At the age of 72, Éva Farkas Szmrekovszkyné, a former prominent expert at the library of the college in Szombathely, passed away on 18 January 2026. 

Éva Szmrekovszkyné Farkas was born on February 9, 1954, in Szombathely. From a young age, her career was defined by her love of learning, her service to the community, and her commitment to passing on knowledge. After graduating from Savaria High School, she studied library science and mathematics at the Szombathely Teacher Training College, where her pedagogical skills, reliability, and enthusiasm for library work became apparent during her children's library and school library internships. 

A defining period in her life began in 1980, when she started her professional career as a periodicals librarian and information librarian at the college library. Éva quickly became one of the key figures in the library: thanks to her logical thinking, her degree in mathematics, and her exceptional systematic approach, she participated in the selection and implementation of the library's computer system and performed the duties of a systems librarian. In doing so, she played a pioneering role in the development of modern information services—at a time when many people were sitting in front of a computer for the first time in a library. 

She was one of the first to master and teach the ISIS database management system; she created her own databases, including those for recording theses, college publications, and faculty publications. Through her work, she took information services and accurate and efficient information retrieval to a new level for students and faculty. He also initiated the use of the PRESSDOK and MANCI databases, which quickly made the library's services popular. 

He played a significant role in the introduction of compulsory teaching of literature and library skills at our institution in Szombathely, one of the first in the country. The development of the course and its teaching over many years became a prominent part of his work. Later, he also played an active role in the introduction of online teaching platforms. His dedication was such that even as a premium-year pensioner, he returned to teach, help, and stay in touch with students and colleagues. 

She represented the library in international competitions and study trips, from Brussels to Finland, and consistently sought to translate the experience she gained there into domestic practice. Her openness, professional standards, and commitment to continuous self-education served as an example to everyone. 

Éva always combined her professional knowledge with humanity. Her quiet, thoughtful, and kind personality defined our community. Her colleagues respected her for her knowledge, and her students loved her for her patience and clear, supportive explanations. The library was not just a workplace for her, but a second home – and for us, she was one of the pillars of our community.

Her passing is a great loss, but her work, example, and humanity will remain within the walls of the library, in the knowledge of the generations she taught, and in the memories of all who knew her.

We cherish his memory with respect and affection.
ELTE EKL Savaria Library and Archives

In the framework of the ELTE–NFI FILMIO University Film Club's screening and discussion series, we commemorate the outstanding film director who passed away in January 2026.

The first film by 22-year-old Béla Tarr is a contemporary document, a sociological report, and a brutally honest exploration of petty human relationships. The actors are amateurs who play characters close to their own real-life situations. The dramatic authenticity is guaranteed by the super-close-up, handheld camera shots with direct sound (i.e., recorded on location). Tarr is not interested in the social and public implications of the housing problem typical of the era, but rather in the development of human relationships and the interaction of emotions and passions revealed in seemingly hopeless situations. In The Family Nest, the housing shortage is not a temporary condition, but an unchangeable hell.

Young Irén lives with seven other people in her father-in-law's one-bedroom apartment, which lacks basic amenities. Due to the forced confinement, conflicts are a daily occurrence, and the situation does not improve even when her husband, Laci, returns home after completing his military service. They still do not have the money to move out, and Irén's weekly visits to the office are in vain, as no one there can offer her any encouragement. Her father-in-law constantly stirs up tension, accusing her of infidelity, and slowly her marriage begins to fall apart.

The film won the Grand Prize at the Mannheim Film Festival, as well as the Hungarian Film Critics' Award, and was recognised in the categories of Best First Film and Best Cinematography.

Date: 20 February 2026, 6:00 p.m.

