Archives and collections

For more than 90 years the Meertens Institute acquires and creates (through its research) archives and collections. This unique material about Dutch Ethnology and Language Variation is part of the national heritage of the Netherlands.

Over 700 Collections

Currently the institute has more than 700 collections consisting of (digital) research data, digitized material, archival collections, printed material, handwritten questionnaires, maps and pictures. Click here for an overview. Would you like to view material in our physical collection? Please contact our Library department: bibliotheek@meertens.knaw.nl

Audio Collections

Additionally, the Meertens Institute has more than 6000 hours of audio