Presentation for the IFLA satellite meeting of the Art Libraries section on August 9th, 2016 in Chicago

1. IFLA Art Libraries Section Satellite Meeting
Chicago 9 August, 2016
From Research Library to Research Services
Stories of change at the Rijksmuseum
Geert-Jan Koot
Curator of Library Collections
Saskia Scheltjens
Head of Research Services

2. Rijksmuseum Frontal view

3. Facts and Figures
Rijksmuseum building
By architect Pierre Cuypers
44,500 m2 floor space
14,500 m2 exhibition space
14,800 m2 garden space
1 mi walking distance
1,2 million objects total
8,000 objects on display
80 galleries
800 years of Dutch art and history
1878 1 mio guilders
1885 2,8 mio guilders
2003-2013 375 mio euros
600 staff (in 2013)

4. Facts and Figures
Rijksmuseum Renovation Project
1999 decision to renovate
2001 Cruz y Ortiz architects appointed
2003 building closed in December
2013 official opening April 13
Total budget € 375,000,000

5. Entrance and Atrium

6. Security Gates in Atrium West

7. Grand Café & Shop in Atrium East

8. Direction Sign in the Atrium

9. Temporary housing Reading & Print Room

10. Facts and Figures
Research Library 2015
Open 6 days a week
300 visitors daily
450,000 volumes
13,500 periodical titles
85,000 auction catalogues
5.6 km.=18,373 ft. shelves
1 km.=3,280 ft. in Hall
12,000 acquisitions yearly
16 personnel
Total budget € 1 million

11. Library entrance on the 1st Floor

12. Restoration in the Library Hall

13. Library Hall

14. Forged helical iron stair

15. Some of the 88 bookcases

17. Cartouches in the Library Hall

18. Reading Room in the Library Hall
Reading Room
Free access
Open 6 days a week
Open 10 AM – 5 PM
Free Wi-Fi
40+ seats
30 iPads
Eduroam
Free internet
100 current print journals
Databases & e-journals
2,000 ready reference books

19. One of the four Reading Room tables

20. Entrance to the Reading Room

21. User Groups of the Research Library
• Museum visitors interested in further information
• Scientific staff of the museum – director, curators,
conservators, restorers, research fellows, educators
• External scholars
• Students

22. Library Hall - Mezzanine

23. Library Hall - Mezzanine

24. View from the Mezzanine

25. Crowds in the Reading Room

27. Leighton Buzzard Library
Photo by PSJ Marketing https://www.pinterest.com/pin/530087818619024087

28. Scholars in the Reading Room

29. Students and Fellows

30. Renovation
Reopening
Reorganisation(s)

31. A shift in focus
PhotobyGijsbertvernderWal

32. A shift in research output and methodologies

33. Increasing focus on data driven research

34. Taco Dibbits, general director, about our core value

35. Facts and Figures
Openness as core value
Early adaptor of digital opportunities, leading to radical open museum data
2002 - Library collection available via Z39.50 (2007 – SRU)
2010 - Launch of open source library system Koha
2011 - First overall e-strategy (2011)
Change from CCBY licence to CC0 (Europeana!) for
collection metadata (+534.000) & high-res images (+300.000)
Object collection available via API’s
2016 - Object collection published as linked open data in triple store

36. Key reports
2008
2005
2012

37. The service turn …
Scott Walker (2011)
used by Lorcan Dempsey (OCLC)

38. Reorganization Research Services
Preparation: (1998) 2015 – 2016
Formal reorganization period:
February 1st, 2016 – May 31, 2016
Formal start of new department:
June 1st, 2016

39. BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
COLLECTION
SECTOR
Fine &
Decorative
Arts
Conservation
&
Restauration
History
Collection
Management
Research
Library
Prints &
Drawings
PRESENTATION
SECTOR
Publications
Public &
Education
Exhibitions
BUSINESS
SECTOR
ICT
Commercial
Affairs
Finance Facilities
HR Security
Development
Communications
& Marketing
Organization
chart RMA
Previous situation (pre-2016)

40. COLLECTION
SECTOR
Fine &
Decorative
Arts
Conservation
&
Restauration
History
Collection
Management
Collection
Information & IT
Image
Storage
Management
Projects
Registrars
Research
Library
Prints &
Drawings
Prints
Drawings
Print &
Study
room
Organization
chart RMA
Collections
Previous situation (pre-2016)

41. COLLECTION
SECTOR
Fine &
Decorative
Arts
Conservation
&
Restauration
History
Collection
Management
Collection
Information & IT
Image
Storage
Management
Projects
Registrars
Research
Library
Prints &
Drawings
Prints
Drawings
Print &
Study
room
Organization
chart RMA
Collections
(sub)departments involved in reorganization

42. BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
COLLECTION
SECTOR
Fine &
Decorative
Arts
Collection
Management
Conservation
&
Restauration
History
Research
Services
Prints &
Drawings
PRESENTATION
SECTOR
Publications
Public &
Education
Exhibitions
BUSINESS
SECTOR
ICT
Commercial
Affairs
Finance Facilities
HR Security
Development
Communications
& Marketing
Organization
chart RMA
Current situation (August 2016)

43. Head of
Research Services
Research
Library
Curator Library
Collections
Coordinator
Library
Administration
Information
specialists
Library
Collection
Information
Coordinator
Collection
Information
Information
Specialists
Application
Management &
Information
Systems
Project leader
Information systems
Data manager
Application
manager Collection
Application
manager Library
Study &
Reading
Room
Coordinator
Study- & Reading
Room
Information
Specialists
Stacks
Coordinator
Depot
Technical Staff
Management
Assistant
New positions (7)
Vacancies for existing positions (2)
Start new department as of June 1st, 2016
~ 30 FTE
Summer 2016
+ project add-ons + project add-ons
+ project add-ons
+ project add-ons
+ project add-ons (2)
Organization
chart Research
Services

44. Mission
The new department facilitates interdisciplinary, object based research by collecting,
registering, archiving and making available bibliographical and documentary data ,
together with collection data, (technical) conservation data and provenance data. It
does so in an open manner, with the aim to connect people in the broadest possible
sense, now and in the future.
The department collects, manages, archives and shares on behalf of the Rijksmuseum
also the output of the scientific research performed by the museum itself, including
(when possible) the raw data. In order to maximize the support for interdisciplinary
object based research (∈ digital humanities/ e-humanities) new services and tools will
be developed in cooperation with researchers.
All this is done with respect for the key values of the museum (authenticity, quality,
personal, innovative and simplicity) and in dialogue with – and where possible in
cooperation – with other partners within its network.
New mission Research Services department

45. Mission
The new department facilitates interdisciplinary, object based research by collecting,
registering, archiving and making available bibliographical and documentary data ,
together with collection data, (technical) conservation data and provenance data. It
does so in an open manner, with the aim to connect people in the broadest possible
sense, now and in the future.
The department collects, manages, archives and shares on behalf of the Rijksmuseum
also the output of the scientific research performed by the museum itself, including
(when possible) the raw data. In order to maximize the support for interdisciplinary
object based research (∈ digital humanities/ e-humanities) new services and tools will
be developed in cooperation with researchers.
All this is done with respect for the key values of the museum (authenticity, quality,
personal, innovative and simplicity) and in dialogue with – and where possible in
cooperation – with other partners within its network.
New mission Research Services department

46. Departmental Goals 2016
• Consolidate basic services subdepartments
• New vacancies in middle management
• Development integrated new tools & services
• More (international) co-operation
• Development strategic information plan
Gradual change with a focus on users & community

47. Some future developments Research Services
Digitization of complete collection (2020)
including (new)
collection documentation &
special library collections
Extending Open Collection Data Strategy
with research data & documentation
Co-operation with third parties re.
semantic web technology
federated linked open data
annotations & crowdsourcing
research data management &
institutional repository

48. Photo by Romaine - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vogelen_in_het_Rijksmuseum-bovenaf.jpg

49. Contact information
Questions?
All ideas improve when they are shared – R. David Lankes
Saskia Scheltjens
s.scheltjens@rijksmuseum.nl
+31 20 674 70 57
@saschel
saskia.scheltjens (skype ID)
Geert-Jan Koot
g.koot@rijksmuseum.nl
+31 20 674 72 50

50. Sources
Images
• All images if not so otherwise stated are CC0, courtesy of Rijksmuseum
• Kids with Phones in front of Night Watch – controversy (2016)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/12103150/Rembrandt-The-
Night-Watch-The-real-story-behind-the-kids-on-phones-photo.html
References
- Walter, Scott. (2011). ‘’Distinctive signifiers of excellence’ : Library Services and the Future of the
Academic Library [Editorial]’. http://crl.acrl.org/content/72/1/6.full.pdf+html
- Dempsey, Lorcan (2014). ‘The Network Reshapes the Library : On Networks, Services and Libraries’.
http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/books/dempsey-network-reshapes-
library.pdf
- CLIR report ‘The Library As Place’ (2005) https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub129
- OCLC report ‘Beyond the silos of the LAMs (2008) by Gunter Waibel, Ricky Erway, Diane Zorich
http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2008/2008-05.pdf
- KRESS report ‘Transitioning to a digital world’ (2012) by Diane Zorich
http://www.kressfoundation.org/uploadedFiles/Sponsored_Research/Research/Zorich_Transitioning
DigitalWorld.pdf