Research

Do you frequently search the catalogue of Leiden University Libraries (UBL) for western medieval manuscripts? Then you must have noticed important changes lately. Some 1800 summary catalogue records in Dutch were replaced by more elaborate descriptions in English. Furthermore, the catalogue interface…

The war against Ukraine did not start in February 2022, but in the spring of 2014 when Russia suddenly annexed Crimea and supported separatist militias in the Donbas. Last year, president Putin called for a restored geopolitical and spiritual trinity of Greater Russians, Belarusians and Lesser Russians…

Rembrandt van Rijn is inextricably linked to the city of Leiden. He was born and raised here, went to school in the city, and spent the early years of his career in Leiden, a career that would one day make him one of the greatest painters in Dutch history. There is a similar connection between Rembrandt…

Northern Yemen; a highland region often in the news as the center of the Houthi regime, has a political, social, and intellectual history spanning more than a millennium. This exhibition showcases some of the findings of the Early Modern State Development in Yemen project, based at Leiden University,…

The complete Johan Huizinga, the single most important historian of the Netherlands, is now available worldwide through the new Huizinga Online website. Huizinga’s scholarly archive, his Verzamelde Werken and his correspondence have been made digitally accessible by Leiden University Libraries (UBL).…

In 2021, it is exactly 400 years since Hugo Grotius mounted his daring escape from Loevestein Castle, hidden in his book chest. Although his escape is a widely known event, especially in the Netherlands, the man behind the story and the reasons behind his imprisonment are often overlooked. In this small…

On Thursday 2 December, Nadine Akkerman, Reader in early modern English literature will be a guest in the online book salon of Leiden University Libraries (UBL). Head Curator Garrelt Verhoeven will interview Akkerman about her book Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Hearts. In her biography, Akkerman describes…

There is a reasonable chance that you came to this reading list through a social medium. Now it's our job to keep your attention. We are going to do our best. There are so many distractions; from notifications on your phone, to another screen near you, that may also be screaming for attention. Every…

Starting in September, 55,000 books from the Leiden University Libraries will be digitized. This marks Leiden University’s contribution to the successful partnership between the National Library of the Netherlands (KB) and Google.

Education, Library, Research

Close to twenty thousand pages of new material have been added to the online collection of unofficial poetry journals from China in the Leiden Digital Collections. Produced “outside the system,” these journals are hugely influential yet very hard to find. To address this paradox, Leiden University Libraries…

Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje (1857-1936) is known as an Islamologist, author of the book Mecca, administrator in the Dutch East Indies for the Dutch government and professor in Leiden. Wim van den Doel published a biography of Snouck Hurgronje in 2021. Recently, the translation of the biography in Bahasa…

Starting January 18, the online exhibition Images of the Indonesian War of Independence, 1945-1949 can be viewed via the UBL website. The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) and Leiden University Libraries…

Manuscripts that look like a comic book, that's how you could describe the manuscripts of the Dongba people from China. The manuscripts are one of the last examples of a so-called pictographic script that can only be interpreted by Dongba priests, shamans, who have knowledge of the ancient Dongba cu…

Leiden University Libraries has a huge collection of books, journals and other materials to help you in your studies, both physical and online. Most of these materials can be requested through the Catalogue. Take a look at the video's below to learn how to borrow items or read about how to read books…

Library exhibitions, both online and physical, give an idea of the breadth of our collections.

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in Urban Studies

Freedom is not something we can take for granted. In its thematic programme ‘Oppression and Freedom’, Leiden University Libraries (UBL) has explored views on identity, relations and the interaction between individuals and groups in the past. The programme included several (online) exhibitions, workshops…

Do you need help with writing your thesis or do you have a question about using the library? Take a look at the sources below.

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in Criminology

Persistent identifiers ensure that online references remain accessible in the future. The Digital Object Identifier, DOI, can be assigned to digital objects, such as data or publications. By using the DOI you can make sustainable citations of and references to digital sources.

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in Philosophy

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in Ancient Near East Studies. Last update: October 2020

The Chinese Special Collections are part of the Asian Library. Items can be consulted at the Special Collections Reading Room.

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in Cultural Anthropology

Book reviews give you a quick overview of the main arguments, quality and structure of a book.

According to a rough estimate the western manuscripts collections and (private) archives contain some 500,000 letters, of which over 300,000 are catalogued. The letters kept in the University archives are not catalogued; the same holds for most letters kept in the oriental collections. They can be found…

The Walaeus Library is Leiden University Libraries' medical library. The library is located on the first floor of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC).

The Library offers several instructions and courses on information literacy. You can come to us for: An introduction to the Library catalogue; Courses on searching and appraising information; Plagiarism; And the use of reference management software. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with your…

When writing a paper or thesis you are bound by the principles of academic integrity. There are strict rules concerning plagiarism. Citing your sources right is important to prevent plagiarism. But how do you read a reference and how to cite right?

Overview of databases, reference works and websites in western languages for research in Comparative Philosophy

The library provides access to a large collection of e-books. Below you can find answers to the most relevant questions on how to find and successfully access these e-books.

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for Research in Russian and Eurasian Studies

In addition to the Bodel Nijenhuis Collection, the map collections of the former library of the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), and the map collection of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV), the collection of Maps and Atlases includes several smaller sub…

Tips for using film and music in your presentation or essay

The special collections from Japan and Korea are located at the central library building at Witte Singel, where it forms a part of the Asian Library.