Venue: University Square Campus (1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1–3., Weiss Emilia Hall, ground floor, in the corridor next to the cloakroom)

Director, screenwriter: Béla Tarr

Cinematographer: Ferenc Pap

Editor: Anna Kornis

Music: Szabolcs Szörényi, László Tolcsvay, Mihály Móricz

Cast: Mrs. László Horváth, László Horváth, Gábor Kun, Mrs. Gábor Kun, Gábor Kun Jr., Irén Rácz

Our guests in the post-screening discussion will be Andrea Pass, playwright and director, who created a stage version of the film in 2020, and Márkus Keller, PhD, associate professor and head of the Department of Comparative Historical Sociology at ELTE's Faculty of Social Sciences.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1gXkjQDnvc

Due to limited seating, advance registration is required:

https://www.ajk.elte.hu/csaladi-tuzfeszek-1979-in-memoriam-tarr-bela

The organisers welcome any correspondence regarding the film club at eltenfi.filmklub@elte.hu.

ELTE–NFI Film Club Facebook page

The ELTE– NFI FILMIO University Film Club screening and discussion series continues. We welcome university members from all ELTE faculties.

The documentary shows the first year and a half of recovery for two young people with substance abuse issues. We get to know them through the activities of the Megálló Group Foundation in Budapest. The Megálló Group Foundation’s recreation center for people with addictions is run by former addicts who use innovative methods such as rock climbing for therapeutic purposes. Szilveszter and Boróka embark on the rocky road of self-discovery, confronting their stormy relationships with their parents while seeking support, forgiveness, and above all, self-acceptance. The film had its world premiere at the 40th Warsaw International Film Festival in 2024, where the jury gave special recognition to the film’s human approach and deep empathy. In Hungary, it was first screened at the Verzio International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, then released in theaters on 5 December 2024.

Date: 18 February 2026, 6:00 p.m.

Venue: ELTE University Library and Archives, community space (1053 Budapest, Ferenciek tere 6.)

Director, cinematographer, editor: Ádám Miklós

Music: Andor Sperling

Our guests in the post-screening discussion will be Ádám Miklós, director of the film, Péter Oláh, chairman of the board of trustees of the Megálló Group, and Dénes Dudits, addiction specialist.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlXP2nqtk_E&t=3s

Due to limited seating, advance registration is required: https://www.ajk.elte.hu/melypont-erzes-miklos-adam-filmje-2024.

The organisers welcome any correspondence regarding the film club at eltenfi.filmklub@elte.hu.

ELTE–NFI Film Club Facebook page

The ELTE– NFI FILMIO University Film Club screening and discussion series continues. We welcome university members from all ELTE faculties.

This free-spirited Romeo and Juliet parody, peppered with catchy rap songs, is a unique animated ghetto film set in Józsefváros. Filled with social commentary and references to current political events, this adult satire is made in the outspoken, provocative tone of American shows like South Park and Beavis and Butt-head, giving a humorous and authentic view of the twisted political and social order of post-millennial Eastern Europe from the perspective of kids who call a spade a spade – from a bottom-up perspective.

The love between two young Roma people is hindered by conflict between their parents. Ricsi wants to use money to settle the dispute between the families. He and his friends travel back to prehistoric times in a time machine, where, with the help of their Stone Age ancestors, they hunt mammoths in the hope that the animal carcasses will form a huge oil field under the 8th district over the millennia, making them rich overnight. Rambo DVD box sets, five-star school cafeterias, gold Rolex watches on all their wrists. The sudden appearance of vast amounts of oil causes turmoil in the global economy, and the superpowers launch an investigation, closing in on the ghetto, but one thing is certain: Nyócker will remain Nyócker for as long as the world exists.

Date: February 11, 2026, 6:00 p.m.

