Practical information on the library

Since September 2010 the library is part of IRPA/KIK's new Documentation Centre. We are pleased to welcome you in the reading room on the first floor.

Type: Free entrance. Consultation only, publications cannot be borrowed.


Subjects:

. Art (Belgian, European, from the Middle Ages to the Interwar period);
. Conservation-restoration of works of art;
. Scientific research on the techniques and materials used by artists and restorers.

Collection:
. c. 50 000 books;

. c. 1500 periodicals;

. 2000 sales catalogues (1890 of which are searchable in the digital catalogue). 

The library of IRPA/KIK is a research resource for European art history from the Middle Ages to the Interwar period, and for the conservation-restoration of works of art. The collection contains titles that cannot be found elsewhere in Belgium such as old, highly specialised, rare or sold-out books and journals. Particularly well represented is the art of the Southern Netherlands and of Belgium. Other European nations (the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, etc.) are covered as well, as is contemporary art, photography and other disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology and history. The rich collection of books on ancient glass, manuscript illumination and other fields of study is due to the interest of internal specialists. The collection is constantly growing thanks to purchases, gifts and exchange publications with partner institutes in Belgium and abroad (Europe, United States, Latin America, Japan, etc.). This latter method of acquiring publications enables us to enrich the collection with unpublished documents that are often unavailable in other Belgian libraries.  

Catalogue:
. Works acquired after 1998 are searchable via the digital catalogue

. Works acquired before 1998 are searchable via index cards

. Indexation of selected monographs, parts of monographs and articles from periodicals

Online catalogue:

The digital catalogue is also available online in the Common catalogue of the libraries of the federal public services, with the possibility to reserve documents.

Attention: this catalogue is updated three times a year. The most recent acquisitions can only be searched for at the Documentation Centre.

How does the catalogue work?

. Searches on author name, title, artist name or subject with the help of keywords;
. Names of places are to be entered in their original language (e.g. Antwerpen, Den Haag, Mons, Paris, Roma...; exception: Brussel or Bruxelles). Surname followed by first name.

Services:

Possibility to make black and white or colour copies (photocopy cards are on sale at the reception desk; we only accept cash payments). The personnel of the reading room reserves the right to forbid the copying of valuable or damaged volumes at any time.

Publications in the online catalogue can be reserved through the Common catalogue of the libraries of the federal public services.

Contact: infotheek @ kikirpa.be