At the start of the autumn semester, we are opening our doors with a new community space. The round room in the Journal Reading Room welcomes you with armchairs and sofas, bean bags, laptop tables and cushions.
The community space is suitable for studying, relaxing, resting, learning together and playing board games. We are constantly expanding our amenities and wish our visitors a pleasant and useful stay!
The event is supported by the Belváros-Lipótváros Municipality of the 5th district of Budapest and the University Library Foundation.
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.
Artwork of the month – The Botanical Garden’s ornate filing cabinet
Among the special pieces of the Botanical Garden’s rich heritage are the archive cabinets, which, according to tradition, were donated to the university by Maria Theresa. Having served for over 250 years, this piece of furniture not only preserves the outstanding cabinet-making craftsmanship of its era, but also the memories of the history of Hungarian higher education and botany.
The filing cabinets in the Botanical Garden are among the oldest pieces of furniture in the garden and, indeed, at the university. According to historical records, these two identical cabinets, each two and a half metres high, were donated by Empress Maria Theresa to the university’s Faculty of Medicine, which was established in 1769. According to research by László Szögi, these may be the ‘little brothers’ of the monumental antique cabinet standing in the meeting room of the university’s main library. In 1777, during the relocation of the university and its botanical garden from Nagyszombat to Buda, the garden’s furniture and plant material were transported by boat to the area of today’s capital under the leadership of Farkas Kempelen. The botanical garden, dubbed the ‘wandering botanical garden’, finally settled in its current location – the Festetics Palace and its gardens – in 1847, following three further relocations. Given their origins, they were held in high esteem and were kept in the official residence and office of the respective garden directors. Thanks to this, they have been preserved in good condition.
One of the pair of cabinets was restored in the early 2000s, but a few years ago one of its doors was damaged; this was repaired in 2026 by András Kovács, a qualified restorer, with funding from the university. These cabinets housed the garden’s most important documents: plant and seed lists dating from 1788, inventory books, photographs, seals and antique signboards. Our predecessors compiled a beautiful album from the developed photographs of the glass negatives stored within, covering the period from 1846 to 1905, when the boys from Pál Street attended the Botanical Garden. Among the documents previously stored in the cabinets, one of the most valuable sets consists of letters addressed to János Arany, the Academy’s Secretary-General and then Director of the Garden. Our aim is to commission expert analysis to produce a scholarly documentation of the cabinets, clarifying their age and history. These finely crafted pieces of furniture would serve as the basis for the creation of a botanical and local history collection open to the public, which would introduce visitors to the 255-year history of the Botanical Garden, as well as the heritage of the Festetics Palace and Park spanning more than three centuries.
Led by the Library Council President, the University Library Service’s Quality Manager and the K21 Quality Management Coordination Committee President, an awareness-raising training session for ELTE librarians was successfully held on 16 July 2026, with nearly 20 participants.
The goal of the training was to reinforce a quality management mindset, raise awareness, and promote quality-focused operations in day-to-day work. In addition to the lectures, practice-oriented workshops provided participants with the opportunity to interactively deepen their knowledge, engage in joint discussions, exchange experiences and share best practices. Based on their feedback, employees rated the training as extremely useful and effective, noting that it greatly contributed to the development of a quality-oriented mindset and a deeper understanding of workplace processes.
Founded in 1817, the University of Liège (ULiège) is one of Belgium’s leading public research universities, offering education and research opportunities across a broad range of academic disciplines. As part of the Erasmus Staff Week programme, Liza Németh, a staff member of the ELTE University Library and Archives, had the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the operation of the university’s library services.
The professional visit took place from 29 June to 3 July 2026. The programme provided a comprehensive overview of the University of Liège Library’s operations. Participants learned about its organisational structure, staffing model, collection management processes, and cultural heritage preservation activities. They also gained detailed insight into the university’s Open Access and Open Science practices, as well as the related services and institutional strategies.
The presentations addressed several current challenges facing the library profession. One of the main topics was the application of Artificial Intelligence in libraries. Although AI can support and streamline a wide range of processes, the involvement of appropriately qualified and experienced staff remains indispensable. Another noteworthy initiative involved measures designed to help students and researchers maintain their concentration, including the restriction of mobile phone use through the use of dedicated storage devices.
The host institution also paid particular attention to promoting the Diamond Open Access model. Within this framework, library staff participate in BeDiamond, a Belgian national initiative that the University of Liège has also joined. Through the establishment and support of an experimental open-access journal, the initiative aims to advance scholarly publishing, with a particular focus on research in STEM disciplines.
The Erasmus Staff Week offered valuable professional experience, fresh perspectives, and inspiring examples of good practice that can be directly applied in staff members’ day-to-day work and contribute to their continuing professional development.
The Royal Society is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious scientific academies, publishing numerous high-impact, peer-reviewed journals in the natural sciences and interdisciplinary research. Its publishing portfolio includes both open access and subscription-based journals.
The ELTE–NFI FILMIO University Film Club awaits you even in the summertime! We welcome university citizens from all ELTE faculties. A film presenting the football successes of the Dunaszerdahely Athletic Club (DAC 1904 FC) and its role in bringing together the Hungarian community in Upper Hungary will be screened as part of the ELTE Carpathian Basin Summer University.
