Using the Collections
Temporarily unavailable | Library | Archives | Audiovisual Collections | Digital Collections
The reading room contains reference works on social economic history, inventories to archival collections, recent issues of a selection of journals, and publications by IISH, NEHA, and Persmuseum.
All other documents, books, periodicals, and archival collections are stored in closed-access stacks and cannot be browsed by the public. Request forms must be filled in to request documents.
There are 7 stacks in over 4 floors. Therefore, it may take some time to collect all documents you have requested. The average waiting time is about 30 minutes.
Staff can set a limit to the number of requests received from a single individual at one time.
No requests will be handled after 4 p.m.
For the type of materials collected see the general descriptions, at Collections.
See also general descriptions of collections of NEHA and Persmuseum
Archival and library materials in use in the reading room can be reserved for up to three weeks. The documents are kept in cupboards and do not have to be re-requested on subsequent visits.
Temporarily unavailable
Some collections may be temporarily not available for consultation. This can occur if documents are is being reinventorised, receiving conservation treatment, being digitized, or due to shortage of stack space. An overview.
Library Collections
Photo: Akiko Tobu, 1999
The catalogue holds records of all books, booklets, and periodicals in the libraries of the IISH, NEHA, and Persmuseum.
The catalogue includes descriptions of items from the image and sound collections.
Search the catalogue
Journal articles and chapters in books are not listed in the catalogue. To access these, you will need to use an index or database to explore the content of journals or books, and search the catalogue for the journal or book in which the article appears.
Online available databases are Labour History Serials Service (serials in the field of labour history), Viva Database (contains records describing articles published on women's history). Other databases can only be consulted in the reading room.
For reasons of conservation some journals and periodicals are only available on microfilms and microfiches. Reading and printing equipment is available.
Once you have registered as a visitor, it is possible to order books and periodicals from stacks in advance. Telephone requests cannot be processed.
Please send an email, at least 24 hours before your visit, to with your name, title of book or serial, call number, and date of your planned visit. For serials please also include the years. It is possible to order up to 3 items in advance.
Archival Collections
Photo: Akiko Tobu, 1999
Use the index to 3,000 archival collections to see which collections are kept by the Institute. The documents themselves can only be consulted in the reading room.
The archival collections are available for research purposes. The Rules for the Consultation of Archival Collections apply with respect to the general use of the archival collections by individual researchers.
Donors and owners of material on loan to the Institute may, however, impose certain restrictions about accessing, copying, and publishing these collections or parts of collections, including a requirement for expressly requesting permission of the donor or owner. Restricted access to archives may also be necessary to protect the privacy of individuals or because of the physical condition of the material in question.
Individuals or organizations proposing to publish microform editions or publish substantial extracts of sources in any form should contact the director of the Institute.
To find out if access to a collection is limited, read the introduction to the inventory for a specific collection or consult the catalogue. For permission to consult a collection with limited access, please submit a written request in advance stating the nature of your study. This may be done using the Restricted Access Archives form.
For more information please contact the reading room,
Some archives may be temporarily unavailable. This can occur if records are being re-inventoried, receiving conservation treatment, or being copied to film or microfiche.
Researchers are advised to inquire in advance about the status of collections they want to consult.
After registration as a visitor it is possible to order documents from stacks in advance. We can only handle requests from freely accessible archival collections and requests with inventory numbers. Telephone requests cannot be processed. Please send an email, at least 24 hours before your visit, to with your name, date of your planned visit, name of the collection, and inventory numbers. Up to 3 items can be ordered in advance.
For reasons of conservation some archival documents are only available on microfilms and microfiches. Reading and printing equipment can be used in the reading room.
Audiovisual Collections
Photo: Akiko Tobu, 1999
Most of the image and sound collections are accessible through our search portal search.iisg.nl and can be searched by organization, date, location, or subject. There is a subject index in the thesaurus.
Digitized copies, low resolution scans only, of visual documents can be viewed by using our search portal.
In addition, it is possible to browse through lists of about 230 photo collections. These collections have not been digitized and are only available for consultation in the Reading Room
Advance arrangements are necessary for consulting original material.
Appropriate equipment is available for viewing videotapes, color slides, and negatives and for listening to CDs, records, and cassettes.
Digital Collections
The IISH is building a trusted digital repository. During this project public access to digital collections is restricted. Advance arrangements are necessary for consulting digital material. Please contact the reading room, .