Access to the KIK-IRPA Library

The management of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage would like to respond to the inaccurate and insufficiently nuanced information currently circulating about the Institute’s library.

We deeply regret that this has created the impression that the library is “disappearing” or that researchers would no longer have access to our collections. This is not the case.

The KIK-IRPA library remains in place and continues to support research. What is changing is the way in which our services are organised.

The library was originally established as an internal research library. Its gradual opening to the wider public developed later and does not form part of our core mission. Our primary mission is to document, study, preserve and promote heritage collections.

Today, access to heritage information increasingly takes place through digital tools. Through BALaT, we make heritage information available to a broad audience, regardless of location. In June, we will launch a redesigned version of BALaT with a new interface and significantly improved usability. This is a deliberate choice: digital access allows us to reach a much wider audience and make our collections more broadly accessible.

In recent years, external use of the physical library has been very limited, averaging around ten visitors per month. In a context of budget constraints and ongoing reforms, we must ensure that our resources are used where they have the greatest impact.

Importantly, the library is not disappearing. It remains available to KIK-IRPA staff, visiting researchers and interns. External researchers may also continue to consult the library upon request whenever this is necessary for their scientific work.

This decision therefore does not represent a dismantling of our services, but rather a considered reorientation towards a more future-oriented and inclusive model in which heritage information remains accessible to all.

We would like to thank everyone for their continued interest in the collections and mission of KIK-IRPA. We remain fully committed to broad and sustainable knowledge sharing in the field of heritage.