Strengthening the Central Asia Collection at Leiden University Library
The Central Asia project, funded by Asian Modernities and Traditions, has engaged in strengthening the Leiden University library collection in the areas of material culture, history, languages and geopolitics in Central Asia. UNESCO International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS) and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands have recently donated books.
Central Asia Collection
Leiden University boosts one of the most important library collections related to the Middle East and Asia not only in Europe but also worldwide. A special collection on Central Asia with a focus on its material culture and history will contribute to the general acclaim of the library as a major research institution with a special focus on Asia. The collection on Central Asia is complimentary to the already existing funds on East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
UNESCO International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS)
The UNESCO International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS), established in August 1995 in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) as a direct outcome of the UNESCO Silk Roads Expeditions, chose Leiden University as its educational hub in Europe. In May 2015 a special collection of books dealing with material culture, history and geopolitics was donated directly from Samarkand to Leiden. These titles (the majority of them in English and French) are already accessible through the LU catalogue. Leiden University Library is the only European library that houses these publications created by UNESCO experts working on Central Asia.
Embassy of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands donates more than 200 titles
In December 2015 the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands donated more than 200 titles to Leiden University Library. The titles (in English, Russian, Kazakh) covering politics, material culture, ethnography, urban development are already accessible through the LU catalogue.
Donation by Mr Doeke Eisma
In January 2016, more than 400 titles were donated by Mr Doeke Eisma. The books deal with the Mongol Empire, the Silk Road, the Eurasian empires, Mongolia. The donation includes many dictionaries and albums as well. At the moment, the titles are being processed in the LU catalogue.