Welcome to The Hague’s most exiting “department store”
In former days people visited public libraries solely to borrow books. Today one can still do the same, but many people also go to the library now because so much more can be borrowed, obtained and experienced. How about CDs, sheet music, DVDs, CD-ROMS, documentation materials and videos? Not to mention the library’s substantial collection of books and materials in foreign languages: many of the information books are in English. With over one million items you will not have finished reading, viewing and listening for a long time to come. Every year we welcome about two and a half million visitors in the Central Library and our eighteen branch libraries. Our membership files contain approximately a hundred thousand members, of which a substantial number have been members for over twenty years!
As for reading your newspaper or favourite magazine: the library is the right address. We offer an extensive selection of newspapers and periodicals of all kinds in Dutch, English, French, German, Russian, other European languages, Chinese, Japanese, Surinamese, Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi and even in Urdu. Many of them can be read in the Central Library while other periodicals are geared to specific communities and can be borrowed at certain branch libraries.
What else can you do at the public library? Every month all library locations organize activities like readings, workshops, courses, exhibitions, concerts… actually too much to mention. Many programmes or activities are in English like “Roving Tales”, “Creative Writing”, Christie’s Valuation Day or public readings of literature. In addition the library often cooperates in main municipal programmes and activities. Needless to say the library always joins in with major national events as well, such as the Book Week, “Nederland leest” (“Holland Reads”) and the Children’s Book Week. Every month you will find a survey of all activities on our website and in the Library Programme or “Bibliotheek Agenda” (in short: BA). The BA can be collected at the counter of all library locations.
The Internet Library also offers an exciting treasure house of information. Browse around and enjoy our enormous digital supply of library materials, databases, programmes, events, specific services and much more. We are always open to suggestions: virtuelebibliotheek@dobdenhaag.nl