Date: July 28, 2026 – 8:00 p.m. Venue: ELTE Márton Áron College, Márai Hall (1037 Budapest, Kunigunda útja 35.)
The documentary traces the history of the football club to illustrate the fate of the Hungarian communities in the Csallóköz region and throughout Slovakia, which has always been closely linked to the life of the club. The team has competed in various leagues in different countries, depending on changes in national borders. (Over the past 120 years, five different political entities have succeeded one another in the Csallóköz region.) In the 1980s and 1990s, the team qualified for international cup competitions on several occasions. Today, DAC has become one of Slovakia’s most prestigious sports clubs, and is undoubtedly the soccer team that attracts the largest crowds.
In every country, football clubs serve as expressions of social and often political identities, reflecting local cultures, values and perspectives. At DAC, this context serves as an expression of the solidarity of the Hungarian minority in Upper Hungary, which many view as one of the keys to their survival. In addition to athletic achievements, the documentary explores the club’s social and political significance.
Director – Ádám Tősér
Screenwriter – Gábor István Kiss
Cinematographer – Dávid Gajdics
Editors – László Medveczky, Wanda Kiss
Music – Krisztián Vranik
Our guest for the post-screening discussion are Dr. Tamás Dénes, journalist, football historian and broadcaster; as well as Dr. Tünde Morvai, minority studies researcher and head of department at the Secretariat for Hungarians Abroad of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
The Bogen–Lipmann cage, preserved in the collection of ELTE’s Faculty of Education and Psychology, came into the institution’s possession through Magda Ritoók, one of the leading figures in Hungarian psychological counseling. The device is associated with the work of German psychologist Otto Lipmann, who was a pioneer in applied psychology and career counseling.
The Bogen–Lipmann Cage (often referred to as the Bogen–Lippmann Cage) was a psychological testing tool used in the first half of the 20th century, primarily for career aptitude assessments. The purpose of the device was not only to measure test results but also to observe the thought and action processes that emerged during task performance.
The Bogen-Lipmann Cage presents a complex task that simultaneously assesses spatial-visual thinking, manual dexterity, problem-solving ability, and problem-solving strategy. The cage is an open wooden structure containing partitions and slanted deflectors that guide the movement of a wooden ball. The test subject’s task is to use wooden sticks of various shapes to guide the ball out of the maze. During the task, not only a successful solution was evaluated, but also the chosen strategy, the use of tools, and the approach to problem-solving. The Bogen–Lipmann cage allows for the observation of several skills that are important in numerous occupations requiring technical, craft-based, or precise manual work. A distinctive feature of the test is that the emphasis is not solely on the final result, but also on the process of solving the task.
The Bogen–Lipmann cage also holds cultural-historical significance, as its namesake, Otto Lipmann, was a German psychologist of Jewish descent whose tragic life was shaped by the rise of National Socialism. A replica of the cage served as the starting point for contemporary artist Ádám Albert’s installation *Munkapróba / BLK 1* in the Ludwig Museum’s 2014 exhibition titled [silence] – A Holocaust Exhibition. Contemporary artist Ádám Albert’s installation simultaneously referenced the history of psychology and the tragic fate of Otto Lipmann, whose academic work was rendered impossible after 1933, leading him to commit suicide. The interactive work gave visitors the opportunity to experience old psychological testing methods firsthand, while the exhibition’s concept also raised questions of confinement, perseverance, and the preservation of intellectual heritage.
The ELTE University Library and Archives’ series of therapy dog programs during exam season concluded amid great interest. As part of the initiative, more than a thousand students participated in 21 sessions featuring five therapy dogs. The program’s goal was to contribute to students’ mental well-being and provide support amid the increased stress of exam season.
During the sessions, therapy dogs and their handlers from the Dogs for People Foundation and the Dogs for Smiles Foundation welcomed the participants. At the scheduled times, our students waited in long lines to meet the four-legged helpers, who created a calm, safe, and supportive atmosphere.
Based on student feedback, the time spent with the dogs noticeably reduced the stress and anxiety associated with exam season. These shared experiences brought joy and a sense of renewal, helping students unwind, refocus their attention, and prepare more effectively for their studies.
The overwhelming interest in the program and the positive feedback from participants have reinforced our commitment to continuing this initiative in the future, supporting our students’ well-being during exam periods.
With the support of the Accessible Library Working Group of the K21 Quality Management Coordination Committee of the University Library Service, and under the guidance of colleagues from the ELTE Office for Special Student Affairs, on 29 June 2026, an awareness-raising training session organised for ELTE librarians was successfully held with nearly 20 participants.
The presentations, held at the ELTE Office for Special Student Affairs, focused primarily on the library usage needs of students and readers with various special needs. The office’s goal is to promote the University’s inclusive approach and to realise the principle of equal access to education for students who are visually or hearing impaired, physically disabled, or who struggle with attention, learning, speech or behavioral disorders, as well as those on the autism spectrum or living with chronic illnesses. Following the presentations, there was a session for joint discussion, exchange of experiences, and sharing of best practices. Based on the feedback, staff members rated the training as extremely useful, forward-looking and effective. The structured series of sessions provided participants with tangible tools, suggested solutions and methods for addressing everyday challenges.
