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Research is the basis of knowledge: four art knowledge centres in the Netherlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Heleen Homma
Heleen Homma*
Affiliation:
Cultural Heritage Agency, Smallepad 5, NL 3811 MG Amersfoort, The Netherlands
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

These days we face great emphasis on the term ‘knowledge’, which is often followed by the statement that ‘knowledge is power’. Research institutions increasingly call themselves knowledge centres, while their libraries are designated using the same term or as ‘information centres’. Information is enriched with contextual data, digitisation and web 2.0 activities circulate as keywords. Even research institutions whose main focus is art, art history or architecture are using the term ‘knowledge centre’ in their organisation plans and on their websites. The author asked four librarians from different research institutions on art history to introduce their library in order to find out if they work in an ‘art knowledge centre’.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 34 , Issue 4 , 2009 , pp. 29 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2009

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References

1. Although the term is an established one, it is difficult to find a clear definition for it. On Encyclo (www.encyclo.nl) a knowledge centre is an institution or department where research into a new phenomenon or into development of new technologies is concentrated. Descriptors like ‘information centre’, ‘knowledge centre’, ‘Information & Research Unit’ are used for libraries in research institutes, see Westerkamp, Kees, ‘De digitale bibliotheek op schoot bij de eindgebruiker,’ IK 5, no. 5/6 (2006): 20.Google Scholar
2. Netherlands Institute for Art History, RKD (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie), Prins Willem Alexanderhof 5, NL-2509 LK The Hague. Email , website at http://www.rkd.nl/.Google Scholar
3. For the history of the library since 1932 see Koot, Roman, Nijhoff, Michiel and Scheltjens, Saskia, eds., Kunstbibliotheken in Nederland: tien korte schetsen (Leiden: Primavera Pers, 2007), 84–97.Google Scholar
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For the history of the NAI see Koot, Roman, Nijhoff, Michiel and Scheltjens, Saskia, eds., Kunstbibliotheken in Nederland: tien korte schetsen (Leiden: Primavera Pers, 2007), 156–169.Google Scholar
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