Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

What Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences does

The Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA Könyvtár és Információs Központ) is Hungary's central national research library, founded in 1826 and headquartered in Budapest at Arany János u. 1 inside the Palace of the Academy. It operates under the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) and serves academic researchers, university students, MTA research institutes, and the general public through a portfolio of physical reading rooms, special collections, and digital services. The institution holds internationally significant collections including the Oriental Collection (Keleti Gyűjtemény), the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books, the Microforms Collection, and Academy Archives, with UNESCO Memory of the World-registered assets such as the Kőrösi Csoma Archive and Bolyai János's autograph Appendix.

The library's core digital infrastructure is the REAL institutional repository system, comprising eight specialized sub-repositories (REAL, REAL-D, REAL-EOD, REAL-I, REAL-J, REAL-MS, REAL-PHD, REAL-R) accessible through a unified search interface at tudokk.mtak.hu. It provides subscription-based access to more than 30 international academic databases (Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, SpringerLink, Cambridge/Oxford journals, Brill, ProQuest, IEEE Xplore, CEEOL, East View, and others), accessible from its IP range or remotely via the EduID Shibboleth authentication system. The library operates the COVIDSCIMAP bibliometric research-mapping platform (developed with Pro-Sharp Hungary Kft.) and publishes curated thematic digital exhibitions on Hungarian historical and scientific figures.

The business model is predominantly public-sector: primary funding flows from MTA and Hungarian government sources (Ministry of Human Resources, National Cultural Fund, NIIF), supplemented by a 70 million HUF TÁMOP grant for digitization, minor reader registration fees, donations including 1% personal income tax designations (tax ID 15300289-2-41), and sales of library publications and reprint series. Most library services are free for registered readers, and electronic document delivery is provided free of charge up to 30 pages per request. GTM motion is community-led, executed via the official website, newsletter (Hírlevél), social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), and the Agora public program series of lectures, exhibitions, and cultural events.

Name

Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Legal name

MTA Könyvtár és Információs Központ

Website

https://konyvtar.mta.hu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences is Hungary's national research library, headquartered in Budapest under MTA. It serves academic researchers, university students, and MTA institutes by providing access to the REAL institutional repository, 30+ subscription databases, rare Oriental manuscripts, and UNESCO-registered archival collections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Academic research library
• Digital repository services
• Scientific database access
• Oriental manuscripts collection
• Institutional repository system

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) as a national research library. Additional support from the Ministry of Human Resources (Emberi Erőforrások Minisztériuma), National Cultural Fund (Nemzeti Kulturális Alap), and National Information Infrastructure Development Institute (NIIF).
2. Reader Services: Reader registration fees and membership services for borrowing and access.
3. Donations: Book adoption program and 1% personal income tax designation donations (tax number: 15300289-2-41).
4. Publication Sales: Sale of publications, reprint series (Oriental Reprints), and books produced by the library.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences operates Hungary's national research library, providing access to academic databases, digital repository services (REAL system with 8 specialized collections), rare manuscript and Oriental collections, interlibrary loan, and reference services for academic researchers, students, and partner research institutions.

Product overview

The Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences operates as a national research library providing a multi-layered service portfolio centered on institutional repository services (REAL system with 8 specialized repositories), subscription database access (30+ international academic databases), specialized collections (Oriental manuscripts, rare books, archives), and thematic digital exhibitions. The core platform consists of the REAL institutional repository system with a unified search interface, complemented by electronic database subscriptions from major publishers. The library also develops thematic digital collections on Hungarian historical figures and scientific luminaries, and provides document delivery, reference services, and remote access via EduID authentication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REAL Repository: Open access repository of MTA-supported research publications and reports
• REAL-J
• REAL-D
• REAL-EOD
• REAL-MS
• REAL-R

Quantifiable outcome

• Free electronic document delivery of up to 30 pages from main collection
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration37 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pro-Sharp Hungary Kft.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2020Voluntary industry-academia collaboration for COVID-19 research mapping project. Pro-Sharp Hungary Kft. collaborated with the Library's Science Policy and Scientometrics Department to create the COVID Knowledge Map and Knowledge Base Platform.
• Kutató Diákokért Alapítvány (Foundation for Research Students)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2011Collaboration agreement for organizing the IX. Research Student Scientific Essay Competition, with Téglási Ágnes, Deputy Director General providing library orientation.
• Hungarian Academy of Sciences Research Institutes ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium for 'Athenaeum az Interneten' project including MTA Chemical Research Center, MTA Institute of Ecology and Botany, MTA Institute of Psychology, MTA Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry, and MTA World Economics Institute. Project won 70 million HUF TÁMOP funding for digitization.
• LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries)minorOthersEuropean research library association membership providing networking and collaboration opportunities with other European academic libraries.
• EISZ Nemzeti Program (National Electronic Information Service)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational consortium for electronic scientific resources, providing access to subscription databases and coordinating open access agreements with publishers including Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, and Springer.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bibliothèque nationale de France: Major European national research library with vastly larger scale and budget, but a comparable mandate to serve as a national repository for scholarly publications and special collections, and a useful reference for digital repository programs (Gallica).
• Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: German national library operating a unified catalog and digital repository with extensive metadata infrastructure. Comparable in statutory mandate and open-access publishing support within the Central European scholarly ecosystem.
• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library): Large European state research library combining historic collections (including Oriental manuscripts) with extensive digital repository services. Comparable in scope of digital program and academic database licensing scale.
• British Library: National research library of the United Kingdom with significant Oriental manuscript holdings and a major digital repository program, providing a benchmark for academic services, special collections, and digitization strategy at national-library scale.

Regional players

• Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Library Network: Hungarian academic library system that collaborates directly with the subject company (per disclosed customer relationship). Similar Budapest-based academic library providing research database access and digital services to Hungarian scholars.

Direct peers

• National Széchényi Library: Hungary's national library, also based in Budapest and operated under the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources. Most directly comparable as another statutory national library serving Hungarian scholarship and culture with extensive rare and special collections.
• National Library of the Czech Republic (Prague): Statutory national library of a Central European country with a comparable role in preserving cultural heritage, providing ILL, and operating digital repositories. Useful comparable for scale, mandate, and digital strategy.
• Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Biblioteka PAN): Central research library of a national academy of sciences in Central Europe, with comparable institutional structure (academy-operated), similar role supporting scholarly publishing and special collections, and analogous mandate to provide academic infrastructure for a national research community.

Emerging players

• ETH Zurich Library: Technically advanced academic research library with strong open-access and digital preservation programs. Comparable on the dimension of digital repository infrastructure and academic database services, although ETH focuses more narrowly on STEM.

Others

• Friedberg Genizah Project:

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mtakonyvtar
• Facebookfacebook.com/mtakonyvtar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/library-of-the-has

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences