AZ ORSZÁGOS SZÉCHÉNYI KÖNYVTÁR ÉVKÖNYVE 1960. Budapest (1962)

IV. Könyvtár- és művelődéstörténeti tanulmányok - Summaries

to recording newspaper material. (The Bibliotheque nationale in Paris reproduces its newspaper volumes on microfilm reels of 120 to 300 metres each). Various views have been formulated in connection with the use of microfilms. Actually it is increasingly believed that the microfilm should not be considered as the end product, but simply as a tool in the service of archival storage and a helpful medium in the collecting of data; the microfilm is said to be the starting point for research and owing to all these divergent views, it is suggested that suitable processes should be introduced to be able to make cheap re-enlargements of those passages in the works concerned that are just required by the researcher (e. g. through the use of diazo-type materials, Copyflo process, etc.). —• In developing and improving the future photo-reproducing methods of our national library, special techniques must also be considered, such as for instance the appliction of coloured, infra-red or ultra-violet photography. All these factors should be taken into account when installing the Microfilm Service in the national library's future new home: up-todate technical equipment is indispensable to solve the new tasks at the required high level. There is no time for tarrying

: the microrecording of the Library's material should be continued at a rapid pace and with great intensity, in order to build up, already now, a suitable collection of negative microfilms to serve as a basis for the future. The storage situation in connection with periodicals in the light oj the layout oj the new national library building I. NAGYDIÓSI It is a great event in the history of the National Széchényi Library that a new home has been envisaged for it in the west wing of the former royal castle at Buda, which is to be especially reconstructed for the purpose of a library. The new accommodation which is to determine the life of the Library and its collections for many decades in advance, is posing additional problems to the Periodicals Division, in view of the fact that the handling and storing of periodicals differ in many respects from the rules ordinarily valid for books. The Periodicals Division of the National Széchényi Library (a collection of newspapers and periodicals) is among the first of its kind throughout the world: with regard to the completeness of its holdings of ,,Hungarica" it has no equal among foreign institutions similarly custodians of material of a national character. In the beginning (from 1884 on) the Division was an independent library for periodicals, later (as of 1888) it was incorporated into the National Széchényi Library as one of its collections. The material at present held by the Division can be grouped — by size — into four categories: octavo (up to 25 cm.), quarto (26—35 cm.), folio (36—50 cm.), large folio (over 50 cm.). The holdings of the Periodicals Division, in the four size groups, consist of the following: 8vo = 1,510 metre run of shelving 4to = 1,520 metre run of shelving Fo = 1,785 metre run of shelving large Fo = 345 metre run of shelving and approximately 240 metre run of shelving of current material. The total quantity is stored in 9 stack rooms (of which three are equipped with „steel stacks"); there is such a shortage of space, however, that often the volumes are shelved in double rows. Storage space requirements until the moving into the new library takes place, and in the 15 to 20 years thereafter, amount to 14,000—17,000 metre run of shelving; these figures take already account of the ever increasing importance of periodicals as scientific research and source-material, and their consequent numerical growth. To help planning the periodicals stacks in the future home of the Library, the author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of stack types and storage systems and considers the possibility of a storage in rows without gaps, arranged strictly by size, as a means of ensuring the greatest gain of capacity. That type of storage would result in a gain of space (29.26%) (29.45%) (34.6 %) ( 6.69%) 345