The National Library of the Netherlands (KB) has launched a new web collection: Religion and Philosophy of Life. In it you will find 580 websites about religion, spirituality and philosophy of life, or how people view life. It is the largest Dutch web collection on this subject.
What can you find in the web collection?
The KB wants to preserve everything published in and about the Netherlands, including websites. We do this in our web collections in which you will find, for example, the oldest Dutch website and the first Dutch homepages. We also create collections on current themes, such as websites on the coronavirus pandemic and LGBTIQ+ topics. Religion and Philosophy of Life is a continuously current theme. For this web collection the KB selected 580 websites.
With the collection, the KB aims to provide a good impression of religion, spirituality and philosophy of life on the Dutch web. Faith is changing rapidly in the Netherlands. Particularly on the internet, you see many new movements, such as New Age, Wicca and Osho. Other examples are bloggers who gather followers around them; self-employed people who help others to become one with the divine; and web shops offering spirituality at a 35 percent discount. These forms of religion are unique to this day and age and to our country. We therefore want to archive these sites quickly.
Research
The new web collection has been compiled on the basis of research conducted by Digital Humanities-student Frank Smit of the University of Groningen. He did so under the guidance of web collections specialist Peter de Bode and digital collections curator Kees Teszelszky. Smit’s research included investigating how individuals or groups present or sell themselves online. What language do they use? What digital resources? And are there differences between old and new religions?
How to access the new web collection
You can access the web collection online in the KB’s reading room. This requires an current KB membership card. A description of the collection can be found here.
