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by a revival of thinking about libraries (bibliotheconomia) and new research into library history.“° The authors were particularly inspired by the history of the greater scattered libraries.*1 We do not know exactly what kind of consciousness (conscientia) the Augustinian monk Xystus Schier had. The question was not raised by his biographers.*”” Researchers of the Hungarian Aistoria litteraria, who believe that Schier is a significant figure," have not yet dealt with this question. Certainly, he was born a German-speaking man, belonging to the universal Christian Catholic Church, on the border of the Hungarian Kingdom and Lower Austria of the Holy GermanRoman Empire. He was educated in Pozsony, among Hungarians, Germans, and Slovaks, and partially among Protestants. He was the historian of his order, but also wrote several books on the history of the Hungarians. However, I do not think the question of his national consciousness in connection to his choice of the history of this library as a research topic can be answered. At the beginning of his work, he indicates that he finds Joachimus Vadianus’s assumption that the library had been destroyed by irresponsible successors offensive.*”* For him, knowing the history of the Kingdom, the story of the library falling apart is much more complex. In the foreword, he also gives an overview of his knowledge of library history tradition, in other words, the literature available at the time on the Bibliotheca Corvina.** He was definitely influenced by the spirit of the times, the formation of collections, museum and library thinking, and the beginnings of scientific library history. It is also possible that he sensed the change in atmosphere between the Austrian and Hungarian political elites, and considered it important to write a chapter on the history of culture, which was important for the hungarus consciousness. As a conclusion, returning to the question raised in the first part of the chapter on Schier, whether studying, understanding, or at least reflecting on the different forms of collective and individual consciousness of the times before the “emergence of nation states” would bring us closer to the right (or better) decisions on contemporary issues, I can only answer with a resounding yes. ‘The cultural bases of the behaviour of the people living in 21st century Europe, or just in the European Union, and the reflexes that arise from them, are much deeper than we could understand from just the recent past. Unraveling, interpreting, and becoming aware of these roots at both the individual and collective levels could (perhaps) help manage the consequences of identity crises. It could also help 190 A good example is ScumipT J. A. 1703, on pages 309-352 the Julius Pflugk letter and the catalogue of books found in Buda are republished. For an example see the anthology: GREINER 1729. #2 MixscH 1966, 356-366., MıxscH 1969., RENNHOFER 1970, 317-324. #3 Tüsk&s G. 2006, 15-42. (here: 40.);, Knapp 2006, 547-566. (here: 550-551.); BRETZ-Csörsz RUMEN— Heceptis 2006, 567-678. (here: 653-654.) #4 VapIANus 1534a, 85.; VapIANus 1534, 85. #5 LAMBEcK 1669, caput IX, 989-996., Prrucıus 1688.; PrLucrus 1688a.; GREINER 1729, caput VIII, 34-38.; BERGER 1750, 348-352.; FABRI-BÖöRNER 1756.; Bostus 1748.; BERGER, 1748. 491 104
