Library catalogue

Frequently asked questions

How do I search the library collection?

You can search via search field “alle velden” by either author, word from the title or description. You improve the search result by combining terms in different search fields.

• By putting a $-sign in front of a search term, you search for words that are similar to each other. Example: $repatriëren also returns conjugations of repatriëren such as repatriëring and gerepatrieerde as search results. Or, for example, $mulder. This will yield muller, mulders or ulder in addition to mulder.
• A ? (question mark) replaces a letter.
• A * replaces a number of letters.
• Never start a search term with a ? or *. Such a search takes a lot of time.
• It does not matter whether you use upper or lower case letters.
• Some words are excluded because they occur too often. For example, searching for “the” will not return any results. However, such stop words may be used in “with exactly the phrase”.

What kind of materials can I find in the library?

• books
• magazines
• reports
• journal articles
• annual reports
• newspapers

The library also contains a number of small subsets, such as:

• the advertising collection - advertising leaflets of Rotterdam shops and businesses from the period from 1920 to the end of the 20th century
• a programme and brochure collection - programme booklets and exhibition catalogues of Rotterdam cultural institutions

Does the library contain recent books about Rotterdam?

Yes, we collect as many publications of the past and the present, about the city and the region, as possible. The oldest book dates from 1517, the latest book was published yesterday.

Why can't I borrow a book?

The Rotterdam City Archives has the obligation to preserve and store materials about Rotterdam. In principle we keep one copy of each. Therefore, we do not lend out books. You may, of course, view them in the reading room. 

Which newspapers are collected by the city archives?

The archive holds a large number of national, regional and local daily and weekly newspapers from the 17th century to the present. An (Dutch) overview of our newspaper collection can be found on the Newspaper information page.

The Rotterdam newspapers listed below are digitally searchable via the national database Delpher. Here you can search by subject or date. Due to the often fragile state of the material, you cannot request original newspaper inserts.

• Gazette de Rotterdam (1695-1714)
• Rotterdamsche Courant (1717-1867)
• Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad (1878-1928, 1930, 1940-1944)
• De Maasbode (1868-1965)
• Voorwaarts (1920-1945)
• Het Vrije Volk (1945-1991)
• Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant / NRC Handelsblad (1844-1995)
• The volumes 1929 through 1946 of the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad are available online through the  Rotterdam Newspaper Archive.

Part of our newspaper collection is on microfiche. The Newspaper Information page shows which newspapers this concerns. You can view the microfiches in the reading room. The microfiches can be scanned for your own use.

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