Royal Library of the Netherlands facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Royal Library of the Netherlands |
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| The KB as seen from the Prins Bernhardviaduct | |
| Type | National Library |
| Established | 1798 |
| Location | The Hague |
| Coordinates | 52°4′50.37″N 4°19′36.35″E / 52.0806583°N 4.3267639°E |
| Collection | |
| Size | 7 million printed items: over 115 km (71 mi) of books, newspapers, journals, and microforms |
| Access and use | |
| Members | 16,975 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | €53 million |
| Director | Lily Knibbeler |
| Staff | 412 |
The Royal Library of the Netherlands (in Dutch: Koninklijke Bibliotheek or KB) is the main national library for the Netherlands. It is located in The Hague and was started in 1798.
The KB collects almost everything published in or about the Netherlands. This includes old medieval literature and new books. They have about 7 million items stored away. These items include books, newspapers, magazines, and maps.
The library also offers cool digital services. You can find e-books and audiobooks online. There's also Delpher, which has millions of old digitized pages. And The Memory has about 800,000 images. Since 2015, the KB helps guide all the public libraries in the country. The KB's collection of old websites is even on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It's the first web collection to get this special honor!
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How the Library Started
The idea for a national library came from Albert Jan Verbeek. He suggested it on August 17, 1798. The library's first collection came from books taken from Prince William V. The library officially opened on November 8, 1798. It was first called the Nationale Bibliotheek (National Library). At first, only members of the government could use it.
In 1806, King Louis Bonaparte gave the library the name 'Royal'. This made it the Royal Library. Later, in 1815, King William I of the Netherlands confirmed this name. Since 1982, it has been known as the National Library of the Netherlands. That's when it moved to a new building. The library is now an independent group, but the government helps pay for it. In 2015, several library groups joined together under the name Koninklijke Bibliotheek. In 2020, its name changed again to 'KB, national library'.
What the Library Does
The KB's main job is to get, organize, store, and share all Dutch publications. This includes both printed and digital items. They want everyone in the Netherlands to be able to read, learn, and do research. The library also helps guide public libraries across the country. Together, they are building a big national digital library for everyone.
Amazing Collections at the KB
The KB used to focus on older subjects like history, language, and culture. But since 1974, they also collect books on science and social studies. This is part of their 'Depot van Nederlandse Publicaties' (Depository of Dutch Publications) program.
In 2016, the KB had 7 million items. This is like having 115 kilometers (about 71 miles) of bookshelves! Most items are books. They also have "grey literature," which are documents that might not have a clear author or publisher. But they are still important for culture or knowledge. The collection has almost all the literature from the Netherlands. This ranges from very old handwritten books to new scientific papers. Unlike many other countries, the Netherlands does not have a law that makes publishers send copies of their books to the library. So, the KB started a voluntary program in 1974. Publishers can choose to send their books to the library.
The Royal Library also has amazing art and very old items. One piece of art is The Madonna with the Christ Child. This painting is from the 1400s by a French painter named Jean Fouquet. He was one of the best painters of his time. Another valuable old item is a book from the 1500s. It was made by Christopher Plantin, a French printer. The book has a beautiful brown leather cover with gold designs.
The library also has special paper from the 1700s from Germany. Plus, there's a rare book from 1596 with many pictures. It tells about the travels of Jan Huygen van Linschoten. He traveled to places like Spain, India, and Indonesia. Another very old treasure is the earliest picture of 'Dutchmen'. In 975, Count Dirk and Countess Hildegard gave a medieval book, the Egmond Gospels, to a monastery. It's one of the oldest church treasures still around. It shows pictures of 'Dutch' people and buildings. The Egmond Gospels were lost for a while but found again in the 1800s. The Dutch government bought it and brought it to the Royal Library.
The library also has the Trivulzio Book of Hours (around 1465). This is a tiny medieval book, only 9 cm by 13 cm (about 3.5 by 5 inches). It has amazing tiny Flemish art. One of the most precious map collections is the Atlas van der Hagen. It has 4 volumes, each with over 100 maps and prints. It was made around 1690. All the pictures were colored by hand and even had gold added!
In 1871, the library bought a large collection of books about chess. This collection, combined with another one bought in 1948, is now one of the most important chess collections in the world. It has about 40,000 items!
