‘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.

Leiden University owns extensive collections of portraits. These include around a hundred painted portraits of scholars, librarians and professors and around 30,000 prints of scholars, politicians, rulers, artists, writers and other persons of fame. A smaller partial collection is that of writers, belonging…

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…

Your support enables the UBL to continue fulfilling its role for the Leiden University community. You can make a one-off donation or make donations on a periodical basis. Gifts can made for the library as a whole, or for a designated project, the purchase of a subject collection or the…

A web lecture is a recording of a presentation, a lecture, a class, a keynote, or even a workshop that can be viewed after the event has taken place.

As a Friend, you contribute to the acquisition, digitisation and restoration of important objects.

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…

Annually the Scaliger Institute offers working space and facilities to a number of visiting scholars from the Netherlands and abroad, without a fellowship, who want to research (a part of) the Special Collections of the University Library.

In 2022, Leiden was European City of Science. During this year, Leiden presented a public programme brimming with science, knowledge, arts, and skills for anyone with a curious mind. Leiden University Libraries (UBL) organised an extensive programme of activities on the theme of Leiden European City…

The Library of Leiden University holds c. 550 manuscripts and an extensive collection of rare printed books in Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, the languages of Ethiopia, South Arabic, Coptic and Armenian, as well as a collection of rare books on the Jewish World.

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 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.

The core business of the UBL is providing information to staff and students of Leiden University and the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) for their educational and research tasks. Though staff and students of Leiden University and LUMC are the primary focus of the services of the UBL, others…

Brightspace is the electronic learning environment of Leiden University.

Explanation and background of Dutch copyright

The UBL holds five sets of manuscripts recognised by UNESCO as documents of universal value and exceptional significance to the world. They are included in UNESCO's International World Heritage list of documents (Memory of the World Register).

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

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in Molecular Science & Technology

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in Physics.

From as little as €45.00 per year, Friends enjoy special benefits. As a Friend you: support the UBL financially. The foundation of Friends regularly contributes to the purchase of a unique items or make a financial contribution to the organisation of exhibitions; become part of a network of…

The Western manuscript, archival and letter collections consist of books and documents written in Latin, Greek and Cyrillic script.

Leiden is a knowledge hub, unique in its kind in the Netherlands, for academics, professionals, students and all other people who are specialized or interested in photography. The city and university offer:

The collection of maps and atlases consists of approximately 100,000 map sheets (including c. 3,000 manuscript maps), 3,500 atlases and 25,000 topographical prints and drawings.

We hope library users are happy using Leiden University Libraries' services. If this is not the case, please let us know. We love to receive suggestions, comments and ideas on how we can improve services, and try to learn from complaints. Choose one of the following options to submit your feedback:…

The Juynboll Foundation and the Scaliger Institute of Leiden University Libraries have founded a collaborative fellowship program to enable one or two scholars to study the Arabic and Islam special collections of Leiden University Libraries. The allowance is € 1,500 per month.

The standard loan period for items borrowed at Leiden University Libraries (UBL) is 3 weeks.

The national demonstration against higher education cuts on 14 November in Utrecht will not go ahead. Utrecht Mayor Dijksma has advised the organisers to cancel the protest. The Utrecht 'triangle' (mayor, police and Public Prosecution Service) says it has received information that pro-Palestinian demonstrators…

The University Library's Open Science services are available to individual researchers as well as on the level of the University's faculties and institutes.

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in Life Science & Technology

FeedbackFruits (FbF) is a digital teaching tool accessible via Brightspace. Below you will find how to use FbF in compliance with copyright rules.

Overview of databases, reference works and websites for research in German language and culture.

The research suggestions below may be suitable for a bachelor's or master's thesis or can be used as additional source material in ongoing research.

With its more than 1400 bindings and over a thousand fragments Leiden’s collection of medieval manuscripts (up to ca. 1550) is the largest in the Netherlands.

A systematic review answers a central question by summarising (all) relevant studies.

The photographs collection of Leiden University Librarie (UBL) contains specimens of almost all photographic processes from the history of the medium, rare objects and artistic highlights. Together, they shed light on the history of photography as a technique, a means of scientific, historic and personal…

In this FAQ we try to answer a selection of the most important questions on research data management that we compiled over the last 5 years.