AZ ORSZÁGOS SZÉCHÉNYI KÖNYVTÁR ÉVKÖNYVE 1981. Budapest (1983)

I. Az OSZK 1981-ben - Somkuti Gabriella: Az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár működése 1981-ben - The Activity of the National Széchényi Library in 1981

THE ACTIVITY OF THE NATIONAL SZÉCHÉNYI LIBRARY IN 1981 Although it was not marked by spectacular events, 1981 was a successful year in the National Széchényi Library. No doubt, we were compelled to reduce our services radically, especially, by way of the temporary reduction of our readers services, but there are numerous evidences to prove that a considerable advance took place especially due to our development activities. The results of these processes commenced now will exert a positive influence on the whole Hungarian library system and strengthen the leading role of the national library. Our efforts are in keeping with international trends and are related to major international programs (UBC, UAP). The construction of the new building of the library, having been under way for more than 20 years, is nearing completion. In accordance with the decision of December 1981 of the State Council of Planning, construction activities shall have to be completed by December 31, 1983. Thereafter, the following year or two will be the period of furnishing and moving. In order to promote this, we have accelerated the respective library activities as of this year. This applies, in the first place, to the establishment of a reference library of 60—70,000 volumes. (As it is well known, the new residence of the national library will be in the Buda Castle, the former royal residence, in the neighbouring wing of the Budapest Historical Museum and the Hungarian National Gallery.) The unexpected delay in construction was due to the unforseen difficulties stemming in the restoration of a historical complex. Acquisition In the year 1981, the holdings of the library have been inscreased by 26,192 volumes of books, 5,926 volumes of periodicals, 13,531 manuscript items and 72,701 units of other documents (music notes, maps, small prints, microfilms, LP records), i.e. altogether 118,350 library units. Apart from aquiring all documents published inside Hungary we have continued making efforts to obtain the Hungarian language and Hungary-related literature published abroad. In view of the fact that in the neighbouring countries — especially in Rumania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia — there lives a considerable Hungarian national minority, and ethnic Hungarians too can be found in West Europe as well as in the USA, this activity requires wide-scale bibliographical information together with active commercial and exchange relationships. Parallel to current Hungarica acquisition, a retrospective gap-filling activity is also necessarry. When original copies are unavailable, we try to obtain them in mimeographed forms, i.e. in xerox and in microfilm. Apart from Hungarica, our fundamental field of acquisition, we have purchased works only in the field of social science, viz. linguistics, literary science and history, moreover reference works. Processing and Cataloguing New acquisitions —except manuscripts—have been currently processed in all collections. The large-scale re-cataloguing of the periodicals begun in 1976/1977 has been going on. The reconstruction of the UDC Catalogue which is under way since long is nearing completion. Several catalogues of our special collections are being prepared for publishing (the catalogue of 16th century books, Latin codices, 18-19th century theatre documents, etc.). Efforts have been made to elaborate the principles of a new catalogue based on ISBD together with closing the old one. We have also regulated the processing and the usage of the microdocuments. Bibliographical activity The numbers of the Hungarian National Bibliography registering the books, notes and the papers published in periodicals together with two quarterlies registering Hungarian books published abroad and foreign references to Hungary have been 106