Andrea Pető
associate professor, CEU Department of Gender Studies
There are collections born under a lucky star that ensure deserved place for goods entrusted to them due to their institutional and structural conditions.
The Sociology Collection of Ervin Szabó Library has to meet the requirements, rising to divers challenges in more and more difficult circumstances.
Now, I would like to write about part of its collection dealing with and focusing on social genders and sexuality.
Historic material as the documents of the Association of Feminists having been collected since the turn of the century are the bases of this collection. Gathering of volumes related to social genders came up against some difficulties in the last few decades; still, the keepers of the collection try to do their best performing their professional tasks to help readers.
Historic material as the documents of the Association of Feminists having been collected since the turn of the century are the bases of this collection. Gathering of volumes related to social genders came up against some difficulties in the last few decades; still, the keepers of the collection try to do their best performing their professional tasks to help readers.
The first difficulty was that volumes from abroad became parts of the collection in ad hoc way before 1989. After 1989, we had to face not only economical difficulties, but quantity explosion of books and periodicals written about the issue of social genders.
Nowadays, all publishers who have expectations of themselves (have any ambition to meet present-day requirements) provide at least one series concerning social genders; range of successful publishers specialized to this group of issues, exclusively. So, the viewpoint of choosing and selecting arises: what to purchase from the ample supply in narrow circumstances.
The second challenge is digital revolution.
The significant periodicals, which are really necessary to cultivate sciences, are so expensive that even the richest American private universities decrease the number of periodical subscriptions. However, most of the periodicals are available in subscription packs, so, if a periodical is not subscribed, several other periodicals become unavailable.
The significant periodicals, which are really necessary to cultivate sciences, are so expensive that even the richest American private universities decrease the number of periodical subscriptions. However, most of the periodicals are available in subscription packs, so, if a periodical is not subscribed, several other periodicals become unavailable.
The third challenge is institutional background. On the other side of Iron Curtain and on the territory of past Yugoslavia female civil organizations were developed during the second wave of woman movements to document women’s history and develop woman’s library.
WINE – European network of libraries, archives, information centres and web portals specializing in gender, feminist and women's research. In the list there is only one female civil organization, it has no public library and its domain is for sale.
Several works have been written by many authors about the reason why lack of female civil organizations took place in Hungary, but from the viewpoint of our theme the important thing is that Ervin Szabó Library as capital institution fulfilled tasks which were done by civil organizations with the financial source of competitions and self-governments.
Mainly informal contacts, established by professional devotion, competency and attitude of the staff of Ervin Szabó Library, were developed between Hungarian researchers and civil organizations of social genders; this system of informal contacts tried to overcome the challenges listed above in the economical conditions getting harder.
Several works have been written by many authors about the reason why lack of female civil organizations took place in Hungary, but from the viewpoint of our theme the important thing is that Ervin Szabó Library as capital institution fulfilled tasks which were done by civil organizations with the financial source of competitions and self-governments.
Mainly informal contacts, established by professional devotion, competency and attitude of the staff of Ervin Szabó Library, were developed between Hungarian researchers and civil organizations of social genders; this system of informal contacts tried to overcome the challenges listed above in the economical conditions getting harder.
As a results of cutback of European welfare states, woman’s libraries and documentation centers are closed, one after the other, they are integrated and financial supports are taken away.
The text of European protest against this process including the closing of NIKK can be read on the website of ATGENDER (https://atgender.eu/)
The text of European protest against this process including the closing of NIKK can be read on the website of ATGENDER (https://atgender.eu/)
The history of Ervin Szabó Library is not free from political and economical storms; however, we have to hope that the knowledge material accumulated in previous period will be available to students, researchers (and all who are interested in it) for a long time. Informal connections arenecessary against institutional destruction, but only institutions are able to develop such contacts. From this point of view, we can say that the Sociology Collection of Ervin Szabó Library is an institution born under a lucky star.
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