Dear Readers!

Our library collects all kind of scientifical publications on zoology, botany, mineralogy, paleontology and anthropology. Beyond our book and journal collection we can support and help your research through our subscribed databases (JSTOR, Zoological Record,  Science Direct, Springerlink).  Moreover you can use our special collections on hunting or natural science history subjects too. Feel welcome in our library!

The history of the Library of the Hungarian Natural History Museum
 

Our library is a special scientific library. Among the natural sciences its scope extends to botany, zoology, mineralogy, palaeontology and anthropology. The primary aim of our museum is to assist the scientific research carried out in our museum.

The history and development of the library was closely related to the history of the Hungarian National Museum. When the Natural and Handcrafts Collections were founded - in 1810 - only a few books were stored in this collection, which were donated by Ferenc Széchényi. In 1870, when the collections became independent, the foundation of a scientific library was initiated. The first catalogues were prepared at this time, and only a few hundred books were listed in them. Later on - besides the incoming donations - the stock of the library was enlarged in a pre-planned manner, but the selection of books and periodicals in the given collections were largely influenced by the interest of the given collections.

In the history of the library the most significant donation, in terms of the increase of number of books, was that of Lajos Haynald, a bishop, who passed his botanical books and periodicals to the HNHM in his last will (1891). Another significant increase were achieved in 1938, through the acquisition of the reprint collection of Árpád Degen, and the classical botany book collection of Károly Gotthard, a landowner from Herény.

The Second World War caused a severe loss in both the books and periodicals of the library. In 1945, the untill then independently operating libraries, including the library of the recently organised Anthropology Department, were unified under the Central library. The book stock of the library was significantly enlarged in that period. As a consequence of the cessation of the libraries of the Hungarian Adriatic Association and the Royal Hungarian Natural History Society several thousand biological books and periodicals were placed into the library of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Also the process of nationalisation of private libraries yielded a large amount of classical zoological and geographical pieces.

The fights after the revolution in 1956 caused a serious destruction in the library. The book collections of the burnt out collections were either partly or -as in the case of the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology and the Department of Palaeontology - completely destroyed. An irreplaceable loss was caused in the collections and the library of the Zoological department, through the loss of the ornithological and malacological book collections, and the demise of the reprint collection. The total loss of the library amounted to 70.000 items. Several decades passed while the most necessary books were replaced.

In the last decades the increase of the stock has slowed down, and as a consequence of financial shortcuts it became less systematic and planned. The created shortcomings were only partially restored by the acquisition of the book collections of István Győrffy and József Papp, two botanists, István Boross, a zoologist and Miklós Lambrecht, a physician. Eventhough the shortage of financial funds and severe losses had an impact on the library, as a consequence of the diligent and expert collecting efforts of our forebears the present book stock of the library amounts to 300.000 catalogued items, and therefore our collections is one of the largest museum libraries in Hungary.

The increase of the stock is significantly and positively influenced by the exchange of items with other libraries and collections. These exchange activities are mainly based on the publications of the HNHM. The exchange also helps to deepen and intensify the connections with our partner institutes: other foreign libraries and research institutes. The first jopurnal of the Museum was esteblished by Ottó Hermann in 1877, titled: Természetrajzi Füzetek (Natural History Notes). This publication was later replaced by the more up-to-date Annales Historico-naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici (from 1903) that is the yearbook of our museum. This publication has reached its 96^th volume recently. After 1945 the departments of the museum has started their own independent periodicals: Anthropologica Hungarica (Department of Anthropology); Folia Entomologica Hungarica (Department of Zoology); Fragmenta Mineralogica et Palaeontologica (Department of Mineralogy and Department of Palaeontology); Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica (Department of Zoology); Studia Botanica Hungarica (Department of Botanics). And besides these periodicals several monographs and essay collection was published.

Collected topics of the library

Our library is a special natural science library. The stock is approximately 300.000 items, and its majority is made up of periodicals, the number of current periodicals is 1720.

Collected topics are:

* general biology,

* zootaxonomy and systematics,

* plant taxonomy and systematics,

* palaentology,

* mineralogy,

* anthropology,

* biogeography of plants and animals,

* museology,

* History of Science.

Separate library collections of the departments of the museum:

* Zoological library, Baross st. 13.

* Mineralogical library, Ludovika sq. 2.

* Anthropological library, Ludovika sq. 2.

* Educational library, Ludovika sq. 6.

* Paleontological library, Ludovika sq. 2.

* Botanical library, Könyves Kálmán blvd. 40.

 Literature on the Library of the HNHM

ALLODIATORIS Irma (1971-72): Növényábrázolások és portrék. Collectio Historica 1892-1945. = Studia Botanica Hungarica 8-9: 233-238. (manuscript in the Natural science history collection)

BALÁS Anna (1957): Könyvtárunk régi magyar természet-tudományi könyvei. = Könyvtári tájékoztató, 2: 61-82.

BERNÁTSKY Jenő (1902): A növénytani osztály könyvtára. = A Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum múltja és jelene Bp. : 290-302.

HORVÁTH Csaba (1994): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum Tudománytörténeti Gyűjteményének földtani anyaga. = Studia Naturalia 4: 81-91.

PAPP Gábor (2002): Botanikai könyvritkaságaink. Természet Világa 133 (2002/2 különszám): 79-81.

TILL Józsefné (1968): Néhány adat a Növénytár könyvtárának Botanica Classica anyagához. = Fragmenta Botanica 6. (1-4): 115-118.

TILL-FORBÁT Éva (1971-72): A Növénytár szakkönyvtára. Bibliotheca Botanica. = Studia Botanica Hungarica 8-9: 215-231. (manuscript in the Natural science history collection)