Our mission

A smarter, more skilled and more creative Netherlands

The KB, the national library of the Netherlands, has been a source of inspiration and development for centuries. Since our foundation in 1798, we have developed into a broad, versatile organisation, that makes the National Library collection visible, usable and sustainable for all Dutch people, for any purpose, both now and in the future. We care for the written word, especially the Dutch publications, and enable everyone to read, learn and do research. This is how we contribute to a smarter, more skilled and more creative Netherlands.

Our vision

We approach changes and developments actively and with optimism. Our 3 guiding principles are:

• Value to society is central: as a publicly financed organisation, the contribution we can make to society is paramount to us. To this end, we constantly monitor the progress and success of all our activities.
• Digital at the forefront: in order to effectively fulfil our role in the information society, we are increasingly learning throughout the organisation to think and work primarily digitally.
• Thinking in networks: our social role in the information society also includes thinking in networks. We are joining forces with users and partners to ensure continued progress.

Our values

The core values that we share are: open, unifying, innovative and reliable. We shape our mission based on these core values and are active in our networks.