The 2026 calendar of the ELTE University Library and Archives features a selection of images of the Library Palace.

On 26 March 1876, in the presence of Ágoston Trefort, Minister of Religion and Public Education, and Károly Than, University Rector, the new building of Hungary’s first state-maintained university library was ceremonially opened. Construction of the building, the first in the country to be built specifically for library purposes, began in the spring of 1873, based on the plans of architect Antal Szkalniczky (1836–1878), following the conclusion of decades of litigation over the site. The main requirement for the design was to ensure that the building’s exterior and interior decoration reflected the purpose of the institution, to accommodate the ever-growing collection of books, and to enable the university’s lecturers, students and interested members of the public in the capital to „make the most practical and thorough use of the scientific treasures accumulated within it.” Created by the most renowned and talented artists and craftsmen of the era, the building has suffered major damage twice during its 150-year existence: during World War II, the glass roof covering the Baroque Reading Room with its gallery was destroyed, and then in 1973, the building almost split in two due to the construction of the subway, with restoration only taking place in the mid-1990s. The library palace was declared a protected monument in 1991 and was awarded the Hungarian Heritage Prize in 2018. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the opening, the building still serves its original purpose today, as it is a popular destination for university students wishing to research or study. Nearly a hundred thousand visitors are drawn to the library each year to use the collection of two million volumes. An electronic version of the calendar is available here.

The representative wall calendar was published under the management of the Prime Minister’s Office, with the support of the National Cooperation Fund, the Bethlen Gábor Fund Management Ltd. and the Foundation for the University Library.

For information about the support options of the Foundation for the University Library, please, visit our website. Further details about our book adoption program are available here.

Our library will be closed between 22 December 2025 and 4 January 2026. Our library's services will be available from 5 January 2026.

We wish all our dear readers a very merry, blessed Christmas and a successful new year!

Our library will be closed between 22 December 2025 and 4 January 2026. Our library's services will be available from 5 January 2026.

We wish you a blessed Christmas and a successful new year!

At Christmas 2025, the ELTE University Library and Archives awarded Tibor Móring, research librarian at the Education and Research Support Department, in recognition of his high-quality professional work and his contribution to enhancing the prestige of our institution. This year, for the first time, the Pro Bibliotheca Universitatis Junior award was also presented to Ádám Bollók, IT specialist in the IT and Development Department, in recognition of his successful work and outstanding performance.

Tibor Móring has been a committed and reliable member of the Education and Research Support Department since its establishment in 2019. He plays a prominent role in the high-level coordination of tasks related to the ELTE institutional repository, as well as in the planning and collection management of the ELTE Thesis Repository, which ensures the long-term archiving and lawful service of university theses, TDK (Scientific Students’ Associations) and OTDK (National Conference of Scientific Students' Associations) theses. Since 2022, he has also provided significant professional support in the preparatory processes for the ELTE teaching material repository service. He was one of the first to participate in the HUNOR (Hungarian Open Repositories) working group's train-the-trainers programme so that he could be prepared to assist university lecturers and researchers in preparing research data management plans. He completed the data management specialist training course announced by ELTE Faculty of Humanities in 2025 with excellent results. He regularly and willingly shares his knowledge and professional experience. He is a guest speaker at several professional conferences and roundtable discussions, and a recognized and active member of the library professional community involved in research support. His work is characterized by exceptional professional competence, reliability, and exemplary cooperation. His activities contribute significantly to ensuring that the University Library and Archives, as well as the University Library Service, can continuously represent the highest professional standards in the field of domestic research support.

Ádám Bollók joined our institution just a year and a half ago as a certified computer programmer. His professional aptitude, work ethic and exemplary attitude were proven during the technical development of the library's new multilingual audio guide service. He completed the task with exceptional independence and thoroughness. He is also actively and effectively involved in the preparations for the repository update. His proactive approach and desire to learn are outstanding. His personality and attitude serve as a guide for his colleagues. He is extremely helpful, cooperative and willing to support his colleagues in any situation. His personal and professional humility, reliability and openness are values that enrich our community and set an example for us all to follow.

The staff of the ELTE University Library and Archives wish him every success and joy in his future work!

The list of our honored colleagues is available here.

At the fourth quarterly report of the K21 Quality Coordination Committee 2025, the leaders of the working groups reported on the results of the past quarter, ongoing work and changes.

The K21 Quality Management Coordination Committee unanimously approved the reports prepared by the Primer working group on student needs and satisfaction surveys, as well as the library results of the ELTE staff survey and the 2026 work plan. All working groups prepared their fourth quarter reports and work plans for the coming year.

