Professional Evaluation of Deselection and Collection Review in ULS Libraries
The legal framework for deselection and inventory tasks in libraries is defined by the joint decree 3/1975. (VIII. 17.) KM-PM, as well as the ministerial directive concerning the rules on inventory control and withdrawal of library materials established by the same decree.
In cases of deselection, a final protocol must always be prepared and submitted for approval to the Director General of the University Library, in accordance with Section 4, Paragraph (1) of Chancellor Instruction No. 11/2016 (XI. 2.) on the determination and registration of materials to be acquired.
The Collection Development Department staff assist in preparing the deselection and inventory documentation and provide preliminary professional evaluations.
Distribution of Periodicals Received as Gifts, Exchanges or Legal Deposits
Periodicals received by the ELTE University Library as gifts, exchanges or legal deposits, but falling under the collection scope of other member libraries according to the Collection Development Policy are distributed by the Collection Development Department staff to the respective ELTE libraries responsible for those collections. This applies to everything from small numbers of gift copies to parts of estates and a broad range of publications.
Verification of Received Periodical Copies and Handling Complaints
The arrival of periodicals ordered by the university’s organizational units is mostly managed by the periodicals staff of the Collection Development Department, who then forward the copies to the ordering units. If an issue arises such as a missing issue that has already been published, or when a partner has confirmed shipment, but the issue has not arrived, the staff initiate a complaint.
If staff at a ULS member library notice a missing issue, they can report it using the appropriate form for foreign and KELLO-supplied Hungarian periodicals. Due to KEF’s short complaint deadline, the subscriber library handles complaints following KEF regulations.
For inquiries, University Library staff are available at periodicals@lib.elte.hu.
Management of Periodical Acquisition
The acquisition of periodicals for the university’s organizational units is handled by the periodicals staff of the Collection Development Department, usually between September and November annually. Periodicals are subscribed to for one year; invoices from KEF partners are settled quarterly, while for other partners, twice yearly. According to KEF regulations, subscription modifications (cancellations, new titles or changes in copy numbers) can be made quarterly; with other partners, modifications occur at the time of annual order submission.
The verification of invoices received during the year, their allocation to organizational units and payment coordination are also managed by the periodicals staff, who can be contacted at periodicals@lib.elte.hu.
Receipt of Periodicals
The receipt of foreign periodicals ordered by university units into the Integrated Library System is typically carried out by the periodicals staff of the Collection Development Department, who then deliver the copies to the relevant units.
Professional Preparation of Procurement for Publications
Document procurement at ELTE is conducted through public procurement partners. When contracts expire, the Collection Development Department staff collaborate closely with the university’s Public Procurement Department to professionally prepare the procurement process. Valid and active procurement contracts are accessible on the ELTE website.
Legal Deposit Selection and Shipping Management
According to Government Decree 717/2020 (XII. 30.) on the service, preservation, and use of legal deposit copies, the University Library holds the right to select legal deposit materials. If a publication arrives that does not fall within the Library’s collection scope, the Collection Development Department forwards it to the responsible ELTE library according to the collection policy and arranges for its transportation.