We were very lucky to get a tour of the Royal Library in Den Haag. Although the name Koninklijke
Bibliotheek translates directly into English as the Royal Library, a more accurate translation might be the
National Library.
Because our class was so big we were split into two tour groups. The group I was in was led by a very
nice gentleman who worked in special collections. He had lived for a year in Illinois as a boy because his
father was teaching geology at the University, so his English was very good. We started in the main area
and were shown the reference desk, the computer catalog stations, and a wonderful metal sculpture of
the original library building. The library used to be exclusive and available for Professors or people with
letters of recommendation. But in an effort to promote education and the Dutch culture it became open
for the general public for a small annual fee of 15 Euros for adults or 7.50 Euros for students.
To maximize space the newspapers are all stored on Microfiche and Microfilm which can easily be
accessed and used by patrons. Here the guide shows us the contents of a drawer
Located on top of the Microfilm cases were framed headlines from newspapers about important Dutch
and world events, these were two that caught my attention
Most European libraries are closed stacks but the Royal Library is a mixture of the two. They act as a
depository library with all books in the Dutch language, either original or translations, stored in the
basement. The books are arranged by accession and size allowing for a very efficient use of space.
The guide next showed us the journal storage. Unlike the UW journals are not bound into one volume.
Rather they are housed in specially constructed boxes by volume.
The guide also pointed out the secure room where materials that are in the most danger of being stolen
or damaged are stored. They were…… Graphic novels and porn. Some things never change.
Our guide also showed us their paging system for circulating closed stacks. It was really cool. When a
request comes in it is printed, the page is cut in half and one half is placed in a plastic placeholder and
the second is placed in the book. The book is then sent to be picked up on a conveyor belt that goes up
from the basement. Turn around time is 15-20 min. Very impressive.
The next part of the tour was in Special collections, and I have to admit that the possibility of seeing
medieval manuscripts was so exciting, that I forgot myself and squealed a bit. Whoops. Perhaps I am a
medieval manuscript groupie getting to see my favorite rock star? At any rate we didn’t actually get to
see the real manuscripts, but something almost as cool. He began by explaining some of the safety
precautions they take with the manuscripts, such as closed-circuit cameras, desks that face the library
employees and even scales to weigh the books before and after they have been looked at. Really cool!!
Our guide then led us into a reference area where he showed us notebooks filled with high quality
photos of the illuminated pages in their manuscript collection. This way, researchers could study the
illuminations in a limited way without unnecessarily disturbing the artifacts themselves. If further study
was needed, each photo had complete info on where it was located and even if it was the recto or
verso. It was amazing!!!
The highlight of the tour though was the exhibit of rare and valuable artifacts including medieval
manuscripts (my old friends), rare papers from the East India Dutch Company, a letter from Tsar Peter
the Great, and other wonderful items. Here are a few pictures with some descriptions. My favorite is the
page where the gold leaf in the illumination, gleams in the light.
The exhibition space.