The Process Management Working Group has begun inviting process owners to prepare key process descriptions. The Communication Working Group provided information on the tasks and achievements of the working groups through the website, the newsletter and the short film 3 months – 3 minutes on the mailing list, as well as contributed to the success of the preparation and administration of the K21 reporting days meetings. The group has provided additional news on the ELTE Libraries platform, which were also published in our newsletter. An article entitled Kozmutza Flóra – the faces of a special needs teacher has been posted on the website and included in the University Heritage News section. The data from the Green Library questionnaire has been compiled by the Green Library working group, and a summary is expected to be available early next year.

The Library Managers Working Group held two meetings, during which they discussed, among others, the 2024 staff and 2025 student needs and satisfaction surveys relating to libraries, the 2026 work plans, the rector's directive regulating the use of artificial intelligence in education, as well as information about future IT changes and upcoming projects.

An update on the achievements of the K21 Quality Coordination Committee and our new developments will be posted on our website soon.

The ELTE University Library and Archives also paid tribute to Ferenc Toldy on the 220th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of his death at a commemoration organised by the National Heritage Institute on 10 December 2025.

Dr. Kulcsár Szabó Ernőné Gombos Annamária, Director General, representing our institution, bowed her head at Ferenc Toldy's tomb in the Fiumei Road Cemetery, thus paying tribute to the former director of the ELTE University Library. Ferenc Toldy played a leading role in the intellectual life of Hungary during the Reform Era, laying the foundations for the creation of a scholarly Hungarian literary history, a research library consisting of encyclopedias and dictionaries, and a periodical reading room. During his tenure as director, between 1843 and 1874, during the library's most turbulent period, he had to fight continuously for ownership of the library site, while political changes and scientific developments meant that the university, which was undergoing renewal, required a new type of library to accommodate the growing number of students and their changing needs. As a result of these struggles, the library palace on Ferenciek Square was built.

Gábor Móczár, Director General of the National Heritage Institute, gave a welcome speech at the event, and Prof. Dr. Gábor Kecskeméti, Director of the Institute of Literary Studies at the HUN-REN Humanities Research Center, also gave a speech. Photos of the event are available on the Facebook page of the National Heritage Institute. For more information about the work of Ferenc Toldy, please visit our website.

The ELTE University Library and Archives will be closed on 13 December 2025 (Saturday) due to an event.

From Monday (15 December 2025), we will be open as usual.

Thank you in advance for your kind understanding!

Due to technical reasons, the Reading Hall and the Community Space opening from the lobby will be available to readers at the ELTE University Library and Archives on 12 December 2025 (Friday) from 12:00 p.m.

The other reading rooms will be temporarily closed during the aforementioned hours, and storage services will also be suspended.

Thank you in advance for your kind understanding!

School libraries belonging to the ELTE library network can consult their documents in various databases. While maintaining these systems, the ELTE University Library and Archives developed a common search interface in 2011 within the framework of the TÁMOP-3.2.4/09/1/KMR-2010-0021 project, which can be accessed directly at https://gimikatalogus.elte.hu. It is also possible to access it from the common catalogue of ELTE libraries by clicking on the marked menu item:

The records of the libraries in the database:

• Apáczai Csere János Gyakorló Gimnázium Könyvtára (9 629 records),
• ELTE Gyakorló Általános Iskola és Középiskola Könyvtára (27 085 records), 
• Radnóti Miklós Gyakorlóiskola Könyvtára (39 925 records),
• Trefort Ágoston Gyakorlóiskola Könyvtára (34 318 records).

The conversion of school library databases is done at regular intervals. Once a year, usually in November, the data are updated to reflect changes (additions and deletions) from the previous year.

As part of the Hungarian Science Festival series of events, on November 20, 2025, the ELTE Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Education commemorated the life and work of Dr. Flóra Kozmutza (1905–1995) with a conference and exhibition dedicated to her work.

The exhibition entitled "Kozmutza Flóra – the faces of the special needs teacher" focused on the diversity of her roles as a scientist, muse, school founder, and researcher. Each role was presented on separate posters created by different teachers. The display cases contained documents and photos related to each role, while the desk in the exhibition space held Gyuláné Illyés's personal belongings and books dedicated to her by her students. The documents used and presented in the exhibition, together with Dr. Flóra Kozmutza's other manuscripts, original typescripts, and books, were added to the Faculty's Special Education History Collection in 2024.

The scientific material was illustrated with drawings depicting Gyuláné Illyés, created by children studying at special education schools bearing her name.

The exhibition is open to visitors between 23 February and 14 May 2026. For further information, please visit the website of the Faculty Library and Special Education History Collection.