Péter Bacsó's satire became a cult film even while it was banned. To this day, the film remains an instructive and entertaining memento of one of the most oppressive periods in Hungarian history. After the screening, discussions with experts will focus on topics such as film censorship.

The year is 1950: the film's protagonist is József Pelikán (Ferenc Kállai), a Danube dam guard who is raising his children alone. They have nothing to eat, so they secretly slaughter Dezső, the family pig, which is considered illegal black market slaughter. Pelikán is caught, sent to prison, and then brought before a certain Comrade Virág (Lajos Őze), who tells him that old, reliable communists like him are needed, so he appoints him to various positions of trust. Comrade Pelikán thus quickly becomes the director of a swimming pool, the head of an amusement park, and the head of the Orange Research Institute, but his assignments always end with him being sent to prison after some kind of misstep. Comrade Virág finally asks him to be the crown witness in a show trial.

The witness openly satirizes the era of the personality cult. Even the most absurd scenes in the film have elements of reality, from Hungarian oranges to the socialist spirit railway. The film was not allowed to be shown, and it took nearly 10 years for the first official screening to take place. After the ban was lifted, it was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1981.

Date: Researchers' Night, September 26, 2025; 7:00 p.m. 

Venue: University Square Campus (1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1–3., ground floor, A/1 Training room, corridor next to the cloakroom)

Registration

The film was provided by the National Film Institute Public Benefit Nonprofit Ltd.

To mark the 125th anniversary of special education teacher training, a timeline measuring nearly 15 meters was created at ELTE's Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Education, presenting the history of training from 1900 to the present day, starting with the beginning of standardized special education teacher training. Most of the photos illustrating the important milestones were selected from the Special Education History Collection.

The bilingual timeline was created in collaboration with faculty colleagues from various departments and the ELTE Communication, Marketing and Recruitment Directorate.

The timeline can be viewed in the cross corridor of Building A of the Faculty (Budapest, 1097 Ecseri út 3.).

The object of the month

Zsuzsa Ferge (1931–2024) was a Széchenyi Prize-winning sociologist and professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Eötvös Loránd University. After obtaining her candidate's degree (1968) and doctorate (1982), she became a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2002.

Between 1953 and 1968, he worked at the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), becoming head of the Stratification Research Department in 1960. Between 1968 and 1988, he was head of the Social Policy Department at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences' Institute for Sociology Research, where he was also a senior research fellow. Between 1988 and 1996, she was head of the Department of Social Policy at the Institute of Sociology and Social Policy at Eötvös Loránd University, and from 1996 she was a university lecturer there, becoming professor emerita in 2001. When it was launched in 2000, she was a core member of the ELTE Doctoral School of Sociology and the founding program director of the doctoral program in social policy. In 2005, she was the lead expert at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences' National Program Office for Combating Child Poverty. Her main areas of interest, research, and teaching were social structure, social inequalities, education, social and societal policy, poverty, and the social effects of transformation.

Zsuzsa Ferge passed away on April 9, 2024, at the age of 93. In her memory, a room was inaugurated on September 10, 2024, at the Faculty of Social Sciences: the Zsuzsa Ferge Faculty Council Room (Lágymányosi Campus North Building, Room 0.100C).

In March 2025, Zsuzsa Ferge's heirs donated her desk (dimensions: 180 x 78 x 75 cm), which is currently located in the room named after her.

Source: https://tatk.elte.hu/in_memoriam_Ferge_Zsuzsa

Written by Krisztina Egri

Our latest podcast episode is now available, focusing on the services and developments of the ELTE Library WebApp. The discussion highlights how the application replaces the traditional paper-based library card, simplifies borrowing and membership management, and expands the possibilities of online services.

Topics include:

• online registration and membership renewal,

• customizable notifications,

• the new online bank card payment option,

• upcoming developments such as virtual printing and copying cards, as well as the iOS and Android apps.

The episode is available on our YouTube channel.

The network of libraries maintained by Eötvös Loránd University, the University Library Service, with more than 4.3 million documents, wishes you a successful autumn semester.

Enrollment is free for all university citizens, and can also be arranged online through the ELTE Library WebApp application. The collection of libraries is available from the online catalog.

The ELTE University Library and Archives welcomes all students in the heart of the city centre, on Ferenciek Square. You can find information about the services available in each library, the tariffs, opening hours and contact details, as well as the many online services of ELTE libraries on the website of the University Library Service.

