AZ ORSZÁGOS SZÉCHÉNYI KÖNYVTÁR ÉVKÖNYVE 1986-1990. Budapest (1994)

I. Az OSZK 1986-1990-ben - Az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár működése 1986-1990-ben - The Activity of the National Széchényi Library in the Years 1986-1990

The library's publishing activity was determined by its status as national library and its operation as a scholarly workshop. Absolute priority was given to the national bibliographical publications. These were followed by the "major" publications, which also received state targeted support and sponsoring. Due to the fact that our own printing plant was moved to another location, we were able to issue only a few other publications. During the period concerned only the volumes for 1982 and 1983 of our yearbook appeared, together with very few of the booklets and volumes in our two series. Among the most important publications of the five years, besides those already mentioned, two must be given special mention. One was the volume which appeared in 1986 but was linked to the exhibition held in the previous year for the opening of the library: Codices in Mediaeval Hungary. The valuable studies and large number of illustrations and the commentary on them, printed on a very high standard, gave visitors and researchers a closer insight into the bibliographic treasures of mediaeval Hungarian culture. The Bibliotheca Corviniana 1490—1990 appeared, like the former work, on the occasion of one of our finest and most valuable exhibitions in 1990, for the five hundredth anniversary of the death of King Matthias. The introductory study and the illustrations raise this far above the level of customary exhibition catalogues. Many other valuable publications could be mentioned, but we are only able to list these in the annexe to the Hungarian text. Our distribution activity was impeded by the contraction of the market, as well as by the work of rearranging the stock of publications and also due to the undeveloped state of our publicity work. * Summary Looking back over the period from 1986 to 1990 in the life of the library, it is perhaps not immodest to conclude this report by noting that the goals set for the first five full years in the new building not only proved to be realistic, but were also attained in all fundamental areas. The activity of the institution is being further developed on the basis of the results achieved although unfortunately it is increasingly dependent on the economic possibilities. This is a problem for the future though: the essential thing is that the foundations have been laid and the conditions created for modern library work. 88