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The University Library was founded by Miklós Oláh, archbishop of Esztergom in 1561. Finally, it became the library of the university founded by Péter Pázmány archbishop of Esztergom in Nagyszombat in 1635. The Royal Hungarian University and the library has moved to Buda in 1777, then the library has moved to Pest in 1784. The library’s new building was built based on of the plans of Antal Skalnitzky in 1876. The reading hall, which is over 200 m2 large, receives natural light through the glass roof, on its ceiling there are frescos painted by Károly Lotz.
The Library’s collection consists of almost 2 million documents. The most valuable are: 189 codices -with 14 corvinas - , approx. 1200 incunabula, plenty of valuable manuscripts, 11 000 16th century volumes, 16 500 Baroque volumes, and 75 000 18th century volumes.
Downloadable brochure about the building, collections, history and services.
Students may use their student ID card as a library card. In the case of ELTE students’ registration is valid for the current semester. Students participating in part time or mobility programmes like Erasmus belong under the same regulations as ELTE students.
László Szögi (1995-2013)
(Budapest, 9 July 1948): historian. He studied at the Department of History and Russian language and later at the Department of History and Archival Studies at the Faculty of Humanities of the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) between 1967 and 1972. Between 1972 and 1976, he worked as an archivist at the library of the Budapest University of Technology, from 1975 he was a visiting lecturer at the Department of the Auxiliary sciences of history at the Faculty of Humanities at ELTE, between 1976 and 1980 as an assistant lecturer, between 1980 and 1996 as an assistant professor and from 1996 as an associate professor. Between 1984 and 1990 he was the director of the Archive of ELTE and between 1990 and 1994 he worked as a councillor at the Ministry of Culture and Public Education and from 1995 as the Director General of the University Library and Archive. He has been the editor of the series of the publication titled ‘Chapters form the history of ELTE’ (Fejezetek az ELTE történetéből) since 1988, and since 1994 the editor of the source publication titled ‘The peregrination of Hungarian university students in the New Age’ (Magyarországi diákok egyetemjárása az újkorban), and since 2000 of the new series of the ‘History of Higher Education Publications’. He has been the editor of the Year Books of the University Library since 1996.
Field of research: the history of higher education in Hungary and in Europe in the New Age, the history of the peregrination of Hungarian students to foreign universities and the scientific relations, history of libraries and archives, the administration of the church in the New Age. He held a candidate of sciences degree (Phd equivalent degree) in History (1995). In 1983 he received a ministerial award for Excellent Work and in 1997 he received a Széchenyi professors’s stipend. In 2003 he received the Bolyai Prize and the Pauler Gyula Prize.
In 1195 a new era started in the life of the University Library: the library could remain a library of archival value – this was due to its uniquely valuable incunabula, manuscripts, and books – while it was also able to implement a process of modernization: the integrated electronic library system purchased by the University was put into operation; the conditions for a single online catalogue for the University were created. A new special collection (Antiqua-collection) was created which includes the 16th century book collection of the library and the selection, while the preparation of a special catalogue for the 17th century books is currently in progress. The electronic processing of the old books is proceeding at a great pace. In accordance with the modern developments, electronic information supply is becoming increasingly widespread in the work of the library.
His major works: Hungarian students at the universities of the Habsburg Monarchy I. 1790-1850. (Magyarországi diákok a Habsburg Monarchia egyetemein I. 1790-1850.) . (Budapest - Szeged 1994). The peregrination of Hungarian university students in the New Age I. (Magyarországi diákok egyetemjárása az újkorban I.); Travelling University students in Transsylvania (with Miklós Szabó) (Erdélyi peregrinusok (Szabó Miklóssal)) (Marosvásárhely 1998); Centuries of Hungarian Higher Education (with József Kardos and Elemér Kelemen) (A magyar felsőoktatás évszázadai (Kardos Józseffel és Kelemen Elemérrel)) (2000); Hungarian Students at the Swiss and Dutch Universities 1789-1919. (Magyarországi diákok svájci és hollandiai egyetemeken 1789-1919.) The peregrination of Hungarian university students in the New Age 3. (Magyarországi diákok egyetemjárása az újkorban 3.) (2000); The century-old universitas. Books on Hugngarian Higher Education 19. (Az évszázados universitas. Magyar Felsőoktatás könyvek 19.) (2001); Centuries of Hungarian Higher Education (Kardos Józseffel és Kelemen Elemérrel) (2001) Hungarian Students at the German Universities and Colleges 1789-1919. (Magyarországi diákok németországi egyetemeken és főiskolákon 1789-1919.) The peregrination of Hungarian university students in the New Age 5. (Magyarországi diákok egyetemjárása újkorban 5.) (2001).
Béla Németh G. (1980-1994)
(Szombathely, 17 February 1925 - Budapest, 5 September 2008): historian of literature. In 1950 he graduated from the department of Hungarian and German language at the Budapest University. He was a member of the Eötvös College but he was expelled in 1948. Between 1951 and 1952 he was a primary school teacher and between 1952 and 1953 he worked as an employee of a loan library. Between 1953 and 1955 he worked as an assistant professor of the Budapest College of Pedagogy, between 1955 and 1958 he was a fellow worker of the Institute of Literary History, between 1959-63 he worked as a grammar school teacher, and from 1963 he was a member of the Institute of Literary History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), from 1965 he worked as an assistant professor and a professor at ELTE. In 1981 he established the Department of Cultural History, which he was the manager of until 1987. From 1987 until 1995 he was the head and the professor of the 19th century Hungarian Literary History. Between 1980 and 1995 he was the Director General of the University Library. Between 1991 and 1996 he was the president of the Department of the Language and Literary Sciences of the HAS, the member of the Committee of Literary History, president of the Poetics Working Committee, the member of the Committee of Cultural History, president of the 19th century Working Committee, president of the Collection Department, joint-president of the Art Collection, member of the Austrian-Hungarian Literary Sciences Joint Committee and of the Swedish-Hungarian Historical Joint Committee. Between 1979 and 1988 he was president of the Literary Sciences Professional Committee of the Scientific Qualification Committee.
