Researching the collections

What can I find in the collections of the Allard Pierson?

The heritage material of the University of Amsterdam is managed by the Allard Pierson. Students and researchers are welcome to consult this material in the Reading Room at Oude Turfmarkt 129. Here you will find our internationally renowned collections in such fields as archaeology, cartography, book history, Jewish culture, church history, zoology, literature, theatre and graphic design.

To request and consult any of the material, you must have a valid UvA/HvA student or staff card or a valid external library card.

The Allard Pierson holds a large collection of printed works before 1900 as well as special editions after 1900. Most of these can be found via CataloguePlus. The default language is English when you open the catalogue. Go to Advanced Search and click on UvA Books+. You can refine your search under search filters by selecting, for example, Each field, Title or Author/Maker. You can also refine your search by selecting Material type, Language or Start and End date. Relevant material types of heritage material can be: Books, Magazines, Images, Sheet Music, Maps, Objects or Manuscripts. You can refine the results you find if necessary. Under Tweak your results, for example, click Library and then select Allard Pierson depot. If you know the call number of the book, you can also search directly here. Go to Advanced Search and click on UvA books+. In Search filter, select Call number/Collection.

Many early printed works can also be viewed online via the catalogue. Click on available online. Sometimes you will need permission from a curator to consult a work. You will then find a button Request under conditions next to such a book. In the form you will find there, you can indicate why you need to consult the material. A member of the desk staff will tell you if and when you can consult the material.

It is possible that a book cannot be requested. In that case, please contact the Reading room desk staff via the contact form, see at the bottom of this page.

You can also find a Request Digitisation button next to a title description. Using this button you can request a scan of a page from the book or even of the entire book, provided the work’s condition permits it. If there is no Request Digitisation button in a description and you would still like to order a scan, please send a request via the contact form at the bottom of this page.

The cost for a scan is €15,00. To digitise an entire work, we charge €150,00 regardless of the number of pages. On top of this there may be an administration fee of €5,00.

The Allard Pierson holds a rich collection of manuscripts, including medieval manuscripts, alba amicorum, diaries and letters. Some of this material can be found via CataloguePlus (see Material type Manuscripts).  Not all manuscripts are in the catalogue or can be requested through the catalogue. If you would like to consult a manuscript that is not available for request, please send a request via the contact form at the bottom of this page.

Besides early printed works, special printed works and manuscripts, the Allard Pierson also holds prints. These can be requested via CataloguePlus. Go to Advanced Search and click on UvaBoeken+. Under Material type, select Images to search for prints. Photographs can also be found this way. Unlike prints, photographs cannot be requested. Would you like to see a photograph? Then send a request via the contact form.

The Allard Pierson's collection of maps and atlases is among the largest in the Netherlands. The maps are described in CataloguePlus. You can find them by adding the option Maps in Advanced Search and UvA books+, under Material type. Maps cannot be requested through the catalogue. Would you like to see a map? Send a request via the contact form at the bottom of this page.

The Allard Pierson is responsible for a wide range of archives and collections of both individuals and institutions. Many of these archives and collections are accessible via ArchivesSpace. If you have found the archive you want to consult or whose records you want to see, you can ask questions or request archive/inventory numbers via the Ask a question and Request buttons. You will be notified as soon as the requested material is ready for you. Please note that processing archive requests may take a little longer. This material is made available for consultation in the Reading Room or in the IWO depot, depending on the quantity or size of the material. To consult material in the IWO depot you need to make an appointment.

In 2013, the collection of the former Theatre Institute Netherlands was transferred to the Allard Pierson. This collection is accessible through the Theatre Collection Catalogue. You can request material through this catalogue. Depending on the type of material, the collection can be consulted in the Allard Pierson Reading Room or in the IWO depot. To consult material in the IWO depot, you need to make an appointment.

The circus collection can also be consulted via the Theatre Collection Catalogue. Note: The circus collection donated by K.D. Hartmans can be found via CataloguePlus, Advanced Search and UvA books+ using the search term Collection Hartmans in any field.

The music collection ranges from seventeenth-century sheet music to digital streams from the twenty-first century. In 2008, the historical collection of the Maatschappij tot Bevordering van de Toonkunst (society for the promotion of music) was given on loan for at least thirty years. Material from the Toonkunst Collection can be requested to a large extent via CataloguePlus. Go to Advanced Search and select UvA books+. Change the first Any field to Call number/collection, enter the word ‘Toonkunst’ here and change the second Any field to author/maker. Enter the composer's name here.  Between field 1 and 2 should be the word ‘and’. Material from the Toonkunst Collection can be identified by the letters TNK in the call number. If the material cannot be requested, you can submit your request via Reading Room where you will find the contact form.

The music collection catalogue contains all materials from the former Music Centre Netherlands (MCN). This includes the collections of the former Donemus and Gaudeamus foundations, the Dutch Jazz Archive and the Dutch Pop Institute. This catalogue can be found via CataloguePlus. Go to Advanced Search, click on UvA books+ and select Muziek Centrum Nederland in the Search profile. Once you have found the material you want, you can only request it via Request subject to conditions. You will be notified when the material is ready for you.

The Allard Pierson holds objects from Ancient Egypt, the Ancient Near East and the Greek and Roman world. There is also a collection of plaster casts of sculptures from antiquity. These objects can also be found in CataloguePlus. When selecting Advanced Search and UvA books+ you can search for Objects under the material type filter, for instance by entering the word ‘terracotta’ in Any field. You can also search by the object's inventory number by entering ‘APM’ followed by a 5-digit number, e.g. APM00123. If a photograph of the object exists, you will also be directed to the Image Bank via available online. You can refine your search results in Library on Allard Pierson archaeological collection. Archaeological objects cannot be requested. Do you have questions about a particular object? Please contact the curators.

The core of the collection held in the Artis Library is formed by the book holdings of Natura Artis Magistra, better known as Artis, the Amsterdam society founded in 1838. The collecting area covers all fields of natural history: zoology, botany, geology and palaeontology. Modern subjects such as ecology and nature conservation have since been added. This material from the Artis Library can also be found via CataloguePlus. After your search in Advanced Search and UvA Books+, you can choose Artis Library in Library under Tweak your results to see only the material located in the Artis Library. This material cannot be requested online, but  you can consult it after making an appointment by sending an e-mail to curator Myriam van der Hoek.

There are a number of reference libraries in the Reading Room to support the study of the heritage collections in the Allard Pierson. Books from the reference libraries cannot be requested through the catalogue and can only be consulted in the Reading Room. These books can be identified by  the letters HB in the shelfmark. In CataloguePlus they are referred to as Allard Pierson Handbibliotheek. Select Tweak your results, Library, Allard Pierson Handbibliotheek to see if a book is in one of the reference libraries.

In the Allard Pierson in Focus image bank you will find digital images of archaeological objects, paintings, prints, maps, photographs and posters, as well as fully scanned books and manuscripts. There are also external image databases, such as  the image banks of Albert Verwey, Frederik van Eeden, Multatuli and the Iconographia Zoologica.

See also the Collections online page.

Do you have any other questions or do you want to request material that is not directly available? Get in touch via the contactform.