Within the Library of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the department of Special and Historical Collections administers all manuscripts and printed works in all fields up to 1901 (although not yet all 19th-century editions), and part of the modern rare books. This represents a total of 70,000 items.
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Request documents
- The Special Collections Reading Room is open on weekdays from 9 am - 5 pm (VU Main Building, room 1C-02a; see Locations, opening hours).
Microfiche and microfilm readers and scanning facilities (bring your own usb stick) - Please note that a library card is required to request and use documents, see Membership
- To request books of the Special and Historical Collections go to LibSearch. Click on Reserveren and follow the instructions. Requests before 3 p.m. are available the next business day at 9 pm. Note! Due to the special character of the collection, some requests may be rejected. Please consult 'My account' in LibSearch about the status of your request, or ask at the Special Collections desk (1C-02a).