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The author of the article, who has worked both as staff and as a senior librarian, as well as a graduate workplace mentor, examines how the dynamics between staff in libraries, with a special focus on workplace cooperation and conflict, evolve in the light of the insights of the increasingly popular theory of generational theory. Do generational conflicts exist among Hungarian librarians? Do those involved perceive any conflicts related to age groups? If so, are they able to separate them from other, personal conflicts? The questionnaire research, supplemented by mini-interviews, sets up three hypotheses: 1. Librarians do not identify workplace conflicts as generational; 2. For older generations, lack of respect and low work ethic are the main sources of conflict; 3. Younger generations believe that the conservative professional attitude, slow work pace and lack of IT skills of older generations generate most of the conflicts. The findings outlined in the course of the problem statement and analysis should be used both in professional work and in tertiary LIS education, since conflicts arising from generational differences can significantly reduce the performance of library staff, which strongly affects the success of the given institution and the satisfaction of library users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Library and Information Science Library is a department of the Hungarian Library Institute (HLI). It was founded in 1949. Its collection covers library and information science, librarianship, the relevant work processes, as well as their history. In the past 20 years the collection was enriched by several gifts and donations, and books from abroad from projectrelated funding. In the mid-2000s, with the foundation of the European Book History Collection, the history of writing, books, printing, press, publishing, book trade, libraries and reading gained a stronger focus in the collection than before. The main goal of the LIS Library is to provide professional information in a variety of ways: to users face to face, by phone and e-mail, editing occasional and regular bibliographies, constructing databases, compiling short trend reports and review studies, SDI, and background materials for decision-making. The staff wishes to transfer current information, tailored to the needs of users. More and more services are provided in the online environment. Information sources rely, among others, on the Library’s own publications: the national special bibliography of the field (MAKSZAB, twice a year, e-publication), the national professional journal Könyvtári Figyelő (Library Review, quarterly, in print and e-format), annual special bibliography of book history (in print and e-format). Currently, these publications can be edited and published almost fully automatically from the HUMANUS database. Users of the LIS Library include practising librarians, students and faculty, researchers, bodies managing Hungarian librarianship, leaders and staff of the national library and HLI. The LIS Library provides information on the libraries of other countries, on developments in the international library scene, as well as on Hungarian librarianship for interested colleagues from abroad. The LIS Library is keen to organize events which attract participants even from the general public (such as presentations of professional books, small exhibitions, museum nights, bibliotherapy classes etc.). In 2020, with the foreseeable modification of the Library Law, the LIS Library will possibly again be listed among the special libraries with national responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the period 1977 through 1983, the author worked in the predecessor of the Hungarian Library Institute (in the Centre for Library Science and Methodology) as a researcher in the Reading Research Department. In 2001, she returned to HLI as Head of the Department of Education. In 2005, she applied for the post of the Director of HLI with success. This article is a subjective recollection of the activities of HLI in the period 2006 through 2011. At that time, it was especially important to get acquainted with the professional documents of the EU and to join EU projects. Two projects are discussed in more detail. The PULMAN project aimed at promoting the case of public libraries with a special focus on improving library supply to the disadvantaged and those living in small communities. The CALIMERA project undertook to monitor technical developments and solutions already emerging from IST, and to assess their potential as widely transferable technologies for use by local institutions. In the period reviewed several analyses took place about the career of librarians, their training, the image of librarians in society, as well as about the qualification of librarians and their self-evaluation, based on the international guide compiled by the CERTIDOC project. It was a huge task as well to elaborate the system of education and further training of Hungarian librarians living in the neighbouring countries. From the strategy of library development for 2008 through 2013, and its Portal programme, she highlights the project work assisting reading research (the event called Year of reading for families), as well as support to adult education. She also mentions in short the meeting of the library institutes of Visegrád Countries in 2010, a reunion of the former centres for library science and methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While libraries are operating offline, adapting to local conditions and circumstances, library users can access library services online from anywhere in the world, as libraries themselves have online access to the services of any other library in the world. The library image of Hungarian society is based on rather conservative, old stereotypes. Libraries need to continually justify their existence to society, and this is reinforced by their users being satisfied with the quality and diversity of library services. Librarians are constantly looking for ways of renewal. The challenges faced are as follows: libraries can be central players and platforms for lifelong learning, for developing the digital literacy of the local population and for community building. Public libraries strive to succeed through creative use of grant resources, involvement in national digitization projects, and librarians are seeking new types of competencies. As an experienced public librarian, the author illustrates these aspirations toward expanding services (trainings to improve the IT skills of the population, introduction of a creative spaces, etc.) through practices partly from his own library and partly from its network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]