Frequently Asked Questions
If you can't find an answer to your question, please go to Enquiries.
General- Can I conduct research at the IISG / NEHA / Persmuseum?
- Do I have to pay for services?
- Must I be a member to use the library?
- Do I need to show my identity card?
- What are your opening hours?
- How can I get to the IISH's offices in Amsterdam?
- How can I find a particular book in the library?
- I'm looking for a newspaper from a specific year. How can I find out if you have it?
- Do you have a subject index of articles?
- Which archival collections are held by the IISH?
- Do you have any photographs / posters in your collections?
- Is it possible to reserve material in advance?
- I found some interesting documents; is it possible to read them online?
- Are all collections accessible without restrictions?
- I notice there is restricted access for viewing some papers I would like to research - how do I get such access?
- Can I borrow books?
- Can I borrow issues of journals to take home?
- Can I photocopy pages from books and journals?
- Can I photocopy archival documents?
- Can I order photocopies of books or periodicals by mail / email?
- How can I order photocopies of archival documents?
- Can I purchase posters shown on your website?
- Can I purchase records listed on your website?
- I ordered photocopies; how do I pay for them?
- Can I request that someone at the IISH do some research for me?
- Are your photographs / posters copyright protected?
- My grandfather fought in the Spanish Civil War. Can you find any information about him in your collections?
- I found an old life insurance policy/ funeral documents. How can I tell if it is still valid?
- How can I trace information about a (former) Dutch pension fund?
- I have another question ...
General
- Can I conduct research at the IISG / NEHA / Persmuseum?
Anyone who wants to engage in research in archival collections and use the library of the International Institute of Social History, Netherlands Economic History Archive (NEHA), and Persmuseum is welcome to the Reading Room. - Do I have to pay for services?
Access to the Reading Room and consulting the collection is free of charge. Answering simple written queries is also part of this service. - Must I be a member to use the library?
On each visit researchers are asked to sign our guestbook.
We do not provide general library passes.
Anyone who wants to use the library of the IISH, NEHA, and Persmuseum is welcome to the Reading Room. - Do I have to submit my identity card?
(Pre)Registration is not necessary.
Anyone who wants to engage in research in archival collections of the IISH, NEHA, and Persmuseum is welcome to the Reading Room. - What are your opening hours?
The Reading Room is open from 9:00 to 17:00 Monday through Friday.
No requests for material from stacks will be handled after 4 p.m.
The Institute is closed on Dutch public holidays and memorial days. - How can I get to the IISH?
See www.iisg.nl/address.php#route for how to get here by public transport or car.
Search
- How can I find a book in the library?
IISH Search Portal holds records of all books, booklets, and periodicals in the libraries of the IISH, NEHA, and Persmuseum. It includes descriptions of items from the image and sound collections.
All 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. - I'm looking for a newspaper of a specific year. Do you hold it?
The library holds an extensive collection of newspapers.
Please check the IISH Search Portal to see if the newspaper you're looking for is available.
For reasons of conservation some journals and periodicals are only available on films or microfiches. Reading, printing, and scanning equipment for consulting films and microfiches is available. - Do you have a subject index of articles?
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).
In the Reading Room you have access to Historical Abstracts. - Which archival collections are held by the IISH?
Use the index to 2,800 archives and collections to see which collections are kept by the Institute. Over 1000 lists and inventories of archival collections are currently available on-line.
At the Reading Room you can also research collections of the NEHA and Persmuseum.
See Special collections of NEHA.
Go to Persmuseum, see 'Collectie' and 'Archieven'.
For reasons of conservation some archival documents are only available on films and microfiches. Reading, printing, and scanning equipment can be used in the Reading Room. - Do you have any photographs / posters in your collections?
In the collection guide to the Image and Sound Collections you will find a survey of the image and sound collections held by the IISH.
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.
Consulting
- Is it possible to reserve material in advance?
Prior to your visit it is possible to request materials by e-mail. Send an e-mail (at least 24 hours before your visit) to containing the required data. You can repeat this request up to 3 items.
Your e-mail must contain the following information:
For books: your name, title, author, call number, and date of your visit.
For magazines: your name, title, call number, year(s), and date of your visit.
For documents: your name, name of the archive, inventory numbers, and date of your visit. - I found some interesting documents, can I read them online?
The IISH holds over 3,000 archives and collections, all together over 14 kilometer of paper; it is not possible to put all these documents online, they can only be consulted in the Reading Room.
