2019 Archives Week (Dutch Studies)

The 'Archives Week', the third part of the 4-week summer course (which consists of two weeks Dutch for Reading Knowledge; one week 17th-Century Dutch & Paleography - both at Columbia University- ; and the "Archives Week", in the Netherlands) was held from June 17 through June 21. A total of 10 graduate students participated, from universities ranging from McGill University in Canada, University of Kansas, Princeton, Yale, York University in England, Johns Hopkins, University of Hawaii, CUNY, and Columbia.

The main purpose of the week is to familiarize students with archives and other resources in the Netherlands and to facilitate contacts with Dutch researchers and professionals in their fields.

Students were introduced to the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam, including the extensive maps collection (introduced by Dr. Paul Dijstelberge and Dr. Reinder Storm); the Amsterdam City Archive (Notarial Records and Rembrandt Inventory); the National Archive, the National Library and the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD), all in the Hague; and the Print Room at the Rijksmuseum. As a result of the Haarlem to Harlem Festival earlier this year, and the visit of two archivists of the 'Noord-Holland Archief' to Columbia, a fifth day was added to the Archives Week. On Friday, students were welcomed by the Mayor of Haarlem and visited the archive of the Province of Noord-Holland and the Frans Hals Research Project. Journalists of two different Haarlem newspapers came along and wrote articles about this visit.

You can find more information about the Dutch Studies summer course "Archives Week" on the website for the Studies of the Dutch-Speaking World.