Under a joint project the British Library and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek digitise parts of two atlases factices, the Atlas Van der Hagen from KB and the Atlas Beudeker from the British Library. (See: Digitisation of two compiled atlases: Atlas Van der Hagen and Atlas Beudeker, Den Haag: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, December 1996).
The Atlas Beudeker (c. 1757) consists of 24 volumes with maps, prints and portaits dealing with The Netherlands in the seventeenth and eightteenth century, of which for the present one volume, nr. 21 about the Conquests of the United Netherlands was digitised. Of the Atlas Van der Hagen (c. 1690) all four volumes (about 450 images) have been digitized. Volume II in particular deals with the age of William and Mary in Great Britain and The Netherlands at the second part of the seventeenth century. A website has been produced, accessible for all, providing information about the origin and compilation of the atlases as well as about the owners, the quality and content of the topographical maps, prints, engravings and texts. All images have been described with references to literature. It is possible to search via indexes for authors, publishers, sculptors, paintors, etc.
Since the size of the original atlases is relatively large and each map provides detailed information, it is not possible to show the complete map together with all the details on a computer screen. Details will be made visible using a zoom utility (MrSID) which will be integrated in the search engine. This will provide users with the possibilities to enhance the image two or even three times it's actual size allowing them to compare maps, details and content. This and the rather extensive descriptions of the maps lift this project far beyond the publication of mere images on the Internet. The atlases form a rich resource for researchers in various disciplines.
The project was started in April 1997 with the digitisation of the Atlas van der Hagen (450 images). The project was finished in August 1998 and presented at the bicentenary celebrations of KB.