Serving as a storehouse of knowledge, National Széchényi Library is an institution storing and making publicly available traditional (paper-based) and modern (electronic) library documents of the Hungarian cultural heritage.

Mission statement:

• National Széchényi Library (NSZL) collects, processes and stores treasures of the Hungarian national culture, be they in written, printed, audiovisual or electronic form.

• The Library provides direct access to its own collection and, being a coordinator of central catalogues, to the collections of other institutions as well.

• Its library service provides users with continuously up-dated content and equipment.

• The national library is one of the hubs of source-value basic research and of scientific evaluation work based on this research. At the same time, the Library is a primary source collection for human science research related to Hungary.

• In order to carry out its tasks of a national library, NSZL maintains active contacts with Hungarian libraries beyond the country’s border.

• Making use of its international relations, the Library aims at increasing the number of Hungary-related bibliographic records, mediates information on Hungarian libraries and on the history of books and also plays an active role in cooperation with The European Library as well as in the creation of the European Digital Library.

Our aims:

• To make Library collections richer by way of updating regulations on acquisition policy and by way of continuous acquisition, and to preserve Library collections.

• By the end of this strategic period, to make available the entire collection of the national library with the help of electronic stock processing tools and devices.

• As a competence center for handling electronic documents, to develop the framework of a national leading role as well as to carry out inner development on the entire Library level.

• As a scientific library, the research, scientific processing and classification of cultural property belonging to the scope of collection of NSZL, and the publication of scientific results.

• To make the system of Hungarian National Bibliography complete, to perform basic reseach in the field of book and library history.

• To develop public relations activities and international relations in order to make it possible for Hungary’s national library to show an open, attractive and cooperative image to its partners.

History of the Library

Hungary’s National Széchényi Library was founded in 1802. It owes its establishment and name to a highly patriotic Hungarian aristocrat, Count Ferenc Széchényi. At the end of the 18th century, he sought out Hungarian books in Hungary and abroad, brought them together into one single collection and donated his collection to the nation in 1802. In the following year the public library, available to all, was opened in Pest. Ferenc Széchényi's patriotic deed aroused a nation-wide response. The entire nation was mobilized, making donations as a personal contribution, to ensure the fullest possible national library. In 1808 it set up the Hungarian National Museum to collect the historical, archeological and natural relics of Hungary and incorporated the library founded earlier by Ferenc Széchényi within this frame.

The Classicist building of the Hungarian National Museum was built from the generosity and sacrifice of the nation and the Library and other departments of the Museum moved into it in 1846-1847. It was not until 1949 that the Library was separated from the Museum and once again it became an independent institution under its current name of National Széchényi Library. It was moved into its new and present headquarters in