Artis Library
19th century library with collections on natural history in Amsterdam
The Artis Library (Dutch: Artis Bibliotheek) is a nineteenth-century library located at Plantage Middenlaan 45 in Amsterdam. Since 2005, the Artis Bibliotheek has been part of the Special Collections at the University of Amsterdam, which in turn has been part of the Allard Pierson Museum since 2019.
History
The Zoological Society Natura Artis Magistra was founded by a number of Amsterdam notables, including bookseller and bird lover Gerardus Frederik Westerman (1807-1890), on 1 May 1838. The aim was "to promote the knowledge of natural history." This was done by founding not just the Artis Zoo, but also a zoological museum and a library. The society immediately received donations (including one from Westerman) for the library, allowing the library to stock its shelves. The society also immediately started buying large quantities of books and journals.
In 1881, librarian Gilles Janse compiled a catalogue of the Artis Library's collection, which held 4381 items at the time. The Artis Library grew to include more than 16,000 titles. From 1848 to 1995, the Zoological Society Natura Artis Magistra published the journal Contributions to Zoology. All issues of this journal are now in the collection of the Artis Bibliotheek.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Artis Library” is 19th century library with collections on natural history in Amsterdam. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Artis, Library and 19th, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “19th century library with collections on natural history in Amsterdam” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q17298534. VIAF identifies the subject as 234369115. The Library of Congress control number is n2008064205. Authority coordinates are 52.365, 4.915. 2 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2005, 2019, 1807 and 1890.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Artis Library”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Artis Library primary sources, Artis Library archive and Artis research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Artis Library”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Artis Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.