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Visit and Use of Collections

In our reading room, you can consult the collections of the International Institute of Social History (IISH), the Netherlands Economic History Archive (NEHA) and the Press Collection (Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision).

(updated 16 March 2022)

The Reading Room at the IISH - Photo by Akiko

Prepare your visit

  • You can request materials via our catalogue: search.iisg.amsterdam
  • Please note that permission is required for the use of some archives. This information is listed under the heading 'Access and Use' on the archive description page. You can request permission via the online catalogue. Please arrange permission before making an appointment.
  • The material can be consulted in our reading room. Visitors do not have access to the stacks.
  • Pre-requested material is available at 10:00.
  • You can request material during the day. Material is retrieved from our stacks 4 times a day, at: 9:30, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00. We try to have the material ready for you within half an hour.
  • In the reading room you can use your own laptop. There is equipment available for scanning documents; please bring a USB stick with you.
  • Part of the collection is only available on microfilm and microfiche. Reading and scanning equipment is available.
  • Please note that part of the collection is available online: Online archives.
  • If you have any questions, please contact us at ask@iisg.nl.

 

More information on:
- rules concerning consultation
- request archives - request books and documents
- reproductions - copyrights - rates
- borrowing documents for exhibitions
- house rules
- machine access

 

Address and Opening Hours

 

 

Address for visitors:

Cruquiusweg 31
1019 AT Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel + 31 20 6685866

Bank Account: IBAN NL63DEUT0411390805; BIC DEUTNL2N
CoC: 54667089
VAT: NL002958697B01

Opening hours of the Reading Room

Monday to Thursday: 9.00 - 17:00

  • The building is accessible for wheel chair users.
  • Read about the house rules of the IISH

Closing Days in 2022

The Institute is closed on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. 
The Reading Room will be closed during the following days (2022):

  • 1 January    New Year's Day
  • 15 April        Good Friday
  • 18 April        Easter Monday
  • 27 April        King’s Day
  • 5 May          Liberation Day
  • 26 May        Ascension Day
  • 27 May        Friday after Ascension Day
  • 6 June         Whit Monday
  • 25 December 2022 - 1 January 2023

How to get there

Public transport:

  • From Amsterdam Central Station: bus 22, bus stop Veelaan.
  • From Amsterdam Station Zuid: bus 65, bus stop Veelaan.
  • From Amsterdam Station Muiderpoort: bus 22, bus stop Veelaan or walk (15 minutes walking distance).
  • From the centre of Amsterdam: tram 7 to Van Eesterenlaan (a 10 minutes walk), tram 14 to Javaplein (a 5-10 minutes walk).
  • More information on the public transport website.

By car:

From the circular road (A10) take the junction Zeeburg (S114), proceed to the traffic lights, and follow the signs Zeeburg across the bridge (left turn). At the end of the bridge go right at traffic lights. At the next traffic lights, take the road to your right (Molukkenstraat). Proceed to the end of the Molukkenstraat; the IISH is the large white building ahead of you. Attention, there is only paid parking space near the IISH!

Consultation

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Donors and owners of material on loan to the Institute may have imposed certain restrictions on accessing, copying, and publishing these collections or parts of collections, including a requirement for expressly requesting permission from the donor or owner. Restricted access to archives may also be necessary to protect the privacy of individuals or because of the physical condition of the material in question. To find out if access to a collection is limited, see the archive description page in our online catalogue.

If you wish to consult a collection in the Reading Room, please read our rules first.

Consultation rules

Request for permission

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You can request permission to consult a collection with limited access directly through the archive description page in our online catalogue.

Contact

  • For enquiries about the consultation of documents or ordering reproductions please contact us at ask@iisg.nl.
  • As a general rule questions are answered within three weekdays.
  • If we do not have an answer to your question, we will try to refer you to another institution or specialist.

Registration

  • Anyone who wants to engage in research in archival collections and use the library of the IISH, NEHA, and Press collection is welcome to the reading room.
  • Pre-registration is not necessary, visitors are asked to register at our reading room desk on their first visit every year.

Facilities

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The reading room contains reference works on social economic history, recent issues of journals, and publications by IISH, NEHA, and Press collection. Researchers who need to spend extended periods working at the Institute can reserve a study carrel.
Researchers have access to computers with Internet accessibility. Besides the online IISH search portal, various databases are available.

Researchers who bring their own laptops can use the free WiFi connection.

There is equipment available for:

  • scanning and copying documents
  • reading and scanning of microfilms and microfiches
  • watching video tapes, slides, and negatives
  • listening to CDs, LPs, and audio cassettes.

Visitors are welcome in the cafeteria on the first floor.

Temporarily unavailable

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Some collections may be temporarily not available for consultation. This can occur if documents are being reinventorised, receiving conservation treatment, being digitized, due to shortage of stack space, or renovation.

  • For more information on availability of collections please contact the reading room staff
Temporarily unavailable