The core business of the UBL is to support research and education by making information available and accessible in a sustainable and open manner. In addition, the UBL also has a social, cultural and international role, partly because of the heritage it manages. To this end, we offer a digital and physical…

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The Library Panel is a platform for students and staff at Leiden University to give their opinion on the services and products of the University Libraries (UBL).

UBL's collection exists to a large extent thanks to donations and financial support from private donors and funds.

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) is an internationally recognised research library with world-class collections and advanced services for education and research. The UBL provides these scholarly information services as a trusted partner in knowledge for researchers, teachers and students. We create…

Leiden University has several library locations. These libraries are part of one organisation: Leiden University Libraries (UBL). The UBL includes the University Library, the Social and Behavioural Sciences Library, the Law Library, the Science Library, the Asian Library, the Middle Eastern Library, the African…

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The UBL develop collections which support the needs of faculty and students of the University.

Approximate delivery times for library items requested at Leiden University Libraries (UBL).

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) owns over 5 million paper materials. Loanable items can be picked up and returned at the UBL library location of your choice.

Persistent identifiers, such as the DOI, enable (online) references to work even when the location of the referenced object changes. The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is used for objects like publications and data. Using a DOI makes it easy to cite and reference persistently.

The UBL provides access to an endless collection printed and online journal articles

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) participates in international interlibrary loan services (ILL) and document delivery for libraries worldwide.

Jacques J. M. van Gent (8 June 1932 - 26 March 2021) was director of Leiden University Library from 1983 to 1993. He was librarian in a time of transition and, as director, was able to benefit from the new library building on the Witte Singel. Van Gent was a very different kind of manager from his predecessor,…

‘Huis van het Boek/Museum Meermanno in The Hague exhibits book bindings by leading Dutch Art-Nouveau artists from the period 1890-1910. The exhibition will be open from March 22 to June 23 2019. The title of the exhibition is De Bijzondere Band: Art Nouveau-boeken van Dijsselhof, Lion Cachet en Nieu…

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) has been able to acquire an extraordinary Chinese manuscript at auction in Hong Kong. It concerns an Imperial Edict (dated 1582) from the Ming dynasty period, at one time part of the former collection of well-known sinologist and author of detective-novels Robert van…

Do you have plans to conduct scientific research on the basis of the extensive digital collections of Leiden University Libraries (UBL)? Then the Fellowship Program for Digital Scholarship sponsored by Elsevier is something for you.

The standard loan period for items borrowed at Leiden University Libraries (UBL) is 3 weeks.

In 2022, Leiden was European City of Science. During this year, Leiden presented a public programme brimming with science, knowledge, arts, and skills for anyone with a curious mind. Leiden University Libraries (UBL) organised an extensive programme of activities on the theme of Leiden European City…

Old maps, beautifully coloured drawings, early photographs, rare books, and even a genuine love letter. Leiden University Libraries (UBL) holds an important and diverse Japan collection. From January through December 2026, we will organize various public activities around the Japan collections.

Leiden University Libraries' favourite tools to facilitate your online work and research.

Knowing where scientific information can be found and how to use it is of great importance for getting through university. In collaboration with teachers, UBL guides students in information literacy skills: from assessing information to searching in the Special Collections and citation management.

Conditions are attached to the use of information sources (databases) provided by UBL.

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) has seen an increase in the number of visitors seeking a place to study. In order to meet Leiden University students' concerns, UBL has chosen to regulate library and study place access.

Special books, drawings, photos and other source material in the UBL collections can be found at the Special Collections department. You can’t borrow these materials, but you can request them via the catalogue and consult them in the library. Planning your first visit to the Special Collections reading…

Describing almost 1400 maps of Africa in three months. It’s no small task that student assistants Artemis Mantheakis and Beatriz Veiga have been working on within the joint ASCL-UBL Africa Maps Project. The project’s aim is to describe and catalogue a 20th-century map collection of the library of the…

Any questions regarding the Leiden University Libraries (UBL) or our services?

Do you have books, manuscripts, and other materials and are considering donating them to UBL? If so, please get in touch with us.