Venue: University Square Campus (1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1-3., Weiss Emilia Hall, ground floor, in the corridor next to the cloakroom)

Cast list:

Director: Áron Gauder

Screenplay: Viktor Nagy, László Jakab Orsós, Damage

Design: Áron Gauder, Igor Bóka

Composer: Zsolt Hammer, Ádám Jávorka, Viktor László, Alex Hunyadi, Spacecafe

Music: Ludditák, L.L. Junior

Cast/voice actors: László Szacsvay, Győző Szabó, Csaba Pinndroch, L.L. Junior, Gábor Csőre, Dorka Gryllus, Károly Gesztesi, Sándor Badár

Our guests in the post-screening discussion: Áron Gauder, director of the film, lecturer at Budapest Metropolitan University, and Ildikó Szili-Darók, supervisor, drawing analyst, organizational developer, mental health and family counselor, drama group leader, former head of the Józsefváros Family Support Service and expert on Józsefváros.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsPA0AyDxws

Due to limited seating, advance registration is required. Registration is available at https://www.ajk.elte.hu/nyocker-gauder-aron-animacios-filmje-2004.

The organizers welcome any correspondence regarding the film club at eltenfi.filmklub@elte.hu.

ELTE–NFI Film Club Facebook page

The object of the month – Zacharias Traber: Nervus opticus sive Tractatus theoricus. Vienna, 1675.

The founding of the historical library of the Baron József Eötvös Collegium (1896–1950) is linked to the name of Baron Dénes Mednyánszky, who enriched the institution, established in 1895, with his father's valuable library in 1896. By the end of World War II, the library had grown to contain tens of thousands of items, until 1950, when the elite college was converted into a student dormitory. and the library collection was transferred to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Library, which was established in the building. In 1956, this became the Eötvös Library of the Institute of Literary Studies (now known as the Eötvös Library of the ELTE HTK Institute of Literary Studies).

Based on the original inventory logs, Zacharias Traber: His volume entitled Nervus opticus sive Tractatus theoricus, published in Vienna in 1675, was added to the collection in 1903, but then disappeared from the former library of Eötvös Collegium during the turmoil of World War II, only to reappear decades later on the American art market. The particular value of Nervus Opticus lies in the fact that, in addition to summarizing the theoretical foundations of optics, Traber supplemented his work with a wealth of engravings. The plates containing illustrative figures are not merely illustrations, but didactic tools that aid in the interpretation of the text. The volume is also an irreplaceable source for reconstructing the former appearance of the archbishop's garden in Pozsony: Traber played a decisive role in the design of the garden on behalf of Archbishop György Lippay.

The volume appeared in the online catalog of a New York antiquarian bookshop in the spring of 2022. Literary historian Gábor Kiss Farkas noticed the copy, primarily because of the owner's note in the description, which referred to the Jesuit college in Nagyszombat. This information led him to the staff of the ELTE University Library and Archives, as at the end of the 18th century, a significant part of the Jesuit library in Nagyszombat was incorporated into the library collection of the university, which had been moved to Buda.

Following this observation, the ELTE University Library and Archives launched an internal investigation and contacted the antiquarian bookshop. The title page of the volume bore a barely visible, blurred stamp mark, which was identified using modern imaging techniques and multispectral analysis. The technology revealed an unexpected result: the stamp did not belong to the University Library, but to the former library of the Baron Eötvös József Collegium.

The restitution process began in 2022 and was completed in 2025 as a result of cooperation between several institutions, contributing to the preservation of a piece of the collection heritage linked to ELTE. The historical library of the Eötvös Collegium is preserved and maintained by the Eötvös Library of the Institute for Literary Research, so the work has been returned to exactly where it disappeared from some eighty years earlier.

Written by Attila Boda.

Source: Markó Veronika: A visszatért Nervus opticus. ELTE HTK Irodalomtudományi Kutatóintézet, Ismerettár blog / https://www.abtk.hu/ismerettar/blog/a-visszatert-nervus-opticus [Viewing date: 2026.01.18.]

We have collected the most frequently loaned books in the University Library over the past year.