Field of research: Hungarian literature after the war of independence and 20th century Hungarian literature. Candidate of sciences (PhD) in Literary Studies (1966), doctor of sciences awarded by the HAS (1973). From 1982 he was a correspondent member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and from 1990 he became a full member. He received the Attila József Prize (1976), the Academy Prize (1980), the Déry Prize (1987), the Széchenyi Prize (1996), and the Dezső Kosztolányi Prize (1998).
During his administration (1982-1994) the reconstruction the building of the University Library which was seriously damaged due to the construction of the underground.
Major works: Artwork and personality (Mű és személyiség) (1970); The tragic and the conception of history (Tragikum és történetfelfogás) (1971); Impatient and lagging/lingering half a century (Türelmetlen és késlekedő félszázad) (1971); Fighting for survival and nationality (Létharc és nemzetiség) (1976); 11 poems (11 vers) (1977); The loss of balance. German Romanticism (Az egyensúly elvesztése. A német romantika) (1978); Hub and the wheel. (Küllő és kerék) (1981); Hungarian literary criticism in the age of positivism. (A magyar irodalomkritikai gondolkodás a pozitivizmus korában) (1981); 7 attempts about the late Attila József (7 kísérlet a kései József Attiláról) (1982); About the end of the century, about the beginning of the century (Századutóról, századelőről) (1985); Babits, the liberator (Babits, a szabadító) (1987); Longitudinal sections and cross sections (Hosszmetszetek és keresztmetszetek) (1987); Péterfy Jenő (1988); After the revolution – before the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (Forradalom után - kiegyezés előtt) (ed., co-author, 1989); Questions and doubts (Kérdések és kétségek) (1995); Memories, ideas, people (Emlékek, eszmék emberek) (1996); Korok és versek (1996); Writers, works, people (Írók, művek, emberek) (1998).
László Mátrai (1945-1980)
(Budapest, 17 January 1909 - Budapest, 7 November 1983): philosopher, aesthete. State Prize (1975), member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (corresponding member from 1948, full member from 1962). In 1929 he graduated from the Faculty of Humanities at the Budapest University of Sciences as a Hungarian-German teacher. He became the student of Ákos Pauler. In 1931 he received a doctoral degree in aesthetics, in philosophy and in literary history with his dissertation titled ‘The major trends in contemporary aesthetics’. In 1933, with the help of Lajos Prohászka, he got a job as a librarian in the University Library. In 1935 he participated in the editing of the journal titled Apollo, which had been founded by László Bóka and István Gál. In 1940 he received the Baumgarten Award and in 1942 the Baumgarten Prize. Gyula Kornis and Baron Béla Brandenstein gave him recommendations to work as a private tutor at the Faculty of Humanities. On 30 July 1941 he received a habilitation in Cultural Philosophy. From 1940 he was guest lecturer in Philosophy at Eötvös College; he resigned from this post on the day of German occupation on 19 March 1944. On 23 February 1945 he was appointed Director General of the University Library by the Budapest National Committee. It was the time when György Lukács asked him to hold lectures at the Faculty of Humanities. In the political life that was being reorganized at the time he was a member of the National Peasants’ Party until 1948. In 1948 he joined the Communist Party. From 1960 he was the chief editor of the journal Világosság, later the head of the editorial committee, then the member of the editorial committee of the journalMagyar Filozófiai Szemle, later its president, as well as the editor of the book series restarted at the time Filozófiai Írók Tára with Béla Fogarasi and György Lukács. In 1964 he received professorship and from 1973-tól 1980 he was head of department. His work was characterized by the intention to purify the system of thought in the humanities (Geisteswissenshaft) from irrational notions.
It was during his administration that the catalogue system of the University Library was created. In 1949 the creation of a decimal and – for the first time in Hungary – the subject heading catalogue commenced.
His major works: The main trends in contemporary aesthetics (A jelenkori esztétika fő irányai) (1931); Modern thought (Modern gondolkodás) (1938); Experience and artwork (Élmény és mű) (1940, 1973); Study of character (Jellemtan) (1943); Progress and development (Haladás és fejlődés) (1947); Thought and freedom (Gondolat és szabadság) (1961); The historicity of culture (A kultúra történetisége) (1977); The history of my workshops (Műhelyeim története) (1982).
Iván Pasteiner (1926-1945)
(Budapest, 16 May 1887 - Graz, 16 February 1962): librarian. He received his doctoral degree in Law at the Budapest University. In 1920 he organized the National Book Distribution and Bibliographical Centre where he was acting director. From 1926 he was the director of the University Library and from 1935 to 1945, which was the date of his retirement, he was the Director General of the library. He was Member of the Board of Trustees of the Hungarian Institute in Rome between 1937 and 1944. He actively participated in the foundation and organization of the Association of Hungarian Librarians and Archivists, and he held a lecture at the first congress of the Association (2-4 October 1936) titled “Library Policy in Hungary”. He left the country in 1947 and settled in Graz. His studies on library sciences have been published in Hungarian and international professional journals.
During his administration between 1928 and 1931, the renovation long due, which had been regularly postponed because of lack of resources, was finally carried out.
His major works: Hungarian Political Science (A magyar politikai-tudomány) (1914); Additions to the bibliography of college education in Hungary. (Adalékok a magyar főiskolai oktatás bibliográfiájához) (1916); Die ungarische Zentralstelle für Bibliothekswesen (Leipzig, 1928); University libraries (Az University könyvtárak) (Lecture at the National Higher Education Congress in 1936. published in 1937).
Lőrinc Tetzel (1925-1926 acting director)
(Rajka, 14 September 1872 - Budapest, 27 June 1927): librarian. From 1893 he worked in the University Library. In 1914 he became the first guardian and after the retirement of Zoltán Ferenczi he was the director of the library for one and a half year. When Pasteiner was appointed Director General instead of him, he committed suicide not much later – presumably for the above reason.
