AZ ORSZÁGOS SZÉCHÉNYI KÖNYVTÁR ÉVKÖNYVE 1967. Budapest (1969)

I. Az OSZK 1967-ben - Az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár 1967. évi működése - Report on the activity on the National Széchényi Library in 1967

catalogue in the Periodicals Department has been launched and the reconstruction works to be begun in 1968 were prepared in relation to the serials in alphabetical catalogue and the records of the serial publications of non-periodical character. Storage, preservation of stocks The delay in the completion of the library's new building necessitated the ensurance of storage space for the inpouring material. It is a regrettable setback, that we had to start with the transport of the old material of our periodicals collection from the stores beside the reading rooms to external stores. In the course of this 167 700 volumes were packed in cases, and these will be accessible only in the new building. The tasks set for the preservation of books were carried out partly within the stores, so called local restoration works, partly in workshops. In the stores material of 3000 shelf running metres was controlled and 10 383 books were repaired. In the store of the Periodicals Department 2006 pieces were restored and on an experimental level and with the aid of out-of-library, workshop the laminating of the periodicals has been begun. Here first of all the microfilming and the preparation of the periodicals for microfilming must be noted. The Microfilm Section made 721 221 negative and 391 842 positive frames with the purpose of stock preservation. Our Bookbinding Section bound 6534 books and 4544 periodicals. The Laboratory of Restoration, to the request of the special collections, restored and re-bound 1309 pieces. In 1967 we arrived to the third phase of the stock revision begun in 1965. To sum up the work done so far

: from among the 10 special collections of the library 5 completed the revision of the stocks, the stocks of 3 collections are in course of revision and in the case of two, works will begin in 1968. So far 3 642 805 items have been treated. The analysis and control made during the revision is also noteworthy, all the more, as it has been urged for years and it made possible for dr. Mária Németh to prepare her draft treating the ways and means of stock revision in view of the experiences and the practice of the national libraries of the socialist countries. Readers and Reference Service The indexes of the readers service (see tables 1. and 4.) were greatly influenced by the nearly 2-month closing up of the reading rooms due to the stock revision. The pattern of the work in the Readers Service is one of slow and steady progress. On 15th May 1967, experimentally a special reading room for literary science was opened with reading space for 12 persons and 2 400 volume openshelf library at disposal. In the reading room of the Periodicals Department the composition of the readers is of higher niveau than before, the proportion of the researchers (47,5%) approaches the optimum and with the number of the university students working on their papers it reaches 80% of the readers using the stock of the Periodicals Department. Three exhibitions were organized, all greater than usual. The exhibition on the 50th anniversary of the Great Socialist October Revolution "Új Világ születik" (New World is born) on joint organization with the National Museum of Hungary the display of Soviet Library Cards A szovjet ex libris 50 éve (1917 — 1967), 50 years of the Soviet-ex-libris 1917 — 1967 compiled by the Vologda Library. In summer, for foreign tourists the history and work of our library was put on show. The Reference Service records 207 written informations (from these 107 given to abroad.) 38 inquires required thourough literary research work both as regards quantity and quality. As an example the compilations for Albert Tezla, Professor of the University of Minnesota, for his work: An introductory bibliography to the study of Hungarian authors, and the compilation of the Hungarian part for the Parks bibliography, The literature of the World in English translations should be noted. Our Theatre Collection prepared among others, similarly to foreign request, the bibliography: „Esthonian dramatists on Hungarian Stage". Bibliographical work The majority of the works concerning the Hungarian National Bibliography was done by the Bibliographical Department, smaller parts of the work performed by the special collections. 4« 51