Posts Tagged With: Libraries

Free for all (Or: Library cards and Dutch tv shows)

Posted on June 9, 2026 by Niki

Here is some random news of the week, for those in The Hague or in the Netherlands.

First, residents of The Hague will be able to secure a free library card starting in January 2027 (English article | Dutch article). The free tier will let you check out up to five books a year and use library computers and other online services for free. For 4 euros a month, you can borrow up to 5 items at the time, while for 6 euros a month you can borrow up to 20 items at a time. Fines for returning items late has also been permanently abolished (although in practice this they haven’t collected fines since 2023).

If you are learning Dutch and are based in the Netherlands, check out the Schatkamer (=Treasure room) website. This site recently launched and includes more than 700,000 television programs, documentaries, news clips, films, games shows, etc. from the Dutch institute Beeld & Geluid (=Image & Sound). These resources come from publicly funded channels like NPO, AVOTROS, VPRO and similar. For now, the resources can only be streamed online, although there are plans to allow downloading in the future. The archive was able to be opened due to a change in European law, which states that certain protected works can now be viewed online without permission of the author if there is no more commercial worth in the product (read = old things).

If you are in the Netherlands, here are some tips from Reddit about what to check out in the Schatkamer. Note: unfortunately you have to be in the Netherlands to watch the content.

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By the old library (Or: Unassuming bridge in The Hague)

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Niki

Yesterday I was walking near the old library, where the theatre school Rabarber is now at. See also Google Maps. That link also lets you see where the canal runs.

The old library used to be in the building on the left side, where the orange signs are. Yesterday I noticed for the first time that the bridge had a name – Bibliotheekbrug, or “Library bridge”. The library moved to the city centre, in the same building as the city hall, in 1995.

And of course, it’s not a photo of The Hague without some bicycles!

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Feminine products available for free (Or: At The Hague’s library)

Posted on December 29, 2024 by Niki

Some months back The Hague’s central library made some changes to their bathrooms. Previously, only the bathroom on the 1st floor was open to the public, and you either had to show your library card or pay a small fee of 50 cents to use it. That is quite common in this country, with cafés and restaurants being one of the few exceptions.

Earlier this year, the library opened up bathrooms on all of their floors for free There was much rejoicing, since it also meant you didn’t have to go back down to the 1st floor just to use it. I usually go to one of the bathrooms on the higher floors, though. The first floor bathroom can be a bit crowded because it is the first one you come across if you use the escalators.

A few days ago, I used the one by the first floor and noticed the library’s generous supply of feminine products:

You don’t often see this offered for free in The Netherlands (as far as I am aware anyway). it’s a great initiative.

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13678 characters of Boredom *yawn* (Or: Exhibition at The Hague Library)

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Niki

The Hague’s main library has an exhibition entitled “13678 characters of Boredom *yawn*” (scroll down for English). It’s actually pretty cool, if you’re into word searches.

Ten writers created two sentences each, in a sort of “chain writing” exercise where each sentence was related to the one that came before it. The words found in those 20 sentences can be found in the giant word search in the library.

I didn’t have any time to stop and work on it when I spotted it over the weekend, but I’ll probably go back and see if there are any words left.

The other side of the board was also a giant word search, as you can see below:

The closing event is on 18 September, so you have some time between now and then to find some words. On that day the entire poem will be revealed. Happy hunting!

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Construction work at the library (Or: Where do I find xyz, again?)

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Niki

Continuing the theme of construction related blog posts… did you know The Hague’s central library is also undergoing a massive renovation at the moment? You can read more about it over at their official website in Dutch. The fifth floor has already been renovated and features a new café. The main goal of the renovation is to add more areas for people to meet – the trend most libraries are following these days.

At the moment they are working on the ground floor and the first floor (second floor for Americans!). Here is a look at the ground floor:

The information desk used to be on the right side, the café was in the back and the old tourist information point (now gone, having moved to the The Hague’s central train station) was on the lwft side. For now the information desk and area to turn in books is on the second floor.

And here is a look at the first floor, which had places to meet and hold live shows:

I was looking for a specific book. Before I left the house I checked the website, writing down the number and floor where I could find it. It never hurts to be prepared! Of course, when I went to the third floor most of the bookshelves were missing. Hmmm. There was a sign saying the books I was looking for were temporarily moved to the second floor. I go to the second floor and there are even bigger gapping holes and empty space. The section I was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

I didn’t really feel like standing in the ever-growing line for the information desk to ask where I could find the book, so I shrugged and went home. It’s not that big a deal. Hopefully the construction will be over by the end of the summer. I am sure the end result will be worth it!

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Unexpected finds at the library (Or: The Mullet atlas of The Hague)

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Niki

Did you know there is a book full of mullet photos? In Dutch it is known as De Haagse Mat.