Zoltán Ferenczi (1899-1925)
(Borsa, October 1857 - Budapest, 31 May 1927): literary historian, librarian, member of the Hungarian Acedemy of Sciences (correspondent from 1905, full from 1917). He graduated as a teacher and received his doctoral degree in the humanities at the University of Kolozsvár (Cluj). From 1880 he was the director of a secondary school, and between 1884 and 1896 he worked as the director of a vocational school in Kolozsvár. From 1881 he was a private tutor of Hungarian literature and from 1895 an extraordinary professor at the University of Kolozsvár, and a director of the University Library at the University of Budapest from 1903, from 1891 in Kolozsvár, and between1899 and 1925 he worked as a director of the University Library in Budapest. From 1924 he worked as a retired professor at the Budapest University. From 1925 he was the chief librarian of the Hungarian Acedemy of Sciences. From 1903 he was member of the Kisfaludy Association, from 1907 the vice president of the Petőfi Association. Between 1888 and 1895 he was the co-author of the journal titled Petőfi-Múzeum and later between 1907 and 1925 he edited various book series such as the one titled Költők és írók, from 1908 (with Sándor Endrődi) the Petőfi-Könyvtár, and between 1912 and 1922 the Hungarian Shakespeare collection (Magyar Shakespeare-tár). He was the author of the fullest ever Petőfi biography. He wrote his studies on literary history in great detail and using a wide variety of source materials. He published numerous historical and literary historical studies in both professional journals and independently. He translated some works of Dante, Shakespeare and Goethe into Hungarian. He also wrote plays.
During his administration the library received quite a lot of criticism for the slowness and imprecision of the service from the stacks as well as for the lack of newer reading rooms and the outdated reference library in the reading room. The readers resented that the reading rooms were not continuously open all day. Ferenczi tried to rationalize: he reorganized the tables in the reading rooms to increase working places and in 1919 electric lighting was introduced, although it was only in 1928 that the lights were first switched on. However, the attempts at rationalizing did not become part of an overall library reform.
His major works: Songs of the kuruc era (A kurucvilág énekei) (1880); The golden cock (Az aranykakas) (play, first shown Kolozsvár 1884); János Lázár (Lázár János) (traged first shown Kolozsvár, 1885); Hundred years ago (Száz év előtt) (play, Kolozsvár, 1892); The life of Miklós Jósika (Jósika Miklós élete) (1894); The history of printing in Kolozsvár (A kolozsvári nyomdászat története) (Kolozsvár, 1896); The biography of Petőfi (Petőfi életrajza) (I-III., 1896); Acting and the history of the theatre in Kolozsvár (A kolozsvári színészet és színház története) (Kolozsvár, 1897); Baron József Eötvös (Báró Eötvös József) (1903); The foundations of Library Studies (A könyvtártan alapvonalai) (1903); Deák’ life (Deák élete) (I-III., 1904); Csokonai (1907); The literature of Petőfi’s disappearance (Petőfi eltűnésének irodalma) (1910); János Rimay (Rimay János) (1911); The history of Hungarian literature 1867-1900 (A magyar irodalom története 1867-1900) (1913); Zrínyi ‘s password (Zrínyi jelszava) (1921).
Sándor Máté (1899 acting director)
(Kövend, 11 June 1846 - Bp., 30 August 1926): doctor of law, first guardian of the Budapest University Library. Between 1868 and 1969 at the he studied Law and Administration at the Royal Academy of Law in Kolozsvár; he continued his studies at the Budapest University and finished in 1873; it was here that he graduated in the History of law in 1870, and in 1873 in Political Sciences and he took an examination to qualify as a judge and on 24 April 1875 graduated as a doctor of general law. On 15 December 1872 he started working at the Budapest University Library and on 24 April 1889 he was appointed first guardian. Following the death of Sándor Szilágyi director of the library on 13 January 1899, he was asked to become acting director of the library and until 18 December he worked as the acting director. In 1909 he retired due to this sickness. The main foci of his articles were bibliography and literary history, they were published in the journals titled Figyelő (1887), Magyar Igazságügy(1887), Nemzet (1897), Századok (1895 -1898) and the Magyar Könyvszemle (1896-1897).
He drafted the administrative regulations of the University Library in 1899 and he collaborated in the preparation of the draft organizational regulations for the library in 1901.
His major works: The life and works of Pauler Tivadar (Pauler Tivadar élete és művei) (1887); The library of the Hungarian Royal University of Sciences in Budapest 1874-1885. Prepared on the basis of official data issued for the national millennium ceremony. (A budapesti magyar királyi tudományegyetem könyvtára 1874-1885. A millenniumi országos ünnepély alkalmára hivatalos adatok alapján) (1896); The history of the Faculty of Medicine at the Budapest University. Review and criticism. Special print from the journal ‘Századok’. (A budapesti egyetem orvosi karának története. Könyvismertetés és bírálat) (1897, Különnyomat a Századokból); The Hungarian law and procedure regarding bills, 3rd ed. with Adolf Kassay (A magyar váltótörvény és eljárás) (1899., 3. kiad. Kassay Adolffal); Report on the condition of the library of the Royal University of Sciences in Budapest in 1898. (Jelentés a budapesti magyar királyi tudományegyetemi könyvtár 1898. állapotáról) (1899);
Sándor Szilágyi (1878-1899)
(Kolozsvár, 30 August 1827- Budapest, 12 January 1899): historian, member if the Hungarian Acedemy of Sciences (Correspondent from 1857, full member from 1873). He received a degree in Law and Humanities in Kolozsvár. During the 1848-49 revolution and war of independence he moved to Pest and started working for the newspapers Pesti Hírlap and Életképek. After the war of independence, he made an attempt at publishing literary journals. The Magyar Emléklap was published in ten, the Magyar Írók Füzetei in four, and the Pesti Röpirat was only published in ten editions as the police banned the publication of all the poems recalling the memory of the war of independence. The second volume of the literary year book titled Nagyenyedi Album, which was published in 1851, and several others of his independent works were confiscated by the police. From 1852 he taught mathematics at the Reformed College at Kecskemét and from 1853 he taught at Nagykőrös, and he was also a colleague of János Arany and Ferenc Mentovich, among others. In 1867 Baron József Eötvös appointed him as secretary in the Ministry of Religion and Public Education. In 1878 he was director of the Budapest University Library. In the early 1850s he wrote articles about the war of independence and later he mostly processed and published numerous data and documents about the history of 16th and 17th century Transylvania. In 1875 he overtook the editing of the journal Századok and started the publication of the journal of source publications titledTörténeti Tár’ (1878) and the book series Magyar Történelmi Életrajzok (1885). He carried out extensive science management work. He published the book series titled Erdélyi Országgyűlési Emlékek (1540-1699) and edited the ten-volume History of the Hungarian Nation issued for the millennium.