Often it is possible to order photocopies of documents. - Are all collections accessible without restrictions?
Most archives are accessible without any restrictions for research.
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.
To find out if access to a collection is limited, see the brief descriptions of the relevant archives. - Consultation of papers I would like to research is restricted - how do I get access
The Institute intermediates in requiring permission from the archive creator to get access to collections with limited or restricted access.
For requesting permission to consult such a collection, please submit a written request stating the nature of your study. This may be done using the Restricted Access Archives form.
When permission is granted you are welcome to the Reading Room to consult the documents.
Delivery
- Can I borrow books?
In general, all items of the library should be available at all times to each visitor of the Reading Room. This means we do not lend out any publications. - Can I take journals home?
Journals and newspapers can not be borrowed; it is often possible to order photocopies. - Can I photocopy books and journals?
All standard sized (up to size A4) library material in good condition can be photgraphed, scanned, or copied on a self-service photocopier in the Reading Room.
For all other requests, please complete an order form at the circulation desk - the reproductions can be mailed to your home address.
See our rates. - Can I photocopy archival documents?
For preservation reasons it is not allowed to make photocopies of archive and manuscript materials by yourself. Scanning or photographing archival documents is in most cases allowed.
You can also complete an order form at the circulation desk - the reproductions can be mailed to your home address.
Order
- Can I order photocopies of books or periodicals by mail / email?
It is possible to order reproductions by mail, or by using the form Enquiries. Besides the costs for reproductions we will also charge you with postage for sending the photocopies. You will be sent an invoice with instructions for payment. - How can I order photocopies of archival documents?
In order to receive some reproductions of archival documents, for research purposes only, send an email, or use the form Enquiries.
An invoice will be sent separately - see our rates.
Please note: Before ordering reproductions of archival documents, please check the available on-line finding aids of archival collections. See Index of Archives. Access to some archival collections may be restricted. - Can I buy posters depicted on your website?
IISH is a documentary institute with a library and an archive - we don't sell from our collections.
However, it is possible to order high resolution scans of posters - see Services.
See also Social History Shop - the IISH webshop offers reproductions of 200 posters from the IISH collections - Can I buy records listed on your website?
We do not sell from our collections, however, it is possible to order reproductions - see for more information Services and Collections. - I ordered photocopies, how can I pay for them?
An invoice with instructions how to pay will be sent separately from the photocopies. - Can I ask you to do research for me?
Public Services is responsible for library and archival collections services at the International Institute of Social History (IISH), the Netherlands Economic History Archive (NEHA), and Persmuseum [Dutch press museum].
Everyone is welcome to conduct research in the Reading Room.
We do not carry out research.
See the Index of Archives or search the IISH Search Portal. - Are your photographs / posters copyright protected?
The Institute is the safe keeper of collections and does not intermediate in questions about copyrights held by third parties. The Institute accepts no liability whatsoever arising from the use of its materials. Users are responsible for conforming to all relevant statutory provisions concerning copyright.
See IISH copyright statement.
Other
- My grandfather fought in the Spanish Civil War - can you find any information about him in your collections?
A Guide to the Spanish Civil War Collections provides a survey of all primary source materials on the Spanish Civil War at the IISH. This guide is an index to collections consisting of hundreds of files and thousands of documents. Unfortunately, due to a lack of personnel, the IISH Reading Room staff is in no position to search for personal information or documentation about individuals. If you wish to consult the archival materials you're welcome in the Reading Room. If, after consulting the inventories, you've found documents of interest, it is possible to order some reproductions, for research purposes only. See FAQ no. 22 for procedure and rates. - I have found an old life insurance / funeral policy - is it still valid?
Information on Dutch insurers can be found at the website of the Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) - www.dnb.nl/dnb/home/over_dnb/veelgestelde_vragen/
vragen_over_verzekeringen/nl/46-150332-64.html - How can I trace information about (former) Dutch pension funds?
At the site of the Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) you'll find a 3-step plan that helps you to find information on Dutch pension funds - see www.dnb.nl/dnb/home/over_dnb/veelgestelde_vragen/vragen_over_pensioenen/nl/46-150320-64.html - I have another question ...
Please go to Enquiries for questions about the collections of the IISH, NEHA and related subjects. If we do not have an answer to your question, we will try to refer you to another institution or specialist.