On this page you will find an overview of the answers to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) we receive at IHLIA.
The questions are organized by topic, so if you click on one of these themes, you can quickly find the your question with answer.
- All
- Activities
- Donation
- Expositions
- Friends of IHLIA
- General
- Ordering
- Other
- Perusing material
- Searching
- Supply
If you want to photograph and/or shoot a film at the IHLIA plaza, you will have to ask us in advance via info@ihlia.nl
For reserving a hall and for getting catering, please contact the Central Library.
Submit your question at our Contact page or to the IHLIA Information desk.
IHLIA will be happy to receive material that we do not have.
Yes, but only volumes and numbers that are not in our collection.
Yes, but only in videos and DVDs that we do not have in our collection.
No. We only accept clippings in digital format.
All types of material. Ask us via info@ihlia.nl
Part of the material, such as books, journals/magazines and videos/DVD can be found in our online catalogue. Objects such as T-shirts and buttons are not.
Become a member of Friends of IHLIA for minimum 35 euro per year. The money that we collect is among other things used for organizing projects, acquiring books and journals/magazines that IHLIA finds too expensive to buy on its own, and supporting the organization financially in other ways, whenever necessary.
For a minimum of 35 euro you can become a donor by filling in you details in the Friends of IHLIA form. You will find the form on the right-hand side of the Friends of IHLIA page and state your name, address, residency, bank account number and mail address. You will receive a payment slip sent home. One-time donations are also welcome.
One-time donations are also welcome. Your gift is tax deductible. The Friends of IHLIA Foundation has the status of a non-profit organization (ANBI).
You can contact us via info@ihlia.nl. If you are writing your will, you should know that Friends of IHLIA is a good cause for any bequest that you might want to make.
Yes. For information, please consult the IHLIA website.
Yes, we are pleased to cooperate with organizations and/or individuals in the area of culture, education and science. Send your request to info@ihlia.nl
The expositions can be seen at the IHLIA plaza on the 3rd floor of the Amsterdam Public Library (OBA). You can visit the expositions during the library’s opening hours (every day from 10:00 to 22:00).
No. Visiting an exposition or the opening of one is free.
Usually not. For information, please consult the IHLIA website.
Via the IHLIA website, the IHLIA newsletter and the IHLIA Facebook page. Via the IHLIA website, you can sign up for the IHLIA newsletter. If you tick Like on the IHLIA Facebook page, you will be automatically notified of IHLIA activities, including upcoming expositions.
Photographing exposition items for publication and/or commercial purposes is permitted only after consulting IHLIA. You will have to send your request at least two weeks in advance to info@ihlia.nl. It is permitted to take personal photos at the IHLIA plaza and/or to photograph archive documents for your own personal use.
Yes, many current and also older expositions are for hire. Send your request to info@ihlia.nl
We can copy or scan a number of pages for you from grey literature and articles. The fee is 0.50 euro per copy. Regretfully, we cannot copy or scan complete books. Audio-visual material may not be duplicated due to copyright regulations.
No. For this you will have to turn to IISH. There you can make copies of archive documents according to the rules and rates of the IISH.
The invoice is sent right away with your order to your address. The invoice also tells you how you can pay.
Almost always. If you want to use or copy videos/DVDs and photos/posters, you must take care of the copyrights yourself.
If the owner is known, then IHLIA can give you the contact information. In other cases, you would have to find out by yourself.
No, because the IHLIA collections are so rare, they cannot be lent out.
Yes, the collection from the Pink Cabinet is available for lending via the OBA.
Material must be requested 1 working day in advance. That way, our employees have enough time to get everything ready for you. If nevertheless you can’t make it to the agreed appointment, then notify us as soon as possible. You may peruse maximum 12 items each time and the material must be returned to the information desk before 17:00. The audio-visual material can be seen / listened to by maximum 1 to 2 persons at the same time.
To be able to see the material that you requested, we ask you to bring your Vistitors Information Form as a guarantee. If you have that form, you do not need any proof of identification. If you do not have this form, then it is mandatory to take along a proof of identity.
