If you’re a library person like me, you feel at home the
moment you step into a library. Besides the books, picture the other familiar
indicators: posters announcing educational and cultural events in the
auditorium or lecture hall; little pieces of paper with wireless instructions;
signs outlining what is and is not allowed, the next library closure, how much
printing and photocopying cost. Then there are the other sensory stimuli: that
classic smell of musty books which mixes with the new aromas of soy ink and
thick, glossy paper; that hushed rustle of patrons turning pages and shifting
in their seats, and the delights of graphic design including the signage in the
library as well as the covers of the books themselves.
I find all this deeply reassuring no matter where I am in
the world, and despite the specialty of a library, I am always drawn towards it
and can find something stimulating within its walls.
Then it comes as no surprise my usual haunts in Amsterdam
consisted of libraries. This time my approach was unique: the library was no
longer a place to make a living or a place to pick up some books or a place to
do my homework. I needed the library to give meaning to my day; it was a
destination; it was a place I could dig into my writing and research without
being bothered to purchase something. I was continuously amazed at that last
part: a free place to go, every day.
And the best part: everyone is invited to the library.
Kelci’s Top 3 Libraries in Amsterdam
1. Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam / The Amsterdam Public Library
The Amsterdam Public Library works much like San Francisco
Public Library: the central library is a beautiful new building in the city
center (opened on 07/07/2007), and smaller branches sprinkle the city’s
neighborhoods. I’m a bit of a night owl, so the central branch is my jam: it’s
open 10 am – 10 pm every day!
The library is open to everyone, but to get online or take
out materials, you must join the membership by purchasing a library card. The
rates vary from free (children and youth) to 100 euros (super-duper patron
status!), which is a stark departure from the free library card at SF Public.
Once you’re in possession of a library card, check out your selection at an
automated kiosk (located on every floor). These machines are crazy! You don’t
have to scan a barcode— the machine senses the books, then generates a list,
which you confirm on a touch screen. (I’m still not sure how the machine
telepathically knows what books you have, although I suspect it has something
to do with the large magnetized insert adhered to the cover.) It prints out a
receipt and you’re off! Returning the books is similar: use the return kiosks
on the main floor to check your books back in (again with the magical
telepathy!), and then a little window opens, a conveyer belt turns on, and the
books are sucked into the fortress-like sorting area.
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| Sunset view from the front of the library. |
You will also notice there are lots of young people hanging
out in the library; up in the cafeteria on the 9th floor, you’ll
find University students camped out with their notebooks and netbooks, some
surrounded by empty coffee cups and others by empty wine glasses. I discovered
you can get a hearty slice of Dutch apple pie for 1 euro after 9:30 pm in the
cafeteria!
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| My favorite spot was on the 6th floor facing the windows. Great view! |
Whether or not you visit Amsterdam for studies and research
or just plain tourism, make sure to check out the central branch of the Openbare
Bibliotheek—in addition to the typical stuff of a public library, it has a theater and a museum, as well as special displays based on the time of year.
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| LGBT display for International Coming Out Day (October 11, 2012) |
Oosterdokskade 143, 1011 DL Amsterdam
2. International Institute of Social History (IISH) / Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis (IISG)
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| The front of the building before renovations. |
A lot of people say to me, You came all the way to Europe to work at a library? Even though
the work I’ve done at IISH has been different than what I expected, I will
ceaselessly preach the unique wonders housed in this library which make it a
compelling reason to come to a different continent.
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| The reading room is behind the wall to the left. The information desk is on the right. |
The Institute's subject areas are anything having to do with social movements, so its focus spans from Greenpeace archives to skinhead punk art from the 90s. My interests lie in its labor and socialism materials. Its collection contains a few books, but its real treasures
are its primary accounts, archives, and labor movement banners. The
building is currently under construction , so some things like the record
player are not accessible—too bad for me when I needed to listen to the album Antifaschistische Lieder.
Nonetheless, a visit to the Institute is worth your time. When you visit, I
highly recommend arranging a tour ahead of your arrival—on the tour you will see a
selection of the Karl Marx archive, including the only existing page of the
original manuscript of The Communist
Manifesto. After the tour you can
get lunch in the cafeteria and a quintessential coffee, which is dispensed for
free from a machine on the level below the Reading Room, along with water, tea, and soup-flavored hot water.
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| From the Marx archive, on display. |
IISH has closed stacks except the openly accessible
reference works in the Reading Room, and the library’s materials do not
circulate outside the library. You can make a certain number of requests for
items via email ahead of time to consult in the reading room, or you can
request them at the desk until 4 pm. If you are serious about doing research
here, the hot set up is a private carrel, which are handsome mini-offices that
individuals can use for extended periods of time.
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| My companion near many of the colorful posters found in the library. |
Cruquiusweg 31, 1019 AT
Amsterdam
3. J.R. Ritman Library – Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica
When I was contacting libraries about possible support for my
Fulbright application in early 2011, The Ritman was the first to respond,
albeit with bad news: the library was closed for the foreseeable future. The
contact gave me alternative options, which was a generous response and imbued me
with a favorable impression of the staff there.
I was excited to learn that the Ritman reopened in the last
year so I quickly added a visit to my schedule this past October.
What a treasure! The library itself is an inauspicious
building near the Westerkerk, off of Prisengracht in the Canal Belt. Buzz the intercom to gain
entry. It costs 5 euros to visit, which didn’t bother me, although if I was a
serious researcher in the fields of spirituality, hermetics, alchemy, or
philosophy, I would go for the annual pass, which costs 30 euros.
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| The room and exhibit that greets you upon entering. |
When I visited, an handsome and professional exhibit on
medical advancements in early modernity adorned the entry area and continued
into the adjacent room. My companion and I received a welcoming overview of the
facility from a young woman who we later discovered is the granddaughter of the
library founder, Mr. Ritman. Later, we also conversed with his daughter and
eventually Mr. Ritman himself, at which point we shook his hand and
exchanged a few words. (He was convinced I was not American but rather Eastern
European; this happens to me a lot!)
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| The exhibit continues into the room to the left. The stairs in the background lead to the Reading Room. |
The library was founded with Mr. Ritman’s private collection
of rare books and manuscripts, which began with a gift of a rare Jacob Böhme book from his mother when he was a young man. From the web site: When he conceived the plan to turn his private collection of books into
a library, his vision was to bring together under one roof manuscripts and
printed works in the field of the Hermetic tradition, and to show the
interrelatedness between the various collecting areas and their relevance for
the present day. In addition to its role as a repository, the library also
acts as a small publishing house, publishing a handful of books every year.
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| Joost R. Ritman |
I spent most of my time reading the apocryphal text The Gospel of Truth in the reading room upstairs, as well as some accompanying
commentary by the reigning scholar in the field, Marvin Meyer. Although I don’t
study philosophy or spirituality, my interest is Gnosticism grew after I read The Gospel of Judas in 2007. Many of the library's reference works and primary texts are available to browse openly; you will have to use the online catalog to request rare materials to consult in the reading room.
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| Feels a bit more like someone's personal study than a research library. |
Probably due to its small size and its family business feel,
I found The Ritman Library to be the most welcoming and the most comfortable.
How cool is it to see three generations of Amsterdammers sharing their family
collection of rare books and manuscripts!
Bloemstraat 13-19, NL-1016 KV Amsterdam
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