Scientific and scholarly works

• Immanuel Kant: A tiszta ész kritikája
• Szijártó M. István: A történelem diskurzusa
• Platón: Állam
• Theodor W. Adorno – Max Horkheimer: A felvilágosodás dialektikája
• Arisztotelész: Nikomakhoszi etika
• A nyelv és a nyelvek (szerk. Kenesei István)
• Walter Benjamin: Angelus novus
• Az olvasás kultúrtörténete a nyugati világban (szerk. Guglielmo Cavallo, Roger Chartier)
• Michel Foucault: Felügyelet és büntetés
• Vétkek és választások – a felelősség elméletei (szerk. Réz Anna)
• Carlo Ginzburg: A sajt és a kukacok
• Alasdair C. MacIntyre: Az erény nyomában
• J. Gurevics: A középkori ember világképe
• Erika Fischer-Lichte: A performativitás esztétikája
• Pierre Bourdieu: A társadalmi egyenlőtlenségek újratermelődése
• Gaston Bachelard: A tér poétikája
• René Descartes: Elmélkedések az első filozófiáról
• Jacques Derrida: Grammatológia
• Boldizsár Ildikó: Meseterápia
• Friedrich Schiller: Művészet- és történelemfilozófiai írások

Textbooks

• Aswath Damodaran: A befektetés értékeléséről
• Ferenczi Attila – Monostori Martina: Latin nyelvkönyv
• Stephen A. Ross – Randolph W. Westerfield – Bradford D. Jordan: A vállalati pénzügyek alapjai (Fundamentals of Corporate Finance)
• N. Gregory Mankiw: A közgazdaságtan alapjai
• Magyar irodalom (főszerk. Gintli Tibor)
• Eliot R. Smith – Diane M. Mackie – Heather M. Claypool: Szociálpszichológia (Social Psychology)
• A magyar nyelvtörténet kézikönyve (szerk. Kiss Jenő és Pusztai Ferenc)
• Romsics Ignác: Magyarország története a XX. században
• Paul R. Krugman – Maurice Obstfeld: Nemzetközi gazdaságtan
• Európa ezer éve: a középkor I-II. (szerk. Klaniczay Gábor)
• Németh György – Hegyi W. György: Görög-római történelem
• Magyar grammatika (szerk. Keszler Borbála)
• Magyarország története a 19. században (szerk. Gergely András)
• Kora újkori egyetemes történeti szöveggyűjtemény (szerk. Poór János)
• Pedagógusok pszichológiai kézikönyve I-III. (szerk. N. Kollár Katalin, Szabó Éva)
• A kora újkor története (szerk. Poór János)
• Jeffrey M. Wooldridge: Introductory Econometrics – a modern approach
• Aswath Damodaran: Investment Valuation

Literature

• Krasznahorkai László: Sátántangó
• Italo Calvino: Ha egy téli éjszakán egy utazó
• Virginia Woolf: Mrs. Dalloway
• Proust: Swannék oldala (Az eltűnt idő nyomában)          
• Fjodor Mihajlovics Dosztojevszkij: Bűn és bűnhődés
• Gustave Flaubert: Bovaryné
• William Shakespeare: Hamlet
• Ottlik Géza: Iskola a határon
• George Orwell: 1984
• Franz Kafka: Az átváltozás
• Kaffka Margit: Hangyaboly
• Dante Alighieri: Isteni színjáték
• Bodor Ádám: Sinistra körzet
• Gabriel García Márquez: Száz év magány
• Aurelius Augustinus: Vallomások
• Fjodor Mihajlovics Dosztojevszkij: A félkegyelmű
• Kosztolányi Dezső: Édes Anna
• Kosztolányi Dezső: Esti Kornél
• Kemény Lili: Nem

The ELTE EKL Savaria Library and Archives in Szombathely will be closed on 10 January 2026.

Thank you for your understanding!

If you are curious about the secrets hidden in the history of the ELTE University Library and the treasures kept within its walls, explore the library palace with the help of an audio guide. The doors of the country's first state-owned public library will open up to you as you have never seen them before.

Our audio guide tour is now available in Chinese in addition to Hungarian and English. Further information regarding the service is provided on our website.

All visitors are welcome!