AZ ORSZÁGOS SZÉCHÉNYI KÖNYVTÁR ÉVKÖNYVE 1961-1962. Budapest (1963)

I. A könyvtár életéből - Gombocz István: Az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár külföldi kapcsolatai. 1960-1962 - Foreign relations of the National Széchényi Library in the years 1960-1962

lommal került sor. A szocialista országokkal már korábban megkezdett sokirányú és gyümölcsöző együttműködés folytatódott ugyan (kultúregyezményes személycserék, részvétel ünnepi üléseken, ETO kérdések egyeztetése, ősnyomtatvány munkálatok stb.,), de teljes kibontakoztatása még a jövő feladata. Foreign relations oj the National Széchényi Library in the years 1960—1962 I. ftOMBOCZ Purchase, exchange and loan. The Library increased its acquisitions from sources abroad over the years under review, both by purchase and exchange. About 15% out of the total of new additions came from abroad. According to the new policy of acquisitions, more emphasis was given to acquiring standard works from the neighbouring countries. The Exchange Service maintained relations with 400 foreign partners in 55 countries of the world. During the three years about 50,000 books and 8000 volumes of periodicals were sent abroad and about the same quantity was received. Copyright deposit copies delivered to the Library were available for exchange purposes in ample quantity, appropriate reserves helped much in filling requests submitted by foreign libraries. The Library's new publications were mailed regularly to all exchange partners (such as f.i. Hungarian National Bibliography, Hungarian Bibliographical Review and Studies on Librarianship)

. The Exchange Service functioned also as intermediary for foreign libraries

: the material which arrived under our agreements for the exchange of current or surplus books and periodicals, as well as the addressed packages sent in cases ready to be forwarded to addressees, were distributed among 150 Hungarian libraries. The Service built up a nationwide register keeping track of the exchanges maintained by 200 Hungarian libraries with 15,000 libraries abroad. The Inter-library Loan Service, too, increased its activity over the three years under review. About 40,000 requests were received from abroad, the greatest part of which could be filled. The most important foreign libraries co-operated effectively, thus greatly assisting research and through it, industrial production of the country. An important innovation was represented by the publishing of a monthly review covering the new acquisitions by about 500 Hungarian libraries from abroad. This monthly publication has been published in two series: natural and social sciences. It has attained great popularity for the concise and speedy information it gives to the interested persons about the location of the most important foreign publications. The Reference Service prepared about 200 occasional bibliographies and gave detailed written information on various topics to foreign libraries or research workers abroad. In addition to these references, centering chiefly around the main book collections of the Library, the reference librarians of our Special Collections supplied information to numerous visitors and answered many letters inquiring about Hungarian periodicals, manuscripts in the holdings of the Library, incunables safeguarded here, maps, musical scores and so on. Exchange of persons About 300 foreign visitors came to the Library. The President of the Republic of India, the Chairman of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, the Director-General of the UNOLibrary, and the Director-General of the UNESCO should be mentioned especially. Numerous visitors came with the expressed purpose of taking a look at the Library's valuable rara, others worked with the materials of the Special Collections for special studies they prepared. Groups from neighbouring countries came on study tours. About 20,000 foreign tourists visited 12Q