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Books and periodicals in the reading room
The NAI library collects and manages information about Dutch and international architecture, urban design, and related design fields such as housing, spatial planning, landscape architecture, and interior architecture.
Broader Perspective
The main emphasis is on the modern era, in other words the period from the 19th century onwards. Although on a smaller scale, the NAI also takes an interest in art, photography, and design, as well as in social topics such as globalization, the new economy, the network society, and the amusement industry. By staying in touch with these trends, the NAI aims to take a broader perspective of developments which are relevant to designing the space around us.
A Growing Collection
The collection consists of approximately 42,000 books and brochures, and nearly 1,000 periodical titles from home and abroad, including 125 current subscriptions. Work is also in progress to expand the collection of CD-ROMS and DVDs. The clippings collection comprises articles and news reports from the major Dutch dailies and weeklies.
The NAI furthermore has a fine collection of rare books and magazines from the 1920-1940 period, and folios from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The collection is growing annually by a shelf length of some 20 meters - not only through purchases from modern and antiquarian bookshops, but also through gifts from institutions and individuals, and through the acquisition of libraries forming part of the estates of Dutch architects. Items in the collection may be viewed but are not available for lending.
> Searching the Collection
The NAI was formed in 1988 by a merger of The Stichting
Architectuurmuseum, the Nederlands Documentatiecentrum voor de
Bouwkunst, and Stichting Wonen. These three organizations placed their
collections in the care of the new institute. The history of the
collection however, goes much further back.
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General information on the reading room: opening hours, facilities, asking questions and obtaining a free reading room pass.
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The NAI library collects and manages 42,000 books, brochures and audio visual items. Several catalogs enable you to access the library collection. Most of them are accessible through the internet.
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June 2010 | After the June 9 elections, the Netherlands will have a new
parliament. A new cabinet will be formed, the colour and composition of
which cannot be underestimated in relation to the way urban planning
and architecture will be employed for our country’s design. The NAI collection not only shows how
individual architects have made our country what it is, but it also
reveals the mark that politics has made.
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The NAI keeps and cares for roughly 500 archives and individual collections created by Dutch architects, urban designers, professional associations and training institutes.
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