Website Leiden Asia Year available
The programme for the Leiden Asia Year in 2017 is now available. Rector Carel Stolker launched the new website leidenasiayear.nl at the opening of the Academic Year of Leiden University on 5 September.
Throughout 2017 Leiden will be the leading centre for Asia in terms of research, teaching, collections and expertise. Leiden University, the municipality of Leiden and cultural partners are all committed to making this year a success. The websitecontains information about lectures, exhibitions and numerous other activities that are part of the Leiden Asia Year in 2017.
Leiden: a single Asian knowledge centre
Leiden University is the place where
high-quality knowledge about Asia is
brought together in teaching and
research. The Leiden Asia Year 2017
was prompted by the building of The
Asian Libraryon the roof of the
University Library. The new library
will be opened in September 2017.
The Asian Library is a leading
international expertise centre, where
the University Libraries Leiden (UBL)
assemble all the collections on Asia under one roof, and make all the data accessible for students, researchers and other interested parties.
Activities marking the opening of The Asian Library
On 14 September 2017 the new Asian Library festive inauguration ceremony will take place at its location on the roof of the University Library. To mark this special occasion, Leiden University Libraries and other partners organize additional activities during the day and week of the inauguration ceremony. Think of events like the exhibition Mapping Asia wherein the relationship between different characteristics of Asian countries is examined, an international symposium on the history of cartography with emphasis on ancient Asian maps, a symposium and exhibition on Asian cuisine and culinary activities, smaller pop-up exhibitions and various lectures. The cinema room of The Asian Library will show short movies of the CinemAsia Film Festival.
LeidenAsiaYear.nl
The new website leidenasiayear.nl
is the platform where all the activities
of the Leiden Asia Year are brought
together. In close collaboration with
museums and other organisations and
partners, the city is organising a
symposium, lectures and exhibitions
on the theme of Asia. Additions will be
made to the programme over the coming months. Follow the Leiden Asia Year on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed of the latest developments.
Leading international collection on Asia
The collections in The Asian Library that are brought together by Leiden University Librariesbelong to the foremost collections on Asia worldwide. The Indonesia collection, which also includes the collections from the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV), is the largest of its kind worldwide. The Kern collection, covering South Asia and the Himalayan region, is one of the largest collections on Indology in Europe. Among the collections from or related to Southeast Asia, the Malay-Indonesian collection takes a prominent place. Materials from the Malay Archipelago and Peninsula are available since our Library’s very beginning and belong to the oldest manuscripts still existent. The Asian Library houses the largest Chinese collection in Europe. The Japanese collection consists out of a unique collection of materials brought to The Netherlands by, among others, Von Siebold (1796-1866). The library also has a wide range of material on Korea, including North Korea. The collections contain rare and valuable manuscripts, books, maps, photos, prints and much more.