Yes, you can make copies yourself of the reserved material. The OBA has a number of copiers in the building. Copying and printing documents costs € 0.10 per page. It is only possible to pay with a debet card. You will find a copier/printer right opposite the escalator. You can pay with a credit note (starting at 5 euro) that you can purchase from the point-of-sale terminal.
Yes, the rules and rates of the IISH apply to this. You would have to contact the IISH yourself.
You will find a copier/printer across from the lift, near the escalator. You can pay with your OBA card (if you have enough credit) or with a credit note that you can purchase from the point-of-sale terminal (on the 5th floor).
No, unfortunately, you cannot scan the material yourself. If necessary, IHLIA assistants can scan a number of pages for you from grey literature and articles. This will cost you € 0.50 per scan. Take into account that scanning may take a few days. Unfortunately, we cannot scan books.
Yes, you can print yourself by paying with your OBA card (if you have enough credit) or with a credit note that you can purchase from the point-of-sale terminal. You will find a printer right opposite the escalator.
No, due to copyright regulations, you can only peruse these publications. Exception to this are publications in which the copyright has expired and publications that indicate specific permission for copying (usually found on the last page of the publication).
Yes, you can photograph material yourself with your camera or mobile telephone.
No, due to copyrights, this is not possible unless IHLIA is the copyright owner.
No, IHLIA is not a research institute. IHLIA’s service is primarily focused on providing information about the IHLIA collections.
If you find it difficult to find information about your subject, then we can assist you with our reading lists. In addition, we can also create a customized bibliography. When requesting a bibliography, explain very clearly what you are looking for (the subject, which language or languages, country or countries, time period and if possible – for what purpose).
Books in the book cabinets on the 3rd floor can be perused immediately without any reservations. Books that are in our storage room have to be reserved at least one working day in advance. Also carefully read our procedures.
A small part of our Digital Library is available online. In connection with copyrights, the rest is only accessible via the client-PCs at the IHLIA information desk on the 3rd floor during opening hours. You will need the assistance of one of our employees. We are working diligently to make more material available online in the future.
Whenever you see “Digital Library” in the location field in the online catalogue on our website, it means that you can see a digital publication.
Whenever you see “ODE3” in the location field alongside a book in the online catalogue on our website, it means that the book can be found in the cabinet on the 3rd floor and therefore, does not have to be reserved. Books that do not indicate “ODE3” do have to be reserved.
In our online catalogue on the OBA website this is indicated by the note “3rd floor… PINK COLLECTION” after you have clicked on Where is it located?
At the IHLIA Information desk on the IHLIA plaza on the 3rd floor of the OBA or via email info@ihlia.nl
At the IHLIA Information desk on the IHLIA plaza on the 3rd floor of the OBA. Don’t forget to take your Visitors Information Form with you. You need this in case you want to see reserved materials. If you don’t have this form, then bring with you a valid proof of identification (passport/ID card/driver’s license).
Our archives are housed in the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam and you can peruse them there. To peruse these archives, you need the permission of IHLIA.
At the IHLIA Information desk on the IHLIA plaza on the 3rd floor of the OBA during our opening hours, you can see the videos/DVDs that you reserved. The use of headphones is mandatory. There are two headphones available that can be used simultaneously.
LGBT Life database is only accessible to our employees, but with this extensive database we have more information at our disposal and we can therefore help you much better.
No. Certain collections cannot be seen outline as yet. We are still working hard on the photos archive. Also the sound archive and the archive of objects (buttons, T-shirts, condom packaging, museum objects) cannot be perused online as yet. You can however get information about these collections at the IHLIA Information desk.
Yes, we will try to help you.
On this page you will find an overview of the archival collections. These collections are housed in the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam and can be perused there after receiving permission by IHLIA.
Most of the books are in a separate storage area. A small number of books, mainly new study books and biographies, can be found in the book cabinets on the 3rd floor.
There are three IHLIA book cabinets on the 3rd floor of the OBA: two white cabinets and a Pink Cabinet. They are located nearby the lifts. This collection can be perused at any time during the opening hours of the OBA (seven days per week from 10:00 to 22:00).
