On documenting Africa in the Netherlands

The only research and documentation centre in the Netherlands devoted exclusively to Africa is the Afrika-Studiecentrum (ASC) in Leiden. In this article the author gives a review of the work of this centre, also talking about its library and acquistions policy and about such initiatives as ASC OPAC. Among other collections about Africa in the Netherlands are those of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa, South Africa House, both also in Amsterdam, plus the Afrika Centrum in Cadier en Keer and the Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal. Over the past ten years, there have been radical changes in documentation as a result of the exponential growth of the Internet. This has led to the development of such services as Africaserver, an Internet platform for communication with Africa and Africans in Holland, listing 800 Africans and African organizations in the Netherlands. [ASC Leiden abstract]