During his administration – although his appointment did not go smoothly because many people did not want a director who was member of the Reformed Church – the library enjoyed a relaxed period of time, the catalogues were completed, purchasing was continuous, and the library was expanding at an even pace.
His major works: The history of Hungarian revolution 1848-1849 (A magyar forradalom története 1848- és 49-ben) (Pest, 1850); The men in the Hungarian revolution (A magyar forradalom férfiai) (Pest, 1850); The history of Transylvania (Erdélyország története) (I-II., Pest, 1866); Prince Gábor Báthory (Báthory Gábor fejedelem) (Pest, 1867); The age of the Rákóczis in Transylvania (A Rákócziak kora Erdélyben) (Pest, 1868); Historical sketches (Történeti rajzok) (1880); Gábor Bethlen and the Swedish diplomacy (Bethlen Gábor és a svéd diplomácia) (1882); György Rákóczi II (II. Rákóczi György) (1891); György Rákóczi I (I. Rákóczi György) (1893).
József Szinnyei, sr. (1877-1878 acting director)
(Komárom, 18 March 1830 - Budapest, 9 August 1913): bibliographer, correspondent member of the Hungarian Acedemy of Sciences (1899), the founder of the modern Hungarian scientific biography and bibliographical literature, the founder and first regular developer of the newspaper stack of the National Széchenyi Library (OSZK). Between 1845 and 1946 he studied at the university in Pest and between 1846 and 1948 at the Academy in Győr. In the autumn of 1848 he joined the army in Komárom, he participated in the defence of the castle and he reached the rank of first lieutenant. Between 1849 and 1955 he was working in the law office of his brother-in-law, Zsigmond Beöthy, in Komárom. In 1854 he moved to Pozsony (Bratislava) where he was working in the law office of Károly Samarjay between 1855 and 1864. From 1864 he was a bank clerk in Pozsony and from 1869 in Pest while from 1872 he worked as an officer of the Budapest University Library and between 1875 and 1888 the first guardian. From 1884 he set up a national newspaper library for the government, although it was originally his idea. From 1888 he was the guardian of the newspaper library of the National Széchenyi Library, from 1901 the director guardian, and from 1910 head of the department in the museum. He published numerous bibliographical publications in contemporary journals. Every year he compiled the file directory of the newspapers being published in Hungary which were published in the papers Vasárnapi Újság (1873-94), and later in the Magyar Könyvszemle(1895-1913). Today there are 60 volumes of his diaries in manuscript form. His collection of biographies of writers is a fundamental source to this day for the analysis of the biographies and works of authors who had lived before 1900. Moreover, his journal-repertorium volumes are very significant. He was also an honorary member of the Petőfi Association.
He could have been a worthy successor to Ferenc Toldy as a director of the library but he did not have a university degree therefore he could only work in the position of an acting director, nevertheless, he managed to carry out the selection and cataloguing of the reference library of the reading room.
His major works: Hungarian scientific repertorium of Hungarian and foreign journals (Hazai és külföldi folyóiratok magyar tudományos repertóriuma) (I-III., 1874, 1876, 1885); Our newspaper literature 1848-49 (Hírlapirodalmunk 1848-49-ben) (1877); Komárom in 1848-49 (Komárom 1848-49-ben) (Naplójegyzetek, 1887); Timár-house (Timár-ház) (Naplójegyzetek, Komárom, 1889-1907); The life and works of Hungarian authors (Magyar írók élete és munkái9 (I-XIV., 1890-1914); The first Hungarian bibliographer István Sándor. (Az első magyar bibliographus Sándor István) (1901); Bach-era 1849-51 (Bach-korszak 1849-51) (Naplójegyzetek, Komárom, 1909).
Árpád Horváth (1874-1876)
(Pest, 23 February 1820 - Budapest, 26 October 1894): historian. He went to university in Pest, and he received a degree in Humanities in the University of Pest in 1837. In 1840 he received a doctorate in law and in 1841 he was certified as a lawyer. From 1846 he was a substitute professor of diplomatics and heraldics at the University of Pest, between 1848 and 1850 and from 1867 to his death he was a public professor. In 1857 he was the teacher of Hungarian language and literature at the Academy of Trade in Pest then between 1871 and 1873 he was first guardian of the University Library and between 1874 and 1876 he was the director. From 1884 he was correspondent member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In July 1850 he married the widow of Sándor Petőfi, Júlia Szendrey.
During his administration the building of the University Library was built on the basis of Antal Skalnitzky’s plan, and it is still in the same building today. From 1776 a new card catalogue was being developed for the library that had long been due. Two catalogues were been created: onedescriptive catalogue (initially only listing abbreviated titles) and a subject catalogue. The descriptive catalogue is still in use today.
His major works: Introduction to Hungarian heraldics (Bevezetés a magyar oklevéltanba) (1880); Heraldic notes (Oklevéltani jegyzetek) (1-4., 1880-84); János Mabillon, the founder of diplomatics (Mabillon János, a diplomatika megalapítója) (1884); The department of diplomatics in Budapest (A budapesti diplomatikai tanszék...) (1886); Publications from my notebook (Közlemények irománytárcámból) (emlékezések; 1884).
