Private collectors John Steegh en Harrie Teunissen have donated their entire collection of maps, city plans and atlases to the Leiden University Libraries (UBL). The collection consists of circa 17,000 map sheets and 2,300 atlases and travel guides. This can be considered as an important addition to the map collections of UBL, which largely consists of the maps Johannes Tiberius Bodel Nijenhuis (1797-1827) bequeathed to the University Library.

Purpose

The purpose of the fund is to continue enriching the collection with suitable new assets, restore items and digitise the collection.

The purpose of the fund is to preserve all the books and letters of Prof. G.J.P. Bolland in the Leiden University Library. The fund also supports the study of Bolland’s life and work by giving access to the archives and promoting the publication of a complete edition of Bolland’s works.

The Caribbean Collections fund was established in 2022.

Purpose

The purpose of the fund is to make special acquisitions in the field of the Caribbean; to make accessible, digitise and present the existing and newly acquired collections at Leiden University Libraries; and to promote teaching and research based on these collections.

The Fund Southeast-Asian Collections fund was established in 2022.

Purpose

The purpose of the fund is to make special acquisitions possible in the field of Dutch colonial history up to the year 1950 and in the field of history of Southeast Asia, to make accessible and present the existing and newly acquired collections at Leiden University Libraries, and to promote teaching and research based on these collections.

Ingeborg H.A. Kneip, MA designated the LUF as the sole beneficiary of her will and asked the LUF to use her estate for the Bibliotheca Thysiana Foundation. The fund was established in 2020 after her bequest was received. Ms Kneip worked for most of her life as a staff member at Delft University of Technology. While working in this full-time position, she also studied German; after her retirement, she studied History at Leiden University. This latter study included a visit to the Bibliotheca Thysiana, which left such a deep impression on her that she decided to bequeath her estate to this library. She wrote: ‘I hope the library can use this to fund a purchase that otherwise would not have been possible. […] You can see it as a form of gratitude to Dutch society and Leiden University for offering me and other older students the opportunity to continue their éducation permanente.’

Purpose

The fund’s purpose is to provide financial support to the Bibliotheca Thysiana Foundation; this includes making funds available for purchasing works and for their restoration, funding academic research projects and offering fellowships that cannot be funded in another way. 

In 2025, the Leiden University Libraries Special Collections Fund was established.

Purpose

The aim of the fund is the preservation, collection development, accessibility and availability, digitisation, and public presentation of academic heritage as held by the Leiden University Libraries, in the broadest sense.

The fund seeks to achieve this aim by supporting projects of the Special Collections Department of the Leiden University Libraries, in particular:

• Carrying out or commissioning the restoration of objects from the collections, as well as the acquisition of specialised equipment and materials for the (passive) conservation of collections at Leiden University Libraries;
• Acquiring individual objects and/or collections that provide an important addition to the existing collection profile;
• Undertaking or commissioning projects in the fields of preservation, cataloguing, digitisation and/or digital accessibility of the collections;
• Undertaking or commissioning projects relating to the public presentation and societal visibility of the collections, such as exhibitions, publications and events concerning the Special Collections;
• Conducting or commissioning research on (various aspects of) the heritage collections of Leiden University Libraries, and promoting the exchange of knowledge across all disciplines connected with the collections, including through the organisation of lectures, training sessions and workshops;
• Promoting knowledge of all aspects of the Special Collections in education and research, particularly for students and scholars.

The Lingling Wiyadharma Fund for Indonesian Studies was established in 2022 by Mr H.R. van der Valk. He studied law in Leiden and established the fund in memory of his wife.

Purpose

The purpose of the fund is to promote the use and management of the University Library’s Indonesian collections, among others by establishing fellowships, preferably for young researchers (PhD candidates, postdocs, junior researchers), and a chair for a senior visiting scholar from abroad.

Robert van Gulik (1910-1967) was a world-renowned Sinologist, diplomat and author. With the establishment of the fund named after him; the heirs of R.H. van Gulik pay tribute to their father.

Purpose

In a general sense, the fund is intended to strengthen the study of the Sinological collections within Leiden University Library, in particular the study of the life and work of Robert van Gulik based on his collections and archives managed at Leiden University Libraries. This can take the form of fellowships, stipends or grants for students and researchers, which will be based at the Scaliger Institute of Leiden University Libraries. Collections of and about Robert van Gulik that are managed by other institutions can also be (partly) the subject of these studies.

The fund also aims to promote awareness of the Sinological collections in general, and in particular the collection and archive of Robert van Gulik.

The Rombouts Fund for the Chinese Special Collections in the Leiden University Libraries was established in 2020 by Mr P.A. Rombouts, MA, who had previously established the Rombouts Fund for Chinese Special Collections (2017) and the Rombouts Fund for Chinese Studies (2010). His interest in the Chinese language was inspired by the Judge Dee novels of Robert van Gulik, and from 1980 to 1986 he studied Chinese at Leiden University. He then worked in China and Hong Kong for more than twenty years, during which time he became well acquainted with the culture and built up a collection of Chinese books and objects. Rombouts worked for many years as a volunteer in the University Library, where he sought to improve the accessibility of Chinese books. He also published translations from Chinese history and literature.

Purpose

The purpose of the fund is to augment the collections in the area of Chinese history and culture, and thus to promote education and research in this field, all in the broadest sense of the terms. This relates explicitly to heritage collections and not to art collections.