The ELTE University Library and Archives will be closed on 16, 17 and 19 September 2026 for technical reasons.

On 17 September 2026, we look forward to welcoming all interested visitors to the conference marking the 150th anniversary of the Library Palace, and on 19 September 2026, as part of the Cultural Heritage Day programme series.

We thank you in advance for your understanding.

The ELTE University Library and Archives is organising a commemorative conference on September 17, 2026, to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Library Palace. (The conference will be held in Hungarian.)

Date: 17 September 2026 (Thursday), 9:00 a.m.

Location: 1053 Budapest, Ferenciek tere 6

PROGRAMME

8:30–9:00 a.m. Registration

9:00–10:05 a.m. Opening remarks and celebratory greetings

• Dr. Lénárd Darázs, Rector, Eötvös Loránd University

• Dr. Gyula Scheuer, Chancellor, Eötvös Loránd University

• Dr. Zsolt Sári, State Secretary for Public Collections and Heritage Protection, Ministry of Social Relations and Culture

10:05–10:40 Dr. Kulcsár Szabó Ernőné Gombos Annamária, Director General (ELTE University Library and Archives): The Library Building: 150 Years of “Open and Secret, Fascinating History of Its Perils”

10:40–11:15 Dr. József Sisa (ELTE HTK Institute for Art History): The University Library: Building and Work of Art

11:15–11:50 Dániel Kovács (Hungarian Museum of Architecture): In a Confined Space: The University Library Building in the 20th Century

11:50–12:25 Miklós Péterffy – Bálint Dőry (PÉTERFFY + DŐRY architects Kft.): Contemporary Learning Spaces in a Historic Building – Conceptual Plan for the Renovation of the University Library

12:30–12:45 “Heritage and Presence – People and Memory in a 150-Year-Old Space”

Opening of Márta Csikós’s photo exhibition. Welcome remarks by Gábor Lakos, photojournalist (HVG)

1:00–1:15 p.m. Opening of the new community space. Opening remarks by Dávid Zubreczki

1:30–2:30 p.m. Reception (Aula)

2:00–4:30 p.m. Library tours

Please indicate your intention to attend via the event registration page by 14 September 2026.

Everyone is welcome to join us!

Photo, audio and video recordings will be made of the events. The recordings will be published on the websites, publications, forums and social media of the participating institutions.

The network of libraries maintained by Eötvös Loránd University, the University Library Service, with more than 4.3 million documents, wishes you a successful autumn semester.

Enrollment is free for all university citizens, and can also be arranged online through the ELTE Library WebApp application. The collection of libraries is available from the online catalog.

The ELTE University Library and Archives welcomes all students in the heart of the city centre, on Ferenciek Square. You can find information about the services available in each library, the tariffs, opening hours and contact details, as well as the many online services of ELTE libraries on the website of the University Library Service.

We would like to inform our readers that our library will be closed from 1 August 2026 to 5 September 2026.

Starting 9 July 2026, the due dates for borrowed items will be in September.

Important: If an item’s due date is before 1 August 2026, the closure period will be included when calculating late fees.

During the summer break, you can return books in person on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. using the smart shelf located in the lobby, or by mail (1053 Budapest, Ferenciek tere 6.). Returns made via the smart bookshelf are processed immediately, while books returned by post are checked in on the business day they are received. Any overdue fees that may be incurred can be paid online by bank card or in person after the summer break.

Starting 7 September 2026, our library will welcome readers during its regular opening hours.

We wish all our readers a pleasant summer and a restful holiday!

As part of Cultural Heritage Days, on Saturday, 19 September 2026, starting at 11:00 p.m., we will once again open the doors of the library palace – which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year – to the public.

Through guided tours on the history of the library, presentations of the restoration workshop, calligraphy and bookbinding workshops, quiz, jigsaw puzzles, bookmark coloring, our exhibition on the history of the university, and classical music concert, we aim to raise awareness about the preservation of our cultural heritage.

This year’s program series will also showcase the treasures of the Library Palace, which is celebrating its anniversary. Visitors are invited to explore our interactive exhibition, which presents the library’s history and fascinating anecdotes from a new perspective, as well as a small-scale exhibition entitled Knowledge Preserved Within Walls – One and a Half Centuries of the University Library Building. We will conclude our series of events with a concert by clarinettist Zsolt Szigeti and bassoonist Attila Ambrózy. Further details are available on the official Cultural Heritage Days website and on our homepage. Participation in our programmes does not require prior registration. All visitors are welcome!

Photo, audio and video recordings will be made of the events. The recordings will be published on the websites, publications, forums and social media of the participating institutions.