Ferenc Toldy (Schedel) (1843-1874)
(Buda, 10 August 1805 - Budapest, 10 December 1875): literary historian, critic, university professor, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (from 1830), and later its director (1871). He studied in Pest from 1822, in Cegléd from 1813, in Pest from 1814, in Kassa from 1818, and between 1819 and 1822 at the course of humanities at the university in Pest. This is where he made friends with József Bajza and he also met the key figures of the literary life of the period. Between 1822 and 1827 he finished a medical course at the university in Pest and in 1829 he received a degree in medicine. Between 1829 and 1930 he made a major study trip to Western Europe, where he also visited Goethe in Weimar. After his return home he practised medicine for a short period of time. In 1833 he lectured in macrobiotics and dietetics at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Pest. He was the assistant notary of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1831 and its secretary between 1835 and 1861. Between 1837 and 1843 he edited the journal titled ‘Athenaeum’ with József Bajza and Mihály Vörösmarty. Between 1833 and 1846 he was extraordinary professor of dietetics and between 1850 and 1861 he was a private tutor of aesthetics and literary history. From 1861 to his death he was the professor of Hungarian language and literature at the University of Pest. Between 1871 and 1872 he was the rector of the university. From 1843 to his death he was the director of the University Library. In 1836 he initiated the foundation of the KisfaludyAssociation which he was director of between 1841 and 1860 while from 1860 he was its vice president and from 1873 its president. Between 1831 and 1832 he was editor of the Magyar Orvosi Tár (which he founded with Pál Bugát), the Tudománytár between 1834 and 1835, the Figyelmező between 1837 and 1840, while between 1850 and 1860 the Új Magyar Múzeum which was founded by him and Tivadar Pauler. He is the founder of the academic historiography of Hungarian literature. He published numerous studies, articles, critiques and memorial speeches etc., which were published in contemporary journals and other publications. He discovered and published a number of old Hungarian language documents and historical archival folders containing several documents and he redacted the publications of numerous of our memorable writers.
He was responsible for initiating the modernization of the University Library. He created a new organizational regulation and new rules for the reading room. His method for expanding the holdings was characterized by scientific purposefulness, by the consideration of the perspectives of educational and science policy. He had also planned to write a manual on bibliography; however, he only finished the introduction titled About libraries (Könyvtárakról).
His major works: Handbook of Hungarian Poetics (Handbuch der ungarischen Poesie) (I-II., 1828); The history of Hungarian National Literature (A Magyar Nemzeti Irodalom története) (I-II.; 1851); Hungarian poetry until Sándor Kisfaludy (A magyar költészet Kisfaludy Sándorig) (Pest, 1854); The handbook of Hungarian poetry (A magyar költészet kézikönyve) (I-II., Pest, 1855-57): Ferenc Kazinczy and his age (unfinished) (Kazinczy Ferenc és kora) (Pest, 1859-60, befejezetlen maradt); The history of Hungarian national literature from the time long past to the present (A magyar nemzeti irodalom története a legrégibb időktől a jelenkorig) (Pest, 1864); Ferenc Toldy’s collected works (Toldy Ferenc Össszegyűjtött munkái) (I-VIII., Pest, 1868-74).
György Fejér (1822-1843)
(Keszthely, 23 April 1766 - Pest, 2 July 1851): historian, Roman Catholic priest. He was an honorary provost in Pestújhely (1818), prebendary (1840). He studied in Keszthely and in Székesfehérvár. Between 1783 and 1785 István Katona and Károly Koppi raised his interest in history. Between 1785 and 1790 he organized the movement of the priests enthusiastic about the case for the Hungarian language and literature in Pozsony and he translated, wrote and directed plays. He was ordained a priest in 1790 as a member of the Székesfehérvár diocese. Between 1790 and 1796 he was a private teacher at the Count Festetics and the Ürményi family, in 1796 an assistant priest and a curate and a parish priest; from 1802 he taught religious dogma at the seminary in Székesfehérvár, and theology at the University of Pest from 1808. Between 1818 and 1824 he was the king’s director general at Győr. Between 1822 and1843 he was the director of the University Library, and in the meantime in 1832/33 and 1834/35 he was a substitute professor of religious dogma at the University of Pest. He retired in 1843. In his last will and testament he left more than HUF 50.000 for charity purposes. He was the founder and editor of the journal titled Scientific Collection (January – August 1817). He wrote poems, plays, hymnbooks, works on theology and history of religion, books on agriculture, philosophical and aesthetic studies.
The administration of the library by György Fejér was characterized by continual disputes with the university council, and conflicts concerning status and power related issues which led to the eventual resignation of Fejér from his post. The development of the library was slower than expected although there was progress regarding purchasing: in 1824 the exchange of international university publications commenced.
His major works: About human dignity (Az emberi méltóságról) (Pest, 1806); Anthropologia or the science of man (Anthropologia vagy is az ember esmértetése) (Buda, 1807); Institutiones theologicae ac dogmaticae (1-7., Buda, 1811; 3. jav., bőv. Kiad. Bécs, 1819-20); The encyclopedia of sciences in a brief sketch (A tudományok encyclopaediája rövid rajzolatban) (1-2., Pest, 1818); The stormy life of Verseghy Ferenc (Verseghy Ferenc viszontagságos élete...) (Buda, 1824); Codex diplomaticus Hungariae ecclesiasticus ac civilis (1-43., Buda, 1829-44); De avitis magyarorum ac chunorum, iasonumque Hungariae accolarum sedibus et initiis (Budae, 1830); Historia academiae scientarium Pazmanianae archiepiscopalis ac. M. Theresianae regiae literaria (Buda, 1835); Introduction to philosophy or propaedeutica (Bevezetés a philosophiára vagy is: propaedeutica) (Buda, 1836); Dissertationes in res Hungariae veteris historico-criticae (Buda, 1837); Honi városainknak nemzetünk kifejtülésére s csinosbulásukra befolyássok (Pest, 1837); Reflexiones in scriptores novos rerum veterum hungaricarum, historico-criticae (Buda, 1839); Intorduction to the history of Hungary (Bevezetés a magyarországi historiába) (Buda, 1849); The origin of the Cuman people (A kunok eredete) (Pest, 1850); The main characteristics of civil constitutions (A polgári alkotmányok fő tulajdonságai) (Pest, 1851).
