Bibliotheeknetwerk.nl has published a new tool that provides an overview of all non-Dutch language books that libraries in The Netherlands have on offer. The dashboard shows which titles are available in which form (physical books, e-books, audiobooks) and in which location. The overview was compiled with help from the public libraries and the KB National Library of the Netherlands.
What’s in the dashboard?
The dashboard lists all non-Dutch language books available for borrowing in libraries in the Netherlands, or in the online Library. If you’re looking for a particular Spanish book, for example, the dashboard will show you in which libraries it can be borrowed. The dashboard has filter options for titles, libraries, writers, genres and types of book (e-book, audio book, etc.) At the moment, the foreign language collections of 712 libraries are included, offering over 527,000 titles in 161 languages.
Who is this dashboard aimed at?
The dashboard is aimed at anyone who is looking for a book in a language that is not Dutch. A useful source for refugees, new Dutch or bicultural citizens, as well as for librarians, school pupils and students.
Why was the dashboard created?
The idea for the dashboard evolved when Dutch libraries started receiving questions on behalf of Ukrainian refugees. Astrid Kraal, the KB’s network manager for the Dutch public libraries: “The libraries noticed an increase in demand for Ukrainian reading and audio material after the arrival of Ukrainian refugees. But unknown to many, Dutch libraries stock reading and audio material in countless languages! We’d like to encourage all Dutch citizens to read more, irrespective of the language.”
What’s new?
In the past, if you wanted to find a book in a foreign language, you had to search the collections of individual libraries to see whether they had it in stock. The dashboard has centralised all this information, so you only need to look in one place to see which library stocks a particular book.
Want to know more?
Visit the dashboard on bibliotheeknetwerk.nl.