Bibliotheek

Library

A unique library in the Wereldmuseum

The Wereldmuseum has a unique library collection on ethnography, anthropology, visual arts and material culture worldwide. Everybody is welcome to consult the library. It is open from Tuesday to Friday, 13:00 - 17:00.

Collection

The Wereldmuseum has branches in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Leiden; the libraries of all these museums can be consulted in Leiden. Because of the rich histories of these museums, the Wereldmuseum has a unique library collection on ethnography, anthropology, visual arts and material culture worldwide, which has been built since the early 19th century. The collections consists of over 78.000 books and about 1.000 magazines (of which about 60 are still ongoing). The collection is divided geographically and by subject. The list of subjects, regions/countries and their codes can be found here.

Aside from books and magazines, the library also has several special collections, which consist of pamphlets and brochures, internship reports, private archives, maps, auction catalogs and manuscripts. The library also offers access to the museum archives, where research can be conducted to the history of the different collections and institutions.

Visiting the library

Everybody is welcome to conduct research in the library of the Wereldmuseum. Visiting the library is possible from Tuesdays to Fridays, 13:00 – 17:00. Is possible, we would like to know in advance which publications – books, magazines, etc. – you want to consult.

We would like to invite you to consult the library. There are facilities to make copies and scans. The books in our collections can be found in the WorldCat catalogue. As soon as our online catalogue is renewed (in the second half of 2024), it will be easier to perform advances searches.

For all questions regarding the library, please contact:

Marieke van Bragt, librarian/archivist.

bibliotheek@wereldmuseum.nl

Visiting address

Wereldmuseum Leiden

Boerhaavegebouw (directly to the left at the Steenstraat entry).
Steenstraat 1A
2312 BS Leiden

Phone: 088 0042 907

E-mail: bibliotheek@wereldmuseum.nl