The archives created by Leiden University and the private archives of Leiden professors are an invaluable source for the history of the university and its functioning. The main sources have been edited (nearly always in Dutch). In addition, several studies have been published, describing the development…

Practical information on submitting your dissertation

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) has been able to acquire an extraordinary Chinese manuscript at auction in Hong Kong. It concerns an Imperial Edict (dated 1582) from the Ming dynasty period, at one time part of the former collection of well-known sinologist and author of detective-novels Robert van…

A discount on textbooks is always welcome. But for these students joining a study association has meant much more than that alone.

How do you pick a topic and research question for your thesis or paper? And is your schedule realistic? Check out the tutorials and resources below.

The domain of the post-medieval manuscripts and private archives covers the period from about 1550 to the present. A clear distinction with the medieval manuscripts, however, is difficult to make. There are many undated manuscripts and it is often difficult to date them even within a decade or a quarter…

Teaching materials are the resources that you created, in the context of your position at the University, for the purpose of teaching your students.

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) has seen an increase in the number of visitors seeking a place to study. In order to meet Leiden University students' concerns, UBL has chosen to regulate library and study place access.

Address Academic Historical Museum Academy Building Rapenburg 73 2311 GJ Leiden

overview of Leiden University research data management policy documents like regulations and protocols

Relocation Digital Collections

A (digital) course reserve shelf offers the possibility to set library materials for a designated period aside.

Leiden University celebrated its 444th anniversary with a historical procession on 8 February. It celebrated this year’s Dies Natalis in time-honoured fashion with a ceremony in the Pieterskerk, but broke with tradition by sending professors out to primary schools.

Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier (ORCID) is an international system for the persistent identification of academic authors.

“Digital Scholarship” comprises the many different ways in which researchers can make use of digital technologies for the purpose of academic research.

The library holds an extensive collection of books, journals, and other materials to support your studies.

Leiden University contributed to colonialism and slavery through its research and teaching. And governors and residents of Leiden had an active role in colonial networks. These are the findings of two explorative studies presented on 3 April.

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Research

A number of tools and services are available to help you keep up to date with the latest developments in your subject field.

The Student Repository is part of Scholarly Publications Leiden University and offers an online archive that makes Bachelor and Master theses easily searchable and publicly available.

Read all about the most important functionalities of Mendeley.

Text and Data Mining (TDM) is increasingly applied in various academic disciplines to extract useful information from unstructured textual data using computational methods.

For years now, the debate around Black Pete in the Netherlands has been one of the most controversial topics in the public sphere. And the intensity of the debate hasn’t waned much over time. According to some, Black Pete is just a character in a harmless tradition aimed at children, while others speak…

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Open Access provides free online availability of research output without restrictions. Open Access increases the visibility of a publication enormously. The Executive Board has decided that Leiden University will endorse Open Access.

A new memorial stone on the facade of a student house in the Hugo de Grootstraat is a reminder of the dozens of Indonesian students who studied in Leiden before and during the Second World War. Some of them were active in the Resistance, which cost a number of them their lives.

Students and staff from Leiden University are protesting in The Hague on 25 November against the billions in cuts to higher education. ‘The cuts are a terrible idea and we want to show why’, says Claire Weeda from WOinActie. ‘Research and teaching are essential to society.’

You are a PhD candidate and the completion of your dissertation is approaching. What to do next?

FeedbackFruits (FbF) is education software with different task types accessible via Brightspace. Below you will find how to use FbF in compliance with copyright rules.

‘Praesidium Libertatis is a daily responsibility.’ These were the words of Rector Magnificus Carel Stolker on 8 February during the 443rd Dies Natalis of Leiden University. The University needs to pay continuous attention to open debate if it wants to remain a bastion of freedom.

Open educational resources, better known as OER, are freely accessible, reusable learning materials in various forms. OER can be extremely valuable for both teachers and students. On this page, we will discuss what OER entails, what their advantages and disadvantages are, what restrictions may apply…

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…

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) participates in international interlibrary loan services (ILL) and document delivery for libraries worldwide.

Anyone wishing to make a substantial contribution to Leiden University Libraries can have the donation earmarked for a specific purpose. You can set up this fund to support a specific collection or research area. These so-called Named Funds are therefore always customized. It is also possible to donate…

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) is an internationally recognised research library with world-class collections and advanced services for education and research. The UBL provides these scholarly information services as a trusted partner in knowledge for researchers, teachers and students. We create…

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Webinar, discussion

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Read all about the most important functionalities of EndNote.

Brightspace is the electronic learning environment of Leiden University.

The Lingling Wiyadharma Fellowship program offers the opportunity to three scholars to spend up to three months conducting research using the Southeast Asian and particularly the Indonesian special collections at Leiden University Libraries.

In the course of over four centuries the book collections have been greatly enlarged thanks to the bequests and grants or the purchases from the propriety of scholars or private collectors. Sometimes it concerned collections with thousands of early printed books, such as the purchase of the library…

Under agreement with the Dutch National Archives (2011), all static archives created by Leiden University are kept as a loan in the University Library. In this way, users can study the history of the university and library in conjunction with other relevant archives, collections and items.

Old maps, beautifully coloured drawings, early photographs, rare books, and even a genuine love letter. Leiden University Libraries (UBL) holds an important and diverse Japan collection. From January through December 2026, we will organize various public activities around the Japan collections.

At the moment a lot of discussion surrounds ChatGPT, an advanced chatbot which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI). ChatGPT is based on a Large Language Model (LLM) and has been trained using an enormous amount of text, providing it with knowledge of grammar, semantics and contextual nuances. The program…