners abroad. Numerous exchanges, not fitting into the National Library's own activity were passed on to the proper Hungarian libraries. All central forms of exchanges (exchanges under the country's cultural agreements, exchange of duplicates and official publications) increased in volume and quality: altogether 64,000 items were sent abroad and 97,000 items received. The Inter-Library Loan Section, a central service equally operated by the National Library, moved into more spacious quarters in another part of our building; under the more favourable circumstances it improved its work in many respects: new countries with new libraries and institutions, at home and abroad, were contacted, backlogs eliminated. 9,147 requests were received by the Section in 1959, 95 per cent of which were filled. In its capacity as the country's bibliographical centre, the National Széchényi Library increased its activity. The reference service and every special collection (periodicals, manuscripts, music division) received numerous inquiries from abroad. About 90 important bibliographies or information of another type were submitted to foreign inquirers. A noticeable progress was made in the field of the exchange of persons, though in this regard a higher figure would have been desirable. About 160 visitors from abroad examined the treasures of the National Library or studied the work of the single collections. The majority of our visitors came from the socialist countries. The numerous tourists on sight-seeing in the provincial libraries (Keszthely, Gyöngyös and Zirc) under the supervision of the National Széchényi Library are not included in this figure. Some of our principal collaborators made study tours in the German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union, others travelled in various European countries, inspecting new library buildings and equipment. Several members of the Library's staff followed special studies abroad and numerous study excursions to neighbouring countries for larger groups of staff members were also organized. The Library increased its co-operation with the Libraries Division of Unesco, concluded contracts with it with a view to organizing a regional exchange conference in Budapest in 1960 and publishing the Bibliography of Hungarian Bibliographies under the auspices of Unesco. Collaborators of the Library attended ISO, FID and IFLA Conferences, participated in regional classification meetings, attended the Berlin meetings of the socialist countries where early printed books and subject catalogues were discussed, helped organize the Haydn Year (as evidenced by the then published catalogues on the Library's collections of Haydn manuscripts), exhibited old manuscripts and books at the Leipzig Book Fair, etc. The National 396