Márton Schwartner (1818-1822 acting director)
(Késmárk, 1 March 1759 - Pest, 15 August 1823): statistician, university professor. He attended a higher education institution in Göttingen. He was a grammar school teacher in 1784 in Késmárk and in 1786 in Sopron. In 1788 he was appointed teacher of diplomatics and heraldic at the University of Pest and the librarian of the university. His book, in which he combines the descriptive method of German university statistics with English political arithmetics, is an outstanding work of his time; is the first work of statistics which described the population of Hungary and its economic situation in a comprehensive system.
Due to his reliable work as a librarian, his long experience and practice, he would have deserved being appointed director; unfortunately, due to his protestant religion this was not possible.
His major works: Introductio in artem diplomaticam precipue hungaricam (1790), De gente Croviaca... (1791), Statistik des Königreichs Ungern (1798), De scultetiis per Hungariam quondam obviis... (1815).
István Schönwisner (Schönwiesner, Schoenvisner) (1794-1818)
(Eperjes, 15 December 1738 - Nagyvárad, 26 September 1818): archaeologist, university professor, prebendary in Nagyvárad. In 1756 he joined the Jesuit order and after finishing his theological studies in Nagyszombat, he became the prefect of the Viennese Teresianum. After the dissolution of the order (1773) he studied philosophy. From 1777 he was second guard of the University Library in Buda, from 1780 a professor of archaeology at the university; from 1794 the director of the library and from 1802 he was the abbot of Termova and prebendary of Nagyvárad. His works in Latin and German languages are still considered the foundations of Hungarian scientific archaeology; his catalogues of Hungarian medals and coins are regarded as valuable sources. He had the first scientific excavations performed in Hungary during which he discovered Aquincum, among other findings.
His activities as a director of the library for almost quarter of a century are characterized by a quiet, absorbed, and regular library work, well-planned strategy to expand the holdings with the purpose of serving the needs of science and the attempt to create a reliable library order.
His major works: De ruderibus Laconici Caldariique Romani... (Budae, 1778); Commentarius geographicus In Romanorum iter per Pannoniae... (Budae, 1780); Antiquitatum et historiae Sabariensis... (Pestini,1791); Catalogus numorum Hungariae ac Transilvaniae Instituti Nationali Széchenyiani (I-III., Pestini, 1810).
Gyula Gabelhofer (János) (Johann Julius) (1790-1794)
(Freystadt /Ausztria/ 1753 - Pest, 7 February 1794): Roman Catholic priest, Piarist monk, director of the library. He was educated in Vienna. In 1768 he joined the Piarist order and from 1774 he taught grammar, rhetoric, poetics, and he was also popular as a preacher in his native town. He taught theology in a seminary in Pest from 1786 but in 1788 he resigned from his jobs as a teacher and as a preacher due to his health condition. In 1788 he received a doctoral degree in theology at the University of Pest and Joseph II appointed him professor at the Faculty of Religious Studies at the University of Pest. In the meantime he joined the freemasons where he became a member of the Scottish Rite. The reports he sent to Leopold II about freemasons in Hungary impressed the ruler so much that after the resignation of György Pray in 1790, in spite of the disapproval of the university council, the governing body in Hungary (controlled from Vienna) and the chancery and in spite of the fact that he did not have any experience working in a library, Leopold II appointed him the director of University Library of Pest instead of István Schönwisner. Following his death, 3000 Hungarian forints were missing from the treasury of the library which was only partially covered by selling off his bequest.
Főbb munkái: Etwas über die Beleuchtung der Trenkischen Lebensbeschreibung (Berlin, 1788); Oratio piis manibus comitis Gideonis a Ráday (H.n., 1792);
György Pray (1784-1790)
Henrik Bretschneider (Heinrich Gottfried von) (1780-1784)
(Gera, 6 March 1739 – near Pilsen, 1 November 1810): satirical writer. He was a soldier for a long time in Saxony, a district captain in Versec (1776), in the Temes Banat. Following the re-accession of the Banat to Hungary, his friends helped him find a job and eventually he was appointed the director of the University Library in 1780. Bretschneide, who was a Josephinist and heavily opposed the Jesuits, represented the so-called secular line. He had been in conflict with the previous librarians from the very beginning as well as with György Pray who in the meantime had been appointed second director. The ideological conflicts, his foreign nationality and his impatience created a situation in which Bretschneider first made a complaint to the ruler but as the situation did not improve and the realization of his professional ideas were impeded, he left in 1784-ben when he was relocated to Lembergb. His ideas about the library were modern and progressive and he worked hard for the library. It is to his merit that he had the long awaited general catalogue of books prepared which included the catalogues of the libraries of 47 dissolved Jesuit monasteries.
His major works: Eine entsetzliche Mordgeschichte v.d. jungen Werther (1774); Almanach d. Heiligen auf 1788 és Georg Wallets Leben u. Sitten (Köln, 1793).
György Pray (1777-1780 joint-director)
(Érsekújvár, 11 January 1723 - Pest, 23 September 1800): historian. In 1740 he joined the Jesuit order and in 1754, after graduating from the Faculty of Theology at the University of Nagyszombat he was ordained a priest in Győr (1757-58) and he taught theology in Nagyszombatban (1759) and in Buda (1760-61). From 1761 he worked only on history writing; after the dissolution of the order in 1773 Maria Theresa appointed him as the ‘history writer of Hungary’ and awarded him an annual civil list pension. From 1777 he was the leader of the University Library, and from 1782 he taught diplomatics and later heraldry and sigillography at the university. He worked extensively in the fields of history, history of religion, and literature. He discovered numerous, so far unknown sources (he started a scientific investigation of the archives of the chamber) which he then submitted to thorough critical analysis. Pray was the first one to call attention to the texts titled Halotti Beszéd és Könyörgés in the codex named after him (Pray-kódex) and to claim that there is a relationship with a northern language family. He supported the theory of Cumin-Avar-Hungarian continuity, and he wrote the ancient history of Hungarians in Latin using a professional method as well as his main work, the first professionally written comprehensive history of Hungary.
