Our collections
The Leiden University libraries collectively own approximately 3 million books, more than 16,000 e-journals and hundreds of databases and other electronic resources. The Special Collections consist of manuscripts, old prints, engravures, photos, maps and other materials from all around the world. Comprehensive information about our collections can be found in the Collection Profile of the Leiden University library collections.
The Leiden University libraries collectively own approximately 3 million books, more than 16,000 e-journals and hundreds of databases, electronic reference works and digital text and image collections. The Special Collections consist of manuscripts, old prints, engravures, photos, maps and other often unique materials from all around the world.
General and Special Collections
The library and information services for Leiden University form a complex entity. An important part - and in physical sense the largest - consists of the library collections. Apart from the physical - mostly print - collections, access to digital collections, like e-journals, has become more and more important for research and teaching at the university. In this context, the phrase connections next to collections has come into use.
The library collections have a history of more than 430 years. As a consequence, some libraries have Special Collections, consisting of manuscripts, old and special prints, engravings, photos, maps and archives from all around the world. It often concerns unique materials, that are not available in any other library in the Netherlands, or even in the world. These collections contribute to the reputation and fame of Leiden University.
Collection Profile
The Collection Profile of the Leiden University library collections offers not only an insight into the historical backgrounds and a state of affairs in late 2007, but also a comprehensive vision of the future of the library collections, in terms of both management, preservation and access, as well as further development, consolidation or reduction of parts of the collections.
The Collection Profile consists of two parts:
- Part I (pdf, available in Dutch) deals with the general aspects of the library collections;
- Part II (pdf, available in Dutch) addresses the separate area collections at length. In addition to an overview of the current state of affairs per area collection, this part also features the collection development profiles, that form the foundation for the development of the relevant collection in the near future.