The collection in the white cabinets CANNOT BE BORROWED. You can however BORROW from the collection in the Pink Cabinet via the OBA.
The first white cabinet contains REFERENCE BOOKS, ANTHOLOGIES and BIOGRAPHIES. The second white cabinet contains STUDY BOOKS. The books are arranged in alphabetic order according to authors.
- Via the online catalogue of IHLIA
- Via the online catalogue of the OBA
- Via the online catalogue of AdamNet
- Via the online catalogue of Worldcat
- Via the client-PCs at the IHLIA Information desk
IHLIA has a large archive of newspaper clippings that contains LGBT-related newspaper articles from Dutch national daily papers. Not all the newspaper articles are in our databases. If our database contains the article that you are looking for, you may inspect it. Clippings boxes arranged according to subject and date can be reserved and perused during the opening hours of the IHLIA Information desk. Starting from 2002, the clippings are saved only in digital format (text only).
Yes. In these reading lists you will find recent titles of books, article and research works or theses about various LGBT subjects. When we selected the subjects, we based our choices on the most prevalent information requests submitted to IHLIA.
We can help you with searching in the photo archive via the IHLIA Information desk.
Aside from our own database, we also have access to the international database LGBT Life of EBSCO Host. This is an extensive index of LGBT-related materials that has been published all over the world.
This database contains indexes and summaries of articles from more than 140 important and specific LGBT magazines and journals and more than 290 important and specific LGBT books and reference books (mainly in English).
Furthermore, LGBT Life has the complete texts of 55 important and what historically are considered the most significant LGBT journals/academic journals, magazines and regional newspapers, such as Advocate, Gay Parent Magazine, GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian & Gay Studies and ONE. In addition, it has more than 100 complete studies and books, such as Classics in Lesbian Studies, Handbook of Research with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Populations and Queer Theory & Social Change.
Besides this material, LGBT Life has also expanded its database with grey literature, including newsletters, case studies, lectures, etc. All in all, this database offers a wide range of information related to the following professional areas: LGBT rights, culture, work, family, history, politics, psychology, religion and sociology.
Unfortunately, LGBT Life is only accessible to our employees at the IHLIA information desk, but with this extensive database we have more information at our disposal and we can therefore help you much better. It is however possible for a visitor to consult this database together with our employees.
IHLIA is located on the 3rd floor of the Amsterdam Public Library (OBA), Oosterdokskade 143, 1011 DL Amsterdam. Read the directions on how you can get to the OBA.
The study hall is open seven days a week from 10:00 to 22:00. The Information desk is open on Monday to Thursday from 12:00 to 17:00. The IHLIA information desk is closes on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and national holidays.
IHLIA has the largest gay and lesbian collection in Europe, with more than 110,000 titles. It has 1,415 meters of cupboard shelves that hold around 22,000 books, 4,800 magazines/journals, 2,000 videos and DVDs with movies, documentaries, TV series and commercials, 6,500 posters and 11,000 theses, brochures, academic papers and memos.
No, that is not necessary. Access to the study hall and perusing the collections is free. On their first visit, we ask our guests to fill in a Visitors Information Form. This form can also be used for subsequent visits.
Access to the study hall and perusing the collections is free. Also requests for information, which are sent by email and which can be handled fast and easily, are part of our services.
IHLIA is a library, archive and information center that welcomes anyone who wants to do his/her own research in our study hall.
The Pink Cabinet contains books and films about LGBT subjects. IHLIA began this project together with the Amsterdam Public Library (OBA), because ‘pink’ books and films – if they were already available – they were often difficult to find or simply not visible. The first Pink Cabinet now has a place on the IHLIA plaza in the OBA but ultimately, we would like to see this special cabinet in as many public libraries as possible in the Netherlands.
Most of the books and DVDs in the Pink Cabinet can also be found in the IHLIA collection. The difference is that, contrary to the IHLIA collection, the collection in the Pink Cabinet can be borrowed.