Educational coordinator

Thomas Martin

Our educational mission is all about information literacy. How do you adequately and critically work with the information that is available today? Thanks to our collection, a true treasure trove of information, we have a lot of experience on this subject ourselves, which we pass on to schools. We also focus on education online. Thomas Martin is our educational coordinator. 

Curator of modern prints

Marlou de Bont

From the 19th century onwards, the book becomes a mass-produced item, printed with the help of the industrial printing press on machine-made paper. This kind of mechanisation happens little by little. In our collection policy, we date the transition to the year 1830. From then on, we speak of ‘modern prints’. Curator Marlou de Bont manages this extensive part of our collection. Do you have research questions about the modern prints in our collection? Feel free to contact her. 

Become a friend or make a donation

You can join our association of friends, the Endowment Fund for Books and Literature, or you can make a donation.

The Globes of Blaeu

The celestial and terrestrial globes of Willem Jansz. Blaeu (1571-1638) were in the 17th century praised as progressive creations in the field of cartographic techniques. The globes now at the Heritage Library were in 1836 gifted by Baron de Pret de Terveken to the City of Antwerp.

Cataloguing system

Mieke Lietaer

How do you find the right books and materials in our vast collection of nearly 800.000 titles? Every edition is carefully described in our extensive catalogue. This way, users can find what they are looking for in different manners. However, that can only happen when the descriptions are accurate and complete. Mieke Lietaer is responsible for the cataloguing system.  

Making reproductions

You may scan, copy or photograph some items from our collection yourself. Alternatively, you can request a high-quality scan from our reproduction service.

Reading room

In our reading room you can consult all collection items of the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library. You can also search our digital databases and have reproductions made. For those who want to get to know the library and its heritage collections in more detail, there are our introductory sessions or workshops.

Egyptian Cabinet

There is a remarkable piece of furniture in the Nottebohm Room: The Egyptian Cabinet. It holds twelve unique and impressive volumes containing a total of nine hundred lithographs by Eberhard Weidenbach. The book itself is the ‘Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopiën’ by Karl Richard Lepsius, the result of a three-year expedition along the Nile Valley starting in 1842.

A virtual visit to the Nottebohm Room

Hidden gem now available online

The Nottebohm Room is a true hidden gem. Visit this magical room from home.

Treasures of the Nottebohm Room

For groups

Visit one of the most beautiful and prestigious library spaces with your association or group. A guide will take you through the history of the building and explain the special books kept there.