History

From Pécs City Public Library to Csorba Győző Library

(1943–2013)

Seventy years ago on 1 October 1943 the City Library of Pécs opened its gates, which was one of the predecessors of Csorba Győző Library. This anniversary and the changes of the past few years give a good opportunity to take a look at our institutions past and determine its present.

The Csorba Győző Library is the result of the integration of two time-honoured institutions: the Csorba Győző County Library and the City Library of Pécs. This publication sees through the history of our institution from the beginning to nowadays.

Baranya County Library

At the beginning of the 20th century the city of Pécs did not have a significant public library. After several unsuccessful attempts the City Library of Pécs was founded in 1943 under 8 Apáca Street. Its first leader was S&aacut
e;ndor Weöres but the real organisation of the library was the merit of his successor Győző Csorba.

The Pécs Area Library, which was established to support the region, can be regarded as the other predecessor of the county library.

The unified Hungarian Public Library Network was established in 1952. For this reason the Baranya County Library was formed by the union of Pécs City Public Library and Pécs Area Library and opened its gates in the building of its predecessor in Apáca Street.  Later the library was expanded by the building of two new wings (1960, 1985) and by attaching the neighbouring houses to the library (1974, 1988).

From the 1970s the institution took part in the library support of Baranya County’s minority groups.

In the 1980s the library’s rich collection could be reached by readers in expanded spaces and with the help of informative reader service.

Diverse activity in the field of local knowledge started and in 1981 the composition and music department opened. From 1986 to 1996 the library published the Pannonia Books series, a publication of national significance. As a result of development the library was nominated to be a library of science in 1988.

In 1996 the institution took up the name of Csorba Győző. The development of the library continued in the second millennium as a result in 2002 it received the Nivo Price of the Pécs-Baranya Cultural Association.

Pécs City Library

The Pécs City Library started to operate on 1 January 1961. In the first two decades new and new branch libraries were founded. In 1966 the library of pedagogy and in 1968 the youth library were opened. In the same year the city’s first branch library was formed in the suburb of Kertváros on Honvéd square. In another part of Kertváros the dr. Berze Nagy János Library started operating in 1976. The number 1 children library received the first guests on 1 September 1971.

To enhance the library support of Pécs’s region the first library bus started to operate in 1974, which was followed by the second in 1981 and the third in 1991. The Youth Centre was inaugurated in 1975 and it became the new home of the city library’s youth library. The number 2 children library opened in Kossuth Lajos street (present Király street), which was followed by the opening of the number 3 children library in Bajcsy-Zsilinszky street in 1979. The children library system became complete in 1981 when the number 4 children library was opened.

The major part of the city library system was opened on August 20 in 1981. In the western part of Pécs in an 18th century building which is named after its previous owner family as Griffaton-house. The building was renewed and was transformed into a library of 543 m2 floor area library. On 19 May 1981 the branch library took up the name of Várkonyi Nándor librarian, literary studies professor. After 1980 it gave home to the events of the city library, on these events the cream of Hungarian literary life was present.

In 2009 the city library operated ten library branches; its system especially the children library system was unique in the country.

The integrated county and city library

The city and county libraries united under the name Csorba Győző County – City Library on 1 January 2010. After the succession and integration, the functions of the city and county libraries were transferred to the new institution. Its work organization had to be done according to that (Baranya County Department, Pécs City Department, Local Knowledge, Music, Reader Service Department, Collection Organization Department, LibraRealm Children Library, Book Bindery).

The Csorba Győző Library operates in the Transdanubian Regional Library and Knowledge Centre since 7 September 2010 (the official opening ceremony was held 25 October 2010). The building of 13 000 m² floor area, gives home to the Csorba Győző County-City Library, the Central Library of the University of Pécs and the Benedek Ferenc Library of Law and Economics.   The collections of the two libraries were placed according to common order in the reading areas.

The centre of administration of Csorba Győző Library is also in the Knowledge Centre. All branch libraries (Belvárosi Library, Csipkefa Children Library, Kertvárosi Branch Library, Várkonyi Nándor Branch Library) are controlled from there as well as the Baranya county network and the Library Bus service.

Csorba Győző (Pécs, 21 November 1916 – Pécs, 13 September 1995) poet, translator, editor, a significant and unique figure of the 20th century Hungarian literature. He was an important organizer of literary life. First he was the editor of Sorsunk later the Jelenkor journal of which he remained colleague until his death. He considered his librarian profession as important as his literary activity. Győző Csorba had been the leader of our predecessor in the title, the Town Public Civilization Library from 1943 to 1952, and then had been Deputy Director of the Baranya County Library between 1956 an 1976. In 1957 he had worked as commissioned Director for a year, and after retirement he had been an associate until December 1994. In 1996 the Baranya County Library County Library paid tribute to the Kossuth Prize winning poet by taking up its name and by furnishing his late library workroom.