Conference Venue
We opted to organize the conference in the heart of Rotterdam at the city library so as to be as inclusive, accessible and welcoming as possible, and to highlight the connection between academic work and societal implications. Moreover, the event is targeted at a diverse audience, inviting people of all backgrounds, ages and professions (academic and non-academic) interested in discussing issues of belonging, identity and (transnational) mobility.
Central Rotterdam Library Theatre: https://shorturl.at/wFO89
Hoogstraat 110
3011 PV Rotterdam
Please note: The conference will only be accessible via the entrance of the library at the Hoogstraat – not via the main entrance of the library.
To learn more about how the Rotterdam Library describes itself, its mission and history on its website, read below.
Conference dinner & guided tour venue
- Venue conference dinner (Thursday 7 December): Leaf Vegetarian restaurant, Oostmolenwerf 19, 3011 TL Rotterdam https://shorturl.at/sES06 The restaurant is 7-10 minutes from Blaak central by public transport and about 12 minutes on foot.
- Venue guided tour and lunch (Saturday 9 December): Verhalenhuis Belvédère, Rechthuislaan 1, 3072 LB Rotterdam https://shorturl.at/cCIPV The venue is about 30 mins from Blaak station by public transport.
About Rotterdam Library
The Rotterdam Library received more than 2.6 million physical visits in 2019, making it the knowledge center and cultural platform of Rotterdam. Visitors come from all areas of the city and all cultures and nationalities from the city know where to find the library. We are a neutral, safe and warm place, which is close enough for most Rotterdammers to be able to use it easily. A library of Rotterdammers, but especially with Rotterdammers!
Website: https://www.bibliotheek.rotterdam.nl/overons/over-bibliotheek-rotterdam
Mission
The Rotterdam Library helps Rotterdammers to consciously, critically and actively participate in society. The library does this by providing access to reliable knowledge and information and by organizing activities in the field of language, culture and society. We offer this both physically and digitally, in an accessible manner and preferably in the vicinity of Rotterdammers. The library is an inviting meeting place for everyone, where people like to stay, have fun and where skills are provided that they need to participate.
History
In 1604, Rotterdam established the first ‘publycke bibliotheke’ (public library) or ‘Bibliotheca Laurentiana’ in the St. Lawrence Church. Yet it was not until 1869 that archivist J.H. Scheffer laid the foundation for today’s library. At the end of the nineteenth century, the library is located in the building of Museum Boymans. Visitors can view books here twice a week. This location soon became too small and the library moved to Van Hogendorpsplein in 1907. When in 1923 this building is also too small, a building is moved into the Nieuwe Markt.
In 1940, the building was damaged during the bombing of Rotterdam. Most buildings in the area burned down completely. This frees up space for the construction of an eastern wing. The building with ‘Municipal Library’ in gold letters is still there in 2014. In 1983, the Rotterdam Library moves into its current building on Hoogstraat. After being a municipal library for 409 years, the library becomes independent on 1 January 2013. The Rotterdam Library Foundation is a fact. Today, with 2.6 million visitors, 830,000 materials, 2.9 million loans, hundreds of cultural activities and 100,000 members, the library is the most visited cultural institution in Rotterdam.
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