Even if you're not a student or employee of Erasmus University Rotterdam, you're welcome to visit the University Library. This page explains what you can do as a visitor, which services are available to you and what you may need to arrange in advance.
What can visitors do at the University Library?
- Browse publications: request books, reports, and journals from the physical collection in advance.
- Borrow books: become a member of the University Library and get a library card.
- Use the online collection and databases: make an appointment in advance to access our databases and sources of scholarly publications on-site.
- View special collections: request historical and special materials in advance.
- Visit the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet: discover this library’s collection of literature, history, art, and other subjects, housed within the University Library.
- Use the WiFi: find out how to connect to the campus network as a visitor.
Good to know
- Unfortunately, visitors cannot use the copying, printing and scanning facilities at the University Library.
- The study areas in the University Library are intended solely for EUR students.
- If you’re a visitor and would like to view a book or journal, the best place to do so is at one of the reading tables located in front of the information desk on West 0.
Visiting the University Library
The University Library is located in the B Building on the Woudestein campus.
Visiting address: Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam
Please check the opening hours, directions, and accessibility information before visiting the library.
The services available to you, and whether you need an appointment or a library card, depend on what you want to do. Read below to find out what options are available:
Only a small part of the collection is available in the study areas of the University Library. The majority is stored in closed stacks. Would you like to view a book, report, or journal from the collection? Please request the publication in advance using the request form.
- Search for the publication in sEURch, our online catalogue, to check where it is available.
- In your request, please include the title, author, year of publication and, if possible, the call number.
- Also indicate the day and approximate time you would like to view the publication. This allows us to take this into account when reserving a spot for you, especially during busy periods.
- Request the publication no later than one working day in advance before 16:00. You will receive an email as soon as it's ready.
- You can only view the publication at the University Library; borrowing is only possible with a valid library card. Unfortunately, copying and scanning is not possible.
- You can only view the publication during the opening hours of the information desk. Please check the opening hours.
- This service is free of charge.
Would you like to borrow a book? Then you’ll need a valid library card. To get one, you must become a member of the University Library for which there is a membership fee.
The type of card you can apply for and its cost depend on your situation. Options are available for alumni, private individuals, students, and staff members of other universities and colleges, among others.
Review the terms and conditions as well as the the application process on the Library card page and read more about the fees.
Please note: a library card does not grant you access to the University Library’s online collection.
External visitors cannot access the EUR’s online collection automatically via their own laptop or with a library card. Would you like access to e-journals, e-books, newspapers, legislation, case law, reference works, or financial and statistical databases? You can do so on-site at the University Library. You must make an appointment in advance.
Here’s how it works:
- Make an appointment. To do so, contact the University Library via the contact form or call 010-4081198 (during weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00).
- You can access the online collection on working days between 9:00 and 16:45. Please note the opening hours.
- Check in at the information desk at West 0 in the University Library at the agreed time.
- Bring a form of identification.
- You will receive a loan laptop and temporary login credentials. You can then access the online collection at a designated study space.
- This service is free.
Please note: You will be using a temporary EUR account. All actions you perform with this account will be logged. At the request of a publisher or Erasmus University, this data can be examined.
Located in the same building as the University Library, the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet houses a collection of over 270,000 books and magazines. Its collection covers a wide range of subjects, including contemporary fiction, history, art, philosophy and the city of Rotterdam. The library specializes in the humanities, with a particular focus on literary fiction and Rotterdam.
The Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet is open to everyone. You can browse the books on the open shelves and use the reading room. Most of the collection is stored in closed stacks. Would you like to view a book from the closed stacks? SeeViewing Publications to find out how to request one. To borrow books, you need a membership.
Come and discover the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet and its collection.
The University Library manages special and historical collections of scholarly and cultural-historical value. These collections cannot be borrowed, but some of the materials can be viewed on site. To do so, you must request the materials in advance and comply with specific conditions.
These include:
- The Historical Didactics Collection is dedicated to the teaching of history in the Netherlands and Europe.
- The library and archives of Jan Tinbergen, an economist and Nobel Prize laureate.
- Books published before 1850.
Visit the page Viewing Special Collections to learn how to request materials.
More special collections
In addition to these collections, the University Library and the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet manage even more special and historical collections. Below are a few examples:
- Academic heritage collections, including the collection of medals from the Nederlands Economisch PenningKabinet.
- The special and thematic collections of the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet include works by the English philosopher John Locke, the Van Rijckevorsel Library, Surinamese poetry, and works by Drs P.
Digitised collections
You can view digitised source material through the Special Collections Portal. This includes, among other things, portraits of professors, photography collections, archives, manuscripts, objects, rare books, cartographic works and correspondence.
If you are visiting the Woudestein campus, you can use the EUR WiFi network, Eduroam. To do so, you will need a daily access code. This code is available on the screens in the University Library. Alternatively, you can request the code from the information desk in the library.
Here’s how to connect to WiFi:
- Write down the daily code.
- Text the code to 06-35 777 876.
- You’ll receive a username and password via text message.
- Use these credentials to connect to WiFi. The password is valid for the entire day.
Questions about your visit?
Not sure which service to use or what you need to arrange in advance? Contact the University Library or call +31 (0)10 408 1198 (available on working days from 9:00 to 17:00) before you visit.
See also the following pages: