With the support of the University, a state-of-the-art temperature and humidity control system is being installed in the storage facilities of the ELTE University Library and Archives, which houses a museum-quality library collection of European significance.
Founded in 1561, the ELTE University Library and Archives holds nearly two million documents, including books and journals supporting university education and research, 185 codices (including 14 corvina and 8 language monuments), approximately 1,200 incunabula, numerous valuable manuscripts, 11,000 16th-century antiquarian books, 15,000 Baroque books, and 75,000 18th-century volumes, making it the third largest library in Budapest. As Hungary's first state-maintained public library, one of its primary tasks, in addition to providing modern services to the university community, is to protect and showcase the priceless national cultural heritage preserved in its collection.
In order to ensure the long-term preservation of protected cultural assets, it is essential to maintain a constant temperature and humidity in the library's storage rooms, which, given today's climate conditions, can only be guaranteed by an appropriate heat and humidity control system. The development, which is being carried out with the support of the University, will enable the museum's collection to be preserved for future generations under the highest standards of conservation.
In preparation for the development, library specialists spent four months moving the entire museum storage facility within the building, including disinfecting the shelves at their final destinations and wrapping valuable bound, buckled, embossed, sealed, as well as fragile volumes and scrolls in acid-free material. The relocation involved a total of 2,737.5 linear meters of museum holdings stored on three floors and in six storage rooms in the library building on Ferenciek Square, which house the library's most valuable collection. The work took a total of 3,127.5 working hours over 53 days, with the librarians joined by numerous volunteers, including university lecturers and staff, setting a fine example of university cooperation. A total of 67 people worked tirelessly to preserve the national heritage. Thanks to this cooperation, the library was able to continue providing its services during the move, which required special organizational and logistical efforts.
A detailed press release is available on the ELTE website.