The ELTE University Library and Archives places special emphasis on students’ mental health, which is why well-trained, friendly therapy dogs visit our library during exam season to help reduce stress and boost well-being.

During exam periods, stress and anxiety levels rise among our students, so our goal is to provide them with emotional support during this time. We believe that the presence of therapy dogs not only supports mental health but also enriches students’ learning experience.

During the sessions, therapy dogs and their handlers from the “Dogs for People” Foundation and the “A Smile with a Dog” Foundation are available to students, providing a safe and supportive environment.

The impact is guaranteed; these four-legged helpers can be visited in the common area without prior registration during the times indicated on the reading room displays. 

Expected dates:

We would like to inform our readers that we will be performing system maintenance over the three-day long weekend. As a result, the ELTE Library WebApp will be unavailable from the evening of 30 April 2026 until approximately 6:00 a.m. on 4 May 2026.

During the maintenance, the online catalog will remain operational, however, users will not be able to log in, so reader services (e.g., renewals, reservations, online requests) will not be available.

Thank you for your understanding.

According to our tradition, we will join the Night of Museums on the 20th of June 2026. From 3 p.m. in the afternoon until midnight, our library welcomes all visitors with craft activities, fire enamelling and calligraphy workshops, animated film screenings, adventure tours, recipe collections, concerts, building tours, guided tours and restoration workshops. Tickets will be available at the entrance from the 1st of June 2026.

Our bookbinding workshop and calligraphy workshop, as well as culinary adventure tours will welcome visitors of all ages starting at 3:00 p.m. this year. Our chamber exhibition, opening on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, presents the documents and careers of three outstanding scholars, Ferenc Toldy, Sándor Szilágyi, and Loránd Eötvös, who played an important role in the history of the University, the University Library, and the Academy.

Our evening program series will open at 6:00 p.m. with a concert by the string quartet of the ELTE “Eötvös” Art Ensemble. 

On our library tours in English and Hungarian, visitors can learn about the history of the Library Palace and the Perczel Globe, and get a glimpse into our historic collection storage and behind the scenes of the library. Led by our restorer, they can get a taste of paper-making and bookbinding techniques, as well as the process of book disinfection and old bookbinding methods.

We will enhance the nighttime stroll with a concert by guitarist Béla Rák starting at 8:30 p.m., as well as a screening of Ferenc Rofusz’s adaptation of The Last Supper and all of his animated short films, beginning at 8:00 p.m., guided by the Kossuth and Oscar-winning Hungarian animation director.

Our guests can decorate their own handmade bookmarks, participate in our quiz titled Secrets of Feasts: Culinary Adventures in the Kitchens of Yesteryear, for small prizes, and use our library jigsaw puzzle to build our library palace and reassemble our codex pages, our culinary photos – as well as Mór Jókai’s “scenes from life” – from their fragments.

The doors of the enamel workshop will also open, where our visitors can create unique souvenirs.

In line with this year’s featured theme, Stories Captured in Flavors, we are compiling a collection of recipes. Anyone can submit their favorite recipe by filling out the form available on our website. The collection will remain accessible after the event and can be continuously expanded.

For more information, please visit our website or the Night of Museums’ homepage. A detailed program is available here.

All visitors are welcome!

Photo, audio and video recordings will be made of the events. The recordings will be published on the websites, publications, forums and social media of the participating institutions.

The ELTE University Library and Archives will be closed on the 1st and 2nd of May 2026.

From Monday (4 May 2026) readers are welcome to visit us for extended opening hours.

We wish you a happy holiday weekend!

The ELTE University Library and Archives offers extended opening hours in the Great Reading  Hall and in the community space for readers and students between the 4th of May 2026 and the 13th of June 2026, staying open until 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. Our community space offers the opportunity to learn, relax, use kitchen facilities and free computer access. The self-service facilities in the lobby will continue to be available with a valid library card on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. and on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m.

Through our constantly expanding services, we aim to provide ELTE students with an efficient and effective learning opportunity, with the support of the Students' Union and in cooperation with the students.

The following services are available between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays:

• study and reading in the Great Reading Hall, use of computers in the ground-floor community room, access to kitchen equipment (fridge, microwave, hot and cold water and soda dispenser) in the community kitchen,
• picking up books requested online during the day from the pick-up locker and borrowing them through the self-lending terminal
• returning books using the smart shelf,
• self-service printing and photocopying using a pre-purchased or online bought card,
• free self-service scanning.

During the extended opening hours (Mon–Fri: 8:00–10:00 p.m., Sat: 6:00–10:00 p.m.), reception and general information is provided. The lobby, the Great Reading Hall and the community space may only be visited with a pre-purchased library card.

Everyone is warmly welcome and we wish all our students a successful end of the semester and exam period!