We have launched our new AI-supported podcast series, aimed at presenting our institution, document collection, and services through clear and concise episodes.

The first episode focuses on loaning, answering key questions such as:

• Who is eligible to loan items?
• What materials are available for loan—and what are not?
• How many items can be loaned at once, and for how long?

The discussion also covers the various methods of loaning and returning materials—both online and in person—as well as what to do after the due date has passed, how late fees are applied, and why settling debts on time is essential for uninterrupted access to university services.

Listen to the first episode now on our YouTube channel and in our menu item describing our loan service.

On August 28, 2025, the ELTE University Library and Archives hosted the thirteenth annual professional conference entitled Traditions and Challenges. This year's program featured presentations on the topics of Archives and Sustainability and Relocations and Arrangements in the 21st Century.

Our event attracted widespread interest, with nearly 130 guests participating in our programs. Attendees were welcomed by Dr. Annamária Gombos, Director General of the ELTE University Library and Archives, and Dr. Lénárd Darázs, Rector of Eötvös Loránd University.

Following the opening speeches, Dr. Emőke Kötél, project manager at ELTE University Library and Archives, gave a presentation entitled "Warehouse Relocation and DPEKLOSZK," which was followed by a presentation by Ákos Lencsés, PhD, data manager at Pro-M Professzionális Mobil és Hálózati Szolgáltató Zrt. followed by a presentation entitled Data Management – A New Role in Research Support. The morning session concluded with a roundtable discussion entitled The Present and Future of the Domestic "Repository Ecosystem," moderated by Gábor Szeberényi, Director General (PTE University Library and Knowledge Center), and featuring András Holl, PhD (MTA Library and Information Center, Deputy Director General for Information Technology), Gyöngyi Karácsony (DE University and National Library, Director General), Dr. Ernőné Kulcsár Szabó Annamária Gombos (ELTE University Library and Archives, Director General), József Marton (BME National Technical Information Center and Library, Acting Director General), Gyula Nagy, PhD (SZTE Klebelsberg Library and Archives, Director General), and Péter Szluka (SE Central Library, Director).

Moderated by Ákos Lencsés, PhD, data scientist (Pro-M Professional Mobile and Network Service Provider Ltd.), Judit Fazekas-Paragh, acting head of department (DE University and National Library Research Support Department) gave a presentation entitled Behind the scenes: How is HUNOR shaping the future of research support in the era of Open Science? Tibor Móring, research support librarian (ELTE University Library and Archives), outlined the milestones in the development of the ELTE Thesis Repository in his presentation. Gabriella Harangi, software developer, and Emese Molnár-Jakab, digital collection manager (DE University and National Library), gave a presentation on the placement and arrangement of university documents in the repository. Endre Fülöp, PhD, system designer (Qulto), introduced the audience to the theoretical and practical issues of designing a teaching material repository. Enikő Meiszterics, collection management assistant, and Gabriella Virág, data manager, gave a presentation entitled Data Repositories in the Service of Open Science. Mátyás Attila Rényi, department head, and Gábor Klinger, deputy department head (OSZK Collection Preservation Department, Digital Preservation Division), provided insight into trends, metadata, and the challenges of data storage. In the closing presentation, Director Judit Lukácsné Varga (TF Library and Archives) and Managing Director István Sipos (Softlink Hungary Kft.) outlined methods for managing and providing controlled access to theses at the Hungarian University of Physical Education and Sport, based on the Liberty library service platform model.

The section entitled "Relocations and Arrangements in the 21st Century" was moderated by Judit Kóródy, information researcher (Infodok Kft. – Magyar Telekom Infotéka), in which Andrea Mátrai-Nagy, head of department (DE University and National Library Collection Management Department) gave a presentation entitled "...because only Books connect the past to the future...", followed by director Dávid Ritter (ELTE IT Directorate) drawing attention to the challenges and dilemmas of data management at universities. Szilvia Korom, library manager (BGE University Library), gave the audience a behind-the-scenes look at the merger of the faculty libraries of the Budapest University of Economics. Péter Maurer, managing director (M-PaKK Bt.), compiled the most important tips based on nearly forty years of relocation experience. László Balázs, department head (FSZEK IT Department), gave a presentation on the storage of electronic and paper-based documents. The section meeting was concluded with a presentation by Dr. Katalin Németh, Deputy Director of Education (ELTE BTK Institute of Library and Information Science), entitled Free Between Walls: Inclusive Space Design in Libraries.