He prepared the catalogue of the rare books held by the University Library. In his will he left his valuable book and manuscript collection for 400 Hungarian forints annual fee for the library. (See also at György (Zsigmond) Lakits (Lakics) joint-director general)
His major works: Annales veteres Hunnorum, Avarum et Hungarorum ab anno ante natum Christum 210 ad annum Christi 997 deducti (Bécs, 1761); Dissertationes de origine Hungarorum, Kalocsa, 1768-1771 (Dezsericzky Incével); Annales regum Hungariae (1-5., Bécs, 1764-1770); Historia regem Hungariae... (1-3., Buda, 1801); Index rariorum librorum Bibliothecae Universitatis Regiae Budensis (Buda, 1780).
Lajos Csapodi (Csapody) (1774-1777 joint-director general)
(Petőfalva, 9 October 1729 - Veszprém, 6 June 1801): Jesuit monk, Roman Catholic prelate. He joined the order in 1747. He was ordained priest in 1758. From 1759 he was the spiritual director of the Pazmaneum in Vienna. From 1761 he taught natural sciences, then history of the church, and religious dogma at the University of Nagyszombat. From 1763 he was professor of canon law and ethics at the University of Graz, and from 1773 he directed the grammar school in Nagyszombat. From 1777 he was a canon of Veszprém, and the educational supervisor of the seminary in Veszprém (1777-83), its vice rector (1790-1801), head provost (1797), elected bishop of Scopia (1798). He wrote works on dogmatics, a speech for an occasion and a dissertation concerning the right of the bishop of Veszprém to crown the queen. He opposed Jansenism and the theories of Enlightenment.
His major works: De gratia Christi libri IV (1769); De religione revelata (1-3., 1771); De augustissimis Trinitatis et Incarnationis mysteriis (1-2., 1772); De Deo et divinis eius attributis (1-3., 1772); Reflexiones ad disquisitionem de iure coronandarum Hungariae... (1792).
György (Zsigmond) Lakits (Lakics) (1774-1780 joint-director general)
(Polanic, 25 November 1739 - Pozsony, 8 January 1814): lawyer, professor. He studied in Graz and Vienna. He was professor of canon law first in Vienna, than from 1769 in Innsbruck, from 1770 at the University of Nagyszombat and between 1773 and 1780 at the University of Buda. From 1789 he was the director of the University Press and a censor. In his work on canon law (Institutio elementorum juris naturalis) he adopted the principles of the Martini-type natural law school and for political reasons for a long time his work – as its ideology corresponded with the ideology promoted by the central governing bodies – was the only course book to teach philosophy of law at the Hungarian universities.
After the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773 and after the university and its library became national institutions – which were in Nagyszombat in those days - György Lakits and Lajos Csapodi (and later György Pray) who had been appointed joint director-generals in 1774 were faced with enormous tasks. They had to ensure that the library material from the dissolved Jesuit orders are catalogued and transported to the University Library. It was György Pray who prepared the plan which included even the technical details. Moreover, they had to solve the problems arising from moving the university and the library to Buda, including the categorization of the book collection. Lajos Csapodi’s work was to prepare a catalogue of the books – after the inventory of the assets – with the consideration of bibliographic perspectives. After the move to Buda, at the end of 1779, the new organizational regulation of the University Library was published. This event meant that the library had turned from an educational library into a national public scientific library.
His major works: Juris publici ecclesiastici pars generalis... (Viennae, 1774); Praecognita juris ecclesiastici universi (Viennae, 1775 és Veneziae, 1781); Institutio elementorum juris naturalis (Budae, 1778); Institutiones juris ecclesiastici (I - III. Budae, 1779 - 1781); De haereditario succedendi jure ducum primum, deinde regum Hungariae (Viennae, 1809).
The University Library is the central library of the Eötvös Loránd University, which is the first Hungarian university library and which has been operating continuously ever since its foundation.
It is not typical university library as it has not been operating as part of the university – except for the period when it was located in Nagyszombat – which meant that a number of faculty libraries were also established separately from it in the 1770s. Its history has determined its scope of collection: it is a national scientific library for philosophy, for history of religion and religious studies, for the universal history of the middle ages and the modern age, as well as for general psychology. This is the reason why the library system of the University consists of the eight faculty libraries of the Eötvös Loránd University as well as the more than fifty institute or departmental libraries and together they support both national and international library science.
The monastic order founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola played an important role in the program of Catholic Reformation specified by the Council of Trent. Miklós Oláh (1493–1568) Archbishop of Esztergom played a crucial role in the settlement of the Jesuit order in Hungary, and it was him who selected Nagyszombat as the appropriate place for them as early as in 1561. It may also have played a role in the decision that the town was located in the vicinity of important trade routes and that the archdiocese, which had to move form Esztergom which had been occupied by the Turks, took refuge there in 1543. In Nagyszombat the Jesuit College operated for only six years as the first attempt at settlement in 1567 was a failure due to the resistance of the Protestants and to a tragic fire.
Their resettlement to Hungary was financed by King Rudolf II who donated them the provostry of Turóc with the mediation of György Draskovich (1515-1587) Archbishop of Kalocsa. The donated estate was established by Béla IV for the order of Prémontré in 1248 and in reality it consisted of two estates: Znióváralja in county Túróc and Vágsellye in county Nyitra. The Jesuits established a residence at Znióváralja already in the year of foundation and in a few years’ time the college also opened its doors for the Catholic youth.
No books have survived which are without doubt from the first Nagyszombat era; however, we still hold volumes originating from the library of the residence at Znióváralja that was to become a college at a later date. Apart from the very modern and philologically excellent editions of the humanist writers and the Greek-Latin classical authors who were considered important in the education of the Jesuits, the library held the works of the most favoured authors of the libraries in the Middle Ages in the prints from the late 15th or early 16th centuries.
