Museum
Leiden University Libraries
Leiden University Libraries is a museum.
About Leiden University Libraries
Identity & Overview
Leiden University Libraries constitutes the library system of Leiden University in the Netherlands and is recognized as the largest scholarly library in the country. Founded in 1575, the institution manages a vast collection comprising approximately five million volumes, one million e-books, and ninety thousand e-journals. Beyond physical holdings, the library facilitates access to published information and supports the evaluation, use, production, and dissemination of scholarly information for researchers and students. The organization currently operates across six locations, serving as a central hub for academic resources and digital scholarship.
History & Founding
Leiden University was officially founded on February 8, 1575, by William Prince of Orange as a reward for the city's resistance against the Spanish army, making it the first Protestant institution of higher education in the Dutch Republic. While the university began immediately, the library's official founding date is recognized as October 31, 1587, following a large donation of books and manuscripts by Professor Bonaventura Vulcanius and the legacy of theologian Johannes Holman. The library's first book was donated by William of Orange in 1575, and the first dedicated library room was constructed in 1587 inside a confiscated Catholic church. The organization was consolidated into a single entity, Leiden University Libraries, on June 1, 2009, following the merger of various faculty libraries.
Building & Architecture
The library moved to its present location on Witte Singel in 1983, occupying a new building designed specifically as a library by architect Bart van Kasteel. This structure, completed between 1976 and 1982, marked a significant turning point for the institution, coinciding with rapid automation efforts including the introduction of the first online catalogue in 1988. The building replaced earlier facilities that had been housed within the university's main building and other locations. In 2024, the library further expanded its facilities with the opening of new Science, African, and Middle Eastern libraries, continuing its evolution as a modern academic space.
Collection Highlights
The library holds nationally and internationally important special collections, including approximately 60,000 maps, 1,500 atlases, and 24,000 topographical prints. A defining feature of the collection is its extensive Oriental holdings, which began with early acquisitions of Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian texts and were significantly expanded by Professor Jacobus Golius, who acquired over two hundred manuscripts from Aleppo and Constantinople in the 17th century. The collections also include the Scaliger manuscripts, the archive of Youssouf Kamal, and colonial map collections transferred in 2013. The library houses unique manuscripts, early printed books, prints, drawings, and photographs, with a strong focus on Oriental studies and the history of the university.
Significance & Legacy
Leiden University Libraries is historically significant as the repository of one of the world's most important Oriental collections, stemming from the humanist scholarship of figures like Josephus Justus Scaliger and Jacobus Golius. The library has played a pivotal role in the development of Oriental studies in Europe, preserving rare manuscripts and facilitating the study of non-European languages since the university's inception. Its legacy includes pioneering automation projects, such as the PICA system initiated by Librarian Johan Remmet de Groot in the 1970s, and its ongoing commitment to digitizing manuscript holdings. The institution continues to serve as a critical resource for global research, hosting exhibitions and supporting the Scaliger Chair to promote engagement with its special collections.
What to see at Leiden University Libraries
Start with Artist at work, painting the sentence 'De kunst om de kunst' by H., Koekkoek.