The conference was organized with the support of the University Library Foundation, the College of University Library Directors, Eisberg Hungary Kft., the Scientific and Special Libraries Section of the Hungarian Librarians' Association, Könyvtárellátó Nonprofit Kft., ProQuest, Qulto, and Softlink.  Abstracts of the presentations are available on our website. The ELTE University Library and Archives plans to publish a collection of studies on the 13th Professional Day of Traditions and Challenges, which will also be available in electronic form in the ELTE EDIT repository.

According to the traditions of Eötvös Loránd University, the Senate of the University presented the awards to the lecturers, employees and staff who provided excellent work and outstanding performance at the opening Senate meeting of the academic year. This year's honorees included several staff members of the University Library Service, who are committed to the cause of the university and library development.

The University management awarded the Senate Medal of Merit to László Garamvölgyi, Deputy Director General of the ELTE University Library and Archives. Eszter Marianna Bodonyi, Head of the Public Services Department and reference librarian, as well as Viktória Völgyi, Librarian and Head of the Spanish Language and Literature Department Library at ELTE's Faculty of Humanities, were awarded the Trefort Ágoston Memorial Certificate for their above-average performance over a long period of time. The staff of the ELTE University Library and Archives, bibliographer Csaba Mező and stack attendant Máté Percze, received a Rector's Commendation.

Congratulations to our colleagues on the occasion of their award, we wish them every success in their further work!

The ELTE–NFI University Film Club continues the series of screenings and discussions. We welcome university citizens from all faculties of ELTE.

Since its premiere, Pelikan Blue has won twelve awards and accolades both at home and abroad. It invites viewers on a truly nostalgic journey, evoking real events with plenty of humor and contemporary music. Today, it is natural for us to travel and cross national borders several times a year, but this was not always the case. In 1988, everyone in Hungary could apply for a passport, the borders were opened, and travel became possible, but train and bus travel was very expensive. What is freedom worth if you cannot enjoy it? Three good friends, Ákos, Laci and Petya, who long to visit Europe, get the phone number of a guy who sells fake train tickets. Thus begins their adventure, during which they discover that the tickets are filled out by hand with indigo ink (Kék Pelikan), and the copy is given to the passenger, while the „original” copy, written with a ballpoint pen, remains with MÁV (Hungarian State Railways). In an apartment in a tenement building in downtown Budapest, chemical experiments with the tickets begin...

Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPUKKYJaM_o&t=57s

Date: 17 September 2025, 18:00

Venue: University Square campus (1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1-3. fszt., corridor next to the cloakroom)

"This film, which masterfully combines animation and documentary techniques, revealed Hungary to us not only in a personal context, but also in a broader social and historical context. The experience was dynamic and contemporary. Distinctive and captivating characters guided us through the story, not only enchanting us but also making us their accomplices in the search for freedom. All this, wrapped in a vibrant world of sound and visuals, made the film experience entertaining and unforgettable," read the jury's statement at the Stuttgart festival, which awarded the production the prize for best feature film.

Our guests in the post-screening discussion are director László Csáki and Zsuzsanna Ács, who painted the film, appeared in the scenes and edited the making-of film.

Due to limited seating, please register in advance here:

https://www.ajk.elte.hu/content/kek-pelikan-csaki-laszlo-animacios-filmje-2024.e.1913

Correspondence about the film club is welcome via eltenfi.filmklub@elte.hu.

The ELTE–NFI Filmklub on Facebook 

Eötvös Loránd University is committed to supporting scientific research and education by providing access to a wide range of subscribed databases for its faculty members and students:

• University-level access within the framework of the Electronic Information Service (EISZ) National Programme.
• Faculty-level subscriptions, available locally on the respective faculty’s network.

The up-to-date list of subscribed databases is available on the website of the University Library and Archives.

ELTEFind – the Integrated Search Platform of ELTE

ELTEFind is the literature search service of the University Library and Archives, enabling simultaneous search across the following resources:

• ELTE library catalogues
• ELTE Digital Institutional Repository (EDIT)
• Scientific databases subscribed via EISZ
• Open access, full-text databases

Access Options

• Online resources are automatically available within the university’s IP range.
• Remote access is possible via the university VPN service.

Further Information and Support

If you have any questions regarding the databases, please feel free to contact us at eisz@lib.elte.hu