Zsuzsa Ferge 
sociologist and statisticiansocial policy expert, professor, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences 
 
The Szabó Ervin” 
do not like facing what should have spent more time for in my hectic life. 
Library is one of my neuralgic points in this regard. have never had enough time to enjoy library as I felt like doing it.  
Most part of time I had (once upon a time), I spent in the reading room of the Szabó Ervin” (the library); it was the sometime ballroom (dance room) of Wenckheim Palace. The decoration was a little shabbywithout functionbut wonderfulhalf century ago we really did not thought  that we would see the saloons of the palace  in original magnificencewithout readingtables and catalog boxes. enjoyed rummaging for file-cardsfinding known authors and browsing unknown ones. I even liked waiting for requested books and yacking in the hall. It was a great experience to look over and compare
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books simultaneouslyto see that I was the first reader of some booksinferred by uncut pages (mainly in case of French editions)It was great that my work could be done in intense tranquility in the reading roomTo have a  rest, there were some recesses for smoking and exciting documents of Budapest Collection were available.  Though we were separated from foreign countries (the West) in several fields, I still could find important periodicals and works published as new editions. Of coursewhen I had opportunity to go abroad, I faced reality, how many works couldn’t be found at home, in Hungary. 
Although the country was much poorer than today, political control was even more severe, stillthe library seized all  opportunities to hold and preserve the original sociological collection and supplement it in a skilled way, better and better (Do not forgetsociology was a prohibited and non-existing science until the middle 1960s.)The inexhaustible helpfulness by the librarians is among permanent (everlastingmemories. Moreover, it remains memorable that visitors could feel  the air of freedom. I thinkit is the miracle of booksin a really good library people can always feel that thoughts are free (at least). Unfortunatelythe total reconstruction of library building was a little late for me a decade agoThough I went to admire the new environmentthe system of open shelvesnew personal services and possibilities of broad access to information available on the Internethowever, I am not a regular visitor.  
Still, Ervin Szabó Library is the integrated part of my life through the internet. 
It does not mean only the great amount of information available on the library website or the accessibility to  Sociology Collection through the web that replaces on-site browsing of catalog file-cards; I have already asked for and received a lot of  personal support concerning list of cited authors and more similar lists, ways of searching and the natural history of databases. Maybe, these are traditional library services applied by Ervin Szabó Library in our changing world,  considering own conditions.
Social professionhowever, is privileged by the library. This new system of professions covers social policy and all forms of social work within social sciences.
To say in briefcontents of social professions are the theory and practice of public responsibility for the individual man and for the conditions that make possible to live together in society.
It had some antecedents, but nothing remained for the ‘60s. At that time,  ideological / theoretical development of social policy started slowly and carefully, including sociological analysis of social problems. It turned out soon that we have already known actually: researches should be 
continued with supporting (helping) work in practice.
“Big systems“ were developed. However, there was no help to the great number of underprivileged people who were in need  of information. To answer to the obtrusive defaults of that system, some brave and sensitive people  started working to  decrease suffering caused by vacuum. In the world of strictly controlled persons and non-existing institutions, social work came into being by these people. 
 
Besides their own humanity and professional knowledge they sought and followed usable foreign models and developed new approach and work-forms.  when political suspicions could be allayed. It was very difficult to naturalize the profession even after 1990; though political suspicions couldbe allayed then. To tell the truth, leastwise as I can see, social culture of policy is quite weak  even today and social work is threatened by many sorts of pressure in practice; the underlying objective of direct and immediate help in social work is to open hopeless self-surrender of many people towards citizen’s self-awareness and  dissolve bolting in individual suffering by the power of community. 
The Szabó Ervin” perceived both the role and importance of social professions within social sciences and the potential it had to strengthen those professions by its facilitiesSo, Digital Archive of Social Profession was established – due to the initiatives provided by Katalin Talyigás and Gábor Hegyesi, cooperating with all representatives of  social profession. Similarly to other digital archives, it makes professional works 
more available by digital archives,
 it makes professional works more available by expanding digitization. Besides it, the archive wants to overstep impersonality by portraits and a colourful gallery of portraits; this is quite important mainly in social work.
In social professions people work with peopleTheir personality is an important tool in their workthere is no social profession without their knowledge and empathy They are people of all kinds and all of them contributed to common knowledge  and methods. Everyone may be richer by gaining knowledge about themThat is why the Gallery of portraits is available on library website  besides showing printed professional works from more viewpoints.
T
hgallery shows some young representatives of this young profession who died quite early (and often tragically) and left marks in the world. 
thank Ervin Szabó Library for accepting the initiative and its expected development. I am happy that it contributed effectively to the improvement of the picture created about social professionsbringing everyday heroes of the profession closer, within human reachstrengthening the social status of the profession and the self-esteem of people working in the (socialprofession. wish the staff of the Sociology Collection that they can continue its scientifically high-level  work that is rich in humanity as well.
Information

Sociology Collection

1088 Budapest, Szabó Ervin tér 1.
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E-mail: szociologia@fszek.hu
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