After a decade of teaching, the Jesuits moved to Vágsellye which is not far either from Vienna or Pozsony (Bratislava). After this short period of time, a new college was built, the new curriculum and the higher level of education were introduced in accordance with the Ratio Studiorum, and properly trained priests were sent to the parishes in the vicinity. The ownership issues were settled favourably for the order, the college was successful in the region and they were trying to stabilize the discipline. The finalization of the library and its cataloguing was finished by 1604. One of the interesting features of the remaining holdings from this era is that there is a considerable number of works in Greek among them. After a forced stay in Vienna, the library was moved to Nagyszombat again in 1607. There were two Jesuits who provided continuous support to Ferenc Forgách (1564-1615) Archbishop of Esztergom: Péter Pázmány (1570-1637), who was later to become the Archbishop of Esztergom and Sándor Dobokay (1567-1621) the rector of the college of Vágsellye, who was sent by the provincial superior to try to recover the lost estates of the provostry in Turóc. It would not have been possible to find a better place than Nagyszombat at that particular period of time for the future college and the university that was later to be created from it. Although there was no plan to establish a new library at this place, the volumes from the library of Vágsellye were delivered there. Compared to the previous era, both the college and the library experienced a relaxed period of development and in 1618 there were already 700 students being educated there. The most conspicuous change apart from the change in the syllabus is that the acquisition of new books for the library was accelerated even compared to the relatively fast procurement of the previous period (sometimes only three to four years). The college that was becoming more and more successful received the most important works that were also to be found in all European Jesuit libraries with one or two years’ delay.
The library was an integral part of the complete structure of the higher education institution founded in 1635 in the same way as each of the faculties (in 1669 the Faculty of Law and hundred years later the Faculty of Medicine were established), the colleges for noblemen, the observatory and the press all of which supported the education at the university. In 1761 the new library was ceremoniously inaugurated from where our library was moved to Buda four years later, in 1777. Thanks to the efficient library policy of the Jesuit order by the end of the 18th century the holdings continued to grow and included over 15.000 volumes. The press, which was closely collaborating with the library, always provided a copy of its own publications in order to offset the low development costs. It is worth noting the purposefulness of the acquisitions as several editions of the fundamental works were procured and they also made every effort to purchase every part of particular series (Acta Sanctorum) and of the works composed of several volumes. The analyses performed so far have shown that apart from the general library policy of the order, the impact of various scientific trends (Newtonian Physics), or famous professors (György Pray) and the educational reform advocated by Maria Theresa (1753) may all be detected.
Following the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773, both the university and the library became state institutions. Buda with its central location and historical past seemed the most suitable place for the seat of the Royal Hungarian University. At the same time as having to deal with the difficulties of moving, the librarians had to face a no less complicated problem: the cataloguing of the collections of the dissolved monasteries and their delivery to the new place. The library, however, did not stay in the Buda Castle for long. In 1784 it was moved to a building next to the Franciscan convent at Barátok tere (square) in Pest, taking the enormous amount of books gathered in the course of the dissolutions of the order. According to the estimates, by the end of the 18th century the collection of our library included 22.000 volumes, the major part of which were acquired from the collections of the dissolved Pauline, Franciscan, Servite, Prémontré, Cistercian, Capuciner and other monasteries. Due to the scarcity of funds, the expansion of the holdings would only have been possible through the obligaroty deposit copy supply the right to which was granted in 1780, however, disappointing as it was, even the University Press did not fulfil their obligation thereof. The purchasing activity of the 18th and 19th century was hindered by the general censorship provision passed in 1790, which became more or less strict depending on the political situation of the time.
Each of the three most significant directors of the library was more of a scientist and a recognized expert in their field of research than a meticulous clerk organizing and supervising the day-to-day work of the library. György Fejér (1776-1851) was managing our library for two decades and during his time in office he fought windmills with the university council with regard to the purchasing of books as well as with the Franciscan order with regard to the library which they were forced to share now. Parallel to this, his source publications were published in the 43 volumes of the excellent "Codex diplomaticus Hungariae" for which he selected some of the valuable materials of our library. Ferenc Toldy(1805-1875) was directing our institution for three decades and this is inseparably linked with his work as a science manager and as a preserver of traditions. He was the first secular director of our library who laid down the guidelines of the University Library in detailed organizational regulations. His last years were spent with the legal disputes concerning the so-called ‘library palace’ that is still standing today and the large-scale construction work. Sándor Szilágyi (1827-1899), whose twenty year-long career as a librarian was closely linked to his scholarly life as a historian, was not only an amazingly versatile person (he edited journals such as the Századok, Történelmi Tár, Magyar Történelmi Életrajzok, and the 10-volume millennium edition on Hungarian history) but he was also able to see the University Library from a user’s perspective. The new building was built on the basis of the plans of Antal Skalnitzky in an eclectic style; its opening ceremony was held in 1876. In its design primarily the idea of being spectacular and tradition of Baroque library buildings dominated. The reading hall, which was over 200 m2 large, received natural light through the glass roof, on its floors and ceiling there were female figures painted by Károly Lotz symbolizing the sciences and the arts. At the same time as the moving took place, the new classification system of the library was finished divided into 11 main classes and 3-8 subclasses, and within these they distinguished Hungarian and foreign language works. The volumes were placed on the shelves in order of their size for the more efficient use of space. Between 1881-1907 more and more printed catalogues presenting the contents of the manuscript holdings were published which provided precise information to the inquisitive researchers.
During the almost half a century-long administration of Zoltán Ferenczi (1857-1927) and Iván Pasteiner (1887-1963) our library went through a relaxed period and the well-managed institution remained a key member of the libraries in Hungary. In the three decades during the administration of László Mátrai (1909-1983) there were numerous questions to be answered. One of the most urgent problems was how to turn an institution holding a several century-old collection into an efficient and modern library. It was a significant step in this process when in 1949/50 a new processing system was implemented, which involved the creation of a new alphabetic and subject matter catalogue. The main walls of the library almost split into two due to the explosions during the construction of the underground in 1974. Apart from the damages caused in the book holdings, a long legal dispute, which started in 1982 and ended in 1999 with the ceremonial handing over of the courtyard, also overshadowed the large-scale reconstruction works.
In 1995 a new era started in the life of the University Library and the question of whether to become a museum-like library or a modern and efficient library faithful to its traditions and its collection was finally decided; the integrated library system purchased by the University was put into operation in the University Library and in the library network. The preconditions for a single online catalogue for the University were created which means that today there are more than 10 member libraries and over 175.000 works may be retrieved. At the same time, the library started providing central electronic data storage device services for the departments of the University.
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