Rózsa György (szerk.): The Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1826–1976.
IV. Network and methodological work
III . NETWORK AND METHODOLOGICAL WORK The tasks of the Group of Library Network and Methodology are the professional supervision of the libraries of the research centres, institutes and research groups of the Academy and the support of their work, directly serving research. The holdings of these institutional libraries represent a high intellectual value, not only because of their millions of books, but first of all because their holdings, which record the latest achievements in research, are used in a more intensive way than those of any large library, as they are available in the immediate vicinity of the scientists. The library act (no. 1956/5 decree of legal force) made the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences the centre of the research library network. The presidential instruction [13/1960 MTA, A. K. 20] dealing with the institutional library work created basic conditions for library work in 38 institutes of the Academy. Coordinating and supporting advisory activities of the Group were started simultaneously. Following the reorganization of the Academy an instruction of the Secretary-General [17/1972 (A. K. 20.) MTA—F] developed the library system in accordance with the increasing demands and with the use of accumulated methodological and practical experiences. The above instruction set the Group of Library Network and Methodology the task of assisting in matters of organizing, building and investing, of gathering and conveying experiences and new methods which are exploitable in institutional research libraries, of taking charge of training and extension training of librarians, of giving — as a professional advisory body — expert opinion about the basic problems of institutional libraries to the Academy's scientific departments, of recording and analyzing trends and new demands which emerge in library activities. The Group of Library Network and Methodology gives direct support to institutes by means of sending them publications received on international exchange basis, and through various services rendered (reprography, contents service, prints etc.). In the appendix the institutional libraries are listed, with their stocks (statistical figures refer to 31st December 1975.) The institutional library network is in the possession of 659 487 books, 263 151 volumes of periodicals and approximately 340 000 items of other documents (separates, research reports, maps, records, tapes, microfilms etc.) These stocks 28
