In Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, two library buses run the settlements and send the books to the smallest villages. The replacement of the small library bus operated in cooperation with the Municipal Library of Encs has now become topical. The minibus, which was purchased from more than 18 million forints and equipped with modern equipment, was officially handed over to fulfill its mission.
The introduction of the Library Supply Service System helped to provide access to books for people living in small villages in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County who are unable to visit libraries or service centres in person. Fifty-three settlements in the county require a library bus service from our library. The II. The large library bus operated by Ferenc Rákóczi Library provides library services in the 27 small settlements of the Szendrő region, together with the possibility of cinema screening. The so-called small library bus, in cooperation with the Municipal Library of Encs, meets the library needs of readers of 26 small settlements. The purchase and refurbishment of the recently handed over new vehicle was realized with more than 18 million HUF state support, so from now on a modern, well-equipped library bus will roam the settlements. Readers can choose from 800 books, about 100 DVDs, and 25 types of magazines can be borrowed. In addition, two laptops and printing, copying and scanning facilities are available for visitors.
At the inauguration ceremony József Tóth-Szántai, the mayor of Miskolc, emphasized in his welcome speech that the library bus is a huge opportunity for literature, ideas and words that echo from the book pages to reach places and settlements where there is no library today. Máté Vincze, Deputy State Secretary for Public Collections and Cultural Development at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, said that libraries constitute the largest system of cultural institutions in Hungary, providing services in all settlements – even where there is no traditional library building but there is a library bus – with a HUF 35 billion annual state subsidy. György Schirger, notary of the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Municipality Office pointed out: how important it is that the books reach the people living in the smallest settlements, so that they too can experience the joy of reading. Dávid Rózsa, Director General of the National Library emphasized that library loans 10 %-a takes place in settlements with less than 5000 inhabitants, so it is important that books reach all settlements. One hundred thousand readers borrowed one million books in the county, while more than ten thousand readers borrowed about one hundred thousand books in the Ferenc Rákóczi Library. Gábor Varga, the II. The director of Ferenc Rákóczi Library said that their institution serves 332 settlements, fifty-three with the help of the two library buses. During the ceremony, the library bus was extended with the gift package of the national library, including the final volume of the critical edition of the Petőfi poems, the pocket book edition of The Chronicle of Hungarians, the Hungarian-English dictionary for schoolchildren, and children's and youth books.