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Mary holding the Christ-child - miniature from folio 001v from the Book of Hours of Simon de Varie - KB 74 G37a
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Illuminated initial at the beginning of the Beatrijs manuscript
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Trivulzio book of hours, folio 110v
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Gruuthuse manuscript, 27v-28r
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Evangeliarium of Egmond IIIv-IVr
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One of the four title prints of the Atlas van der Hagen. This one is from the part: Arctico Norwegio Succia Dania Russia Polonia Ukraniae Hung: a Germania.
Anyone aged 16 or older can become a member of the KB. You can also get a one-day pass. If you ask for a book, it usually takes about 30 minutes to get it. The KB also has several free online websites. These include "Memory of the Netherlands" and Digital Library for Dutch Literature. There's also Delpher, which had over 100 million pages in 2020!
Collecting Dutch Books
The KB started a voluntary program in 1974 to collect Dutch publications. Since 1985, government groups and funded organizations have had to send a free copy of their publications to the KB. The library tries to collect as many Dutch books, magazines, and maps as possible. They want to have a complete collection of everything published in the Netherlands. They also collect things written by Dutch people abroad or about the Netherlands.
Some items like sheet music and Braille books are not collected. This is because there are too many of them or they are needed by other libraries. Local newspapers were collected at first, but this stopped in 1992. Information about these publications is put into the Dutch National Bibliography. This helps keep track of all Dutch publications. The KB protects the rights of authors. So, most publications can only be looked at inside the library. You need special permission to see them online.
Finding Old Books: The STCN
The Short-title catalogue, Netherlands (STCN) is a special service from the KB. It's a huge database of old Dutch books published before 1800. It includes books published in the Netherlands and Dutch books published in other countries. The STCN uses collections from libraries both in and outside the Netherlands. As of 2013, it had over 200,000 titles! The STCN project finished in 2009. But the KB keeps adding new titles to the database every day.
The Literature Museum
The Literature Museum started in 1750. It has a big collection of letters, handwritten papers, and special items. The museum has three main exhibits and other temporary ones. It also has a special children's book museum! In 2016, an online museum was opened. The museum has a reading room where you can look at old newspaper clippings. You can also see some old records under certain rules.
Fun Exhibitions to See
In 1998, for the library's 200th birthday, they had a special show called Het worderbaarlijke alfabet (The Miraculous Alphabet). This was held in a church in Amsterdam. They also released three books and a special stamp. In 2002, a big exhibition called Wonderland, from Pietje Bell to Harry Potter was held. This show was just for kids! It featured books from their collection of 125,000 children's books. Many school children visited, making it a huge success. In 2006, when a new storage area opened, they had an exhibition called Magazine!. It was like walking inside a giant magazine!
Research at the KB
The KB has a research team that does important work. They study digital technology and how to keep old paper and digital items safe. They also look at how to make these items easy to find. Some of their big topics include using artificial intelligence and big data. They also study privacy, security, and how publishing is changing. And they look at the role of public libraries today.
The Library's Home
Since 1982, the library has been in a modern building in The Hague. It's right next to The Hague Central Station. The building is very large, about 78,000 square meters (about 840,000 square feet). It has 5,200 white aluminum plates on the outside. The building is next to the Nationaal Archief (National Archives).
The building also houses other important groups. These include the Literary Museum and the Kinderboekenmuseum (Children's Book Museum). Also, the RKD and the offices of Europeana are there. Before this building, the library was in an old city palace from 1821 to 1982. And even before that, it was in the Mauritshuis art museum!
Pictures of the KB
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Sculpture of the former front of the Royal Library on the Lange Voorhout, 1821–1982, in the reading room of the present building.
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Front of the KB at Lange Voorhout, January 1925
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Main entrance KB, 2007
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Rear and store rooms KB, 2009
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Reading room KB, 2015
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Reading room KB, 2013
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Old catalogue KB, 2015
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Store rooms KB, 2009
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Exhibition room Masterpieces KB, 2008
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Microfiche and microfilm room KB, 2013
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Want to Learn More?
In Spanish: Biblioteca Real Neerlandesa para niños
- Books in the Netherlands
- European Library
- List of libraries in the Netherlands
- Nederlandse Centrale Catalogus (Dutch Central Catalog)
