About the roots of the certification exam for librarians in Hungary - at the 140-year jubilee.

Before 1945 there was no regular training for librarians in Hungary, only some large libraries and the association of librarians and archivists organized ad hoc courses. Training at the university included library subjects (taught by private lecturers), but the library profession did not have a library school at any university. It was only a narrow circle of librarians who had the opportunity to acquire professional knowledge. The first qualifying exam for librarians took place in 1874, in the predecessor of ELTE University Library. Using archival sources, the study describes this pioneering event, presents the candidates, and the examination process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]