Matlas, The Mullet Atlas (matlas.nl in English). “There are few things as emblematic of The Hague as the mullet. Whether balding, curly, straight, gelled or matt, the mullet is a piece of The Hague’s heritage, its folklore and its traditions. It symbolizes a healthy dose of resistance to imposed norms in a world of endless, dull conformity…” The book in question is filled with photographs taken between 2011 and 2019, maps, and statistics about this particular hair style. Scroll down on that webpage to see the back cover showcasing the back of the hairstyle.

You can also check out a copy at the Central Library or the Segbroek branch. Here’s a look at this slightly oversized book:

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Art and politics (Or: Exhibition in The Hague library)

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Niki

The Hague’s central library currently has an exhibition entitled “Tekenen in Vrijheid?!” or “Freedom to draw”, where political cartoons from different parts of the world are on display. The exhibition also celebrates 75 years of freedom (since WWII) and the United Nations’ 75th anniversary (special website at un.org). The exhibition is available through 17 June and can be found on the 2nd floor, near the escalators.

The Turkish president Erdogan as a cat entangled in a ball of woll. See also this article from BBC news.

A general look at the more political cartoons on display. There was a lot to look at – I definitely recommend visiting if you are in the area.

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Libraries will open again soon! (Or: Probably… Hopefully…)

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Niki

The news outlets reported some really good news last night. During the corona debate, the prime minister agreed that it was unfair that you could buy a book from a bookstore but not loan one from a library. Bookstores reopened under step 1 of the re-opening plan, but libraries were not scheduled to open until step 3. That step is tentatively scheduled for 9 June. Therefore the government agreed that if the numbers allow it, libraries could also open next week in step 2.

The Hague’s library system confirmed that they would open from Thursday, May 20 if step 2 is allowed to go ahead:

I am just hoping to be able to check out books (in an appropriate socially distanced manner, of course) but I am sure a lot of patrons are hoping that they would be able to go to the library to study. This was a possibility before the libraries closed in December, if you had a reservation in advance.

Read more at the library’s website (in Dutch).

In other news: The Hague’s football team ADO Den Haag has officially been relegated to a lower classification next year after losing their game to Willem II. They were in the top Dutch league for 13 years. See also: Skirmishes in The Hague with ADO relegation; Vaccination site closed as precaution from dutchnews.nl.

Categories: Reading | Tags: | 2 Comments

Lights above the Netherlands (Or: Elon Musk’s satellites)

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Niki

Mysterious lights above the Netherlands turn out to be satellites from Elon Musk) – nos.nl, article in Dutch. The satellites are part of his Starlink project which aims to put 12,000 satellites into low orbit by 2024 so that everyone in the world can have fast internet. (Nice goal, but wow, space is already really crowded!)

And another space-related article: Chinese rocket’s chaotic fall to Earth highlights problem of space junk from the guardian.com. Experts have no idea where it will land – anywhere in the southern hemisphere is currently a possibility. You can follow its path from orbit.ing-now.com. They predict it will crash in the next 12 hours. Its current speed as it spins around the earth is 26,183km/h (17,518 mph). Yikes! Oh, and did I mention this rocket is about 100 feet tall and weighs 22 tons? Here is hoping it either burns up in the atmosphere or lands in an ocean somewhere.

Today’s dinner menu? Saté with rice and peanut sauce, pickled peppers/onions and kroepoek. Saté is the one meal Marco and I made in America for my family (we stowed away the most important ingredients in our suitcases). Tasty stuff.

I can relate to this:

Hopefully in June I can go to the library and check out (physical) books again!

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The Central Library (Or: At least stuffed animals can visit)

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Niki

The Central Library of The Hague (English website) is currently closed due to the lockdown. They are a bit more pragmatic than my hairdressers – they at least use terms like “closed until further notice” and “you can no longer visit until at least 9 February 2021”. Pragmatic because who knows when libraries will open again, and pragmatic because at least they don’t need to update the website again and again as the lockdown is extended. On the other side of the spectrum my hairdresser emailed to say “We are open from 10 February!” although they did also say all appointments would be cancelled automatically if they had to stay closed, so there was no risk to you.

This afternoon I requested a few hours leave. Marco and I took a walk – probably the first decent walk together in at least a month – and I snapped this photo of the central library café:

As you can see a few stuffed animals were allowed to enter the library even if humans can’t. I can imagine they were waiting for cups of chocolate milk. The character on the right is Nijntje (in English her name is Miffy, see also the English Wikipedia article). She also has her own official website: miffy.com. The character in the middle is a stork, which appears in a lot of The Hague imagery, including in its coat of arms (English Wikipedia). I assume the stuffed animal on the left is simply a rabbit, but who knows. Maybe that is a famous character as well.

Opsteker voor boekverkopers na oproep tot steuntje in de rug tijdens lockdown from nos.nl in Dutch. Translated: Boost for booksellers after call for support during lockdown. There was even a hashtag #steunjeboekhandel, or support your book store.

Happy Friday everyone. Maybe I will go read one of the books I have lying around shortly…

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