Ninetieth year of the Hungarian Central Technicai Library (1885-1973)

Abstract

The public scientific library operating within the organization of the Hungarian Central Technical Library and Documentation Centre (OMKDK) is the legal successor and continuer of the traditions of a library established with 100 volumes of books and 31 titles of periodicals in 1833 within the framework of the Technologlcal Museum of Industry. Ninety years ago the scope of this first Hungarian public technical library was - according to contemporary scientific journals - to ensure possibilities of continuative education for industrial experts in the era of "steam and electricity".
Table no. 1 illustrates that nowadays, in the age of scientific and technical revolution, services of the public library are used by experts of technical development and industrial production for their self education and for the efficiency of their work. Another table and a short analysis of 1972 book ecquisition data demonstrates how acquisition policy conforms to real production problems, to most up-to-date technical trends as well as to the long-term scientific plan of the country.
Comparison of data concerning growth and size of collections makes evident that during the last 15 years the increase of book acquisition was 100 per cent, that of the periodicals 150, of copies of translations 200, totalling 200 per cent in the whole of library stock. Similar development is to observed by the comparison of 1972 data of readers and circulation with similar data covering a year 15 years ago. (Total stock of the library is 906.800 units in 1972.)
1972 publication activity of the library, trends and results in mechanization are also outlined. The most important objectives of the next ten years are referring to the coming centenary when results of an up-to-date library will be made definable.