Use of the Collection of Posters and Small Prints

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  • Research in the reading rooms of the special collections is only available to our readers by prior reservation. Please make your reservation at least 24 hours in advance of your visit, if possible. If you are unable to come despite your reservation, please let us know so that we can make the space available to someone else.
  • if you would like to research in the reading room of the Poster and Small Print Collection (6 reading seats), please send an e-mail to plakat@oszk.hu.
  • We respond to all booking requests, but we can only process out-of-hours emails on the next opening day, so we kindly ask for your patience and understanding. Please include your telephone number in your e-mail enquiry, if possible, so that our staff can contact you more easily if necessary.
  • Use of shared computers is not possible due to epidemiological regulations.
  • We also accept requests for document preparation at the above e-mail addresses – until 12 am on the day before your planned visit.
  • Compared to previous rules, the number of documents requested at the same time is limited; please always consult the member of staff at the Reading Service.
  • for information on documents of the Poster and Small Print Collection, call (+36-1) 487-8623,
  • Documents in the special collections can still only be searched with a Reader Pass valid for at least six months, while the Day Pass only entitles you to use the catalogues and open shelves.
  • Library registration is open from Tuesday to Friday until 16.30. Monthly, half-year and annual readers do not have to return their plastic bags when they leave, these will be replaced when they are worn out.
  • Books and documents pre-ordered from the special collections or used in the reading room from the open shelves will be quarantined for 72 hours, during which time we will not be able to distribute them for the protection of our readers.
  • In the interests of increased security, we are temporarily suspending the use of the Readers' Professional Workstations and all other devices, so please bring your own electronic device (laptop, tablet) if possible. Wifi is available to our readers in the public areas of the library.

Our staff is looking forward to giving you information on the phone or via e-mail. You can send your questions or queries to plakat@oszk.hu or you can call us at a (+36 1) 487 8623 during the opening hours of the Collection of Posters and Small Prints.

 

Registering for a Reader Pass

To be allowed to use this collection of National Széchényi Library, you need to own a valid Reader Pass to NSZL as well as filling in and signing a form containing the researcher’s data, his/her aim of research and certifying that the researcher understands and accepts rules and regulations related to research work in the Library. Each calendar year, or in case of a new topic of research, a new form has to be filled in and signed. Reference section and catalogues can be used by readers with a Day Pass, too.

It is forbidden to have food or drinks in the reading room. The same is valid for mobile phones. It is strictly forbidden to make any shot or copy of documents in the reading room by the user’s own equipment (such as traditional or digital camera, video recorder, Xerox machine, scanner, etc.).

Copying Service

Photocopy

Photocopy about certain documents of the Collection of Posters and Small Prints can be ordered and made in the reading room. No photocopies are allowed to be made of the following parts of this collection (only digital copies can be ordered): (1) all documents made by reproduced graphics, (2) graphic posters, (3) posters including texts, (4) dime prints, (5) picture postcards issued before 1945.

Digital copy
Photocopies and other digital copies of any material stored in the Collection of Posters and Small Prints can be made only with a special permit of the Head of Department, after filling in a form. Information about actual conditions and valid fees can be found here.

Terms and conditions

Publication
National Széchényi Library establishes publication fees in case of reproduced copies made from the stock of the Collection with the aim of publication, dissemination or for use as a commercial. Permit of publication has to be asked for from the Head of Department in every case and in writing. If necessary, a permit of the heir to the copyright has to be asked for, too, prior to asking NSZL’s permit of publication.

Reference
In case of publication, it is advised, if possible, to refer to the place where the used document is kept and also to its special reference number (e.g. National Széchényi Library, Collection of Posters and Small Prints, PKG. 1926/12).

There is no need to refer to the origin or the special reference number of the document only in case if the Head of Department gives a written permit before publication.

Search in the collection

Electronic catalogues

Description of the stock of the Collection of Posters and Small Prints comprising approximately 4 million individual library items is in progress. Data related to our documents can be searched for in NSZL’s online catalogue for readers.

Documents in NSZL’s online catalogue are the following:

  • Hungarian graphic posters issued between 1885 and 1949 (in case of complex search, it is advised to write the expression ‘graphic posters’ as a key word into a separate search field, in addition to the actual search expression);
  • Ex librises issued after 1900 (description in progress), legacy of Lenke Diskay;
  • International graphic posters (since the end of the 19th century until 1945);
  • Small prints (quarto) published between 1712 and 1751 and small prints (octavo) published between 1712 and 1760;
  • Small prints and minor prints (1845-1860);
  • Special Collection on 1848 and 1849;
  • Documents of the 1956 Revolution (posters including text and leaflets);
  • Picture postcards issued before 1945 (description in progress);
  • Dime novels (18th to 20th centuries);
  • Wall calendars (after 2007);
  • Exhibition catalogues.

Online databases

  • Graphic Poster Collection (1885-1926) of NSZL’s Collection of Posters and Small Prints: digital images and data in detail in the Hungarian Digital Image Library;
  • A 3,750-piece Piarist collection of postcards included in NSZL’s Collection of Posters and Small Prints, digital images and data related to picture postcards dating back to the turn of the century, arranged according to Hungary’s settlements and counties, in the Hungarian Digital Image Library;
  • The 1956 Revolution Collection of NSZL’s Collection of Posters and Small Prints: digital images of posters including text and leaflets, with data in the database of the Hungarian Electronic Library.

Related contents:
Posters, small prints, reproduced graphics