Addresses and opening hours 
The Library is situated at various locations both within and outside Wageningen, the Netherlands.
You can find the addresses and opening hours
here if you wish to visit one of the libraries.
Every library offers several work areas with computers available.
The library's
Service Desk can also assist you in finding the appropriate library at tel: +31 (0)317 484440.
Collection
The Wageningen UR Library develops and maintains a substantial scientific collection in consultation with its users, especially, in the areas of interest of Wageningen UR (University & Research centre): life sciences and natural resources.
More specifically:
- agrotechnology and food sciences
- plant and animal sciences
- environmental and climate sciences
- social sciences
- and some basic sciences
Special Collections
You can find historical material (before 1850), garden designs and information on landscape architects, together with a collection of aerial photographs taken by the British Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in Special Collections.
Our Service Desk can provide you with more information upon request at tel: +31 (0)317 484440.
Searching and findingWageningen UR Digital Library is the access point to both the paper and electronic collections. The
portals of the Digital Library help you in searching selectively for information in any field of interest. If you are you looking for a specific file of information, check out the
Search page to see if the Digital Library offers this source.
The
user info & services part of the Digital Library offers you all services you need in the use of the library, such as borrowing and requesting items, and
courses and instruction programmes. Wageningen UR students and staff can access all electronic files and publications from their homes through
My Library.
For more information or to place an order contact the Service Desk at tel: +31 (0)317 484440.
Wageningen UR PublicationsThe database
Wageningen Yield (WaY) allows you to search directly for any publication published by a Wageningen UR staff member.
WaY is a database that contains articles, dissertations, reports, proceedings and books by 'Wageningen' authors. Wherever possible, full text documents are available. However, some full text documents may only be partially accessible and where this is the case, a summary and abstract will be made available. Data is entered in Metis in cooperation with Wageningen UR staff.
WaY collaborates with the Dutch national project SurfShare to develop the Institutional Repositories and to stimulate Open Access. The aim of this project is the national protection and storage of all scientific publications from Dutch universities and research institutes.
Our Service Desk will gladly provide you with more information at tel: +31 (0)317 484440.
Publishing supportWageningen UR Library offers support for publishing information digitally:
- by placing publication archives on the internet. Look at Veeteelt archive (Animal Husbandry Archive)
- through final technical editing (pre-press) and electronic publishing of reports and books. The series Frontis-publications acts as an example.
- through the development and management of digital journals, including editorial support and subscription management. Check out the digital journal NJAS.
Our Service Desk can offer you more information at tel: +31 (0)317 484440.
Management of collectionsWould you like your collection to be managed professionally?
We will ensure that your collection maintains its good condition and is made accessible in a professional and responsible manner. This can be done by digitalising the collection or, for example, by cataloguing the collection on site. If your collection concerns rare or fragile material, then we can use specialised techniques for both storage and conservation.
Examples of rare collections are:
Contact our Service Desk for additional information at tel: +31 (0)317 484440
Tailor-made information Would you like to make certain information available to a specific target group? We are building a portal or knowledge bank for you. In order to do so, we make use of existing information collected by the library as well as including new information.
Examples of a few knowledge banks are:
We can also develop a database enabling you to manage and access collections yourself. Examples include: ISRIC - World Soil Information Database.
The most advanced option is for us to develop your own personal virtual library. If you wish to provide your colleagues with access to sources of information that require a licence, then we can mediate on your behalf with the publishers concerned.
Our information specialists can advise you in making the most suitable choice.
For an appointment please contact our Service Desk at tel: +31 (0)317 484440.
Organisation and Policy 
MissionWageningen UR Library is a scientific library with a recognised national task in the field of life sciences where both the natural sciences and social sciences play a role. By developing and maintaining an outstanding, partly public, knowledge infrastructure, Wageningen UR Digital Library contributes to the quality and effectiveness of the research done and education provided by Wageningen UR.
The Library assists:
- staff and students of Wageningen UR to find relevant information as efficiently as possible
- staff to present their expertise clearly
- Wageningen UR to present itself as an internationally leading education and research organisation.
The newsletter provides an overview of the activities and developments at the library.
HistoryThe library originated from the book collection of the agricultural school that was established in 1873 as a department of the local high school.
The collection increased significantly after the changeover in 1876 from a local agricultural school to the National Agricultural School as a result of donations. The 1877 catalogue recorded more than 1,200 titles, of which 500 by the geologist and agriculturalist Dr. W.C.H. Staring.
The beginning structure for building up the collection is typical for the further development of the library: a relatively small purchasing budget, many small and large donations as well as an increase in the exchange of books. Between 1917 and 1923, with the establishment of the Agricultural University, the library's collection expanded to 180,000 titles. Statistics show that in 1953 there were more than 161,000 titles in addition to the 111,000 in various locations outside the central library. The present collection contains about 600,000 titles and 12,500 journals.
A logical consequence of the maintenance policy is the de-duplication of the collection. Journal issues are now more often made fully available (full text) via the internet.
Housing
The library was housed in a local high school in 1873 and was relocated in 1922 to Duivendaal, a suburb of Wageningen. A blacksmith’s forge was located below the library and a chemistry laboratory nearby. Often, the librarian Van Dokkum warned authorities of serious fire hazards. The policy in the post-war years was to distribute the collection, besides the central library, across the libraries belonging to various university departments.
The Central Library moved to the Jan Kopshuis building on the Generaal Foulkesweg in Wageningen in 1981. In recent years, the collection policy has concentrated on a few large libraries at different locations. Since July 2007, there are two large locations in Wageningen, namely the Forum Library and the Leeuwenborch Library, and one small location, the Biosystematics Chair Group Library.