„Science is for life, and let our lives be devoted to science” Personal papers at the 60-year-old university archives of the Eötvös Loránd University
Our exhibition is a selection of the professors’ personal papers that can be found at the University Archives of the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). The personal papers on show offer you an insight into the rich intellectual and cultural heritage bequeathed to us through these legacies. The exhibition has two goals. On the one hand, we would like to present the significant professors, scientists and scholars who have contributed to building up the reputation of the university, and have shaped its image by their lectures, and research. On the other hand we would like to call your attention to the types of documents and papers (academic reports, salary and appointment related documents, university calendars, lecture outlines, etc.) which had been preserved basically only in their legacies, and which contribute greatly to increasing our knowledge of the university’s history. The archive owns legacies of more than thirty persons who had close relations with our university. We intended to compile the exhibition material so that it represents every aspect of the scientific and scholarly work at the university. Our selection cannot be considered representative because of the limited space allowing us only to depict the most interesting documents from the richest personal files which are the most significant from the point of view of the life and history of the university. The collection and preservation of the legacy of professors, who have been active at the university, is a significant mission of the University Archives of ELTE, since it is these collections that make it possible to get acquainted with the everydays of the university, the professors’ life, and their mentality. The preservation of the intangible heritage of our university is our shared responsibility, and the archiving of personal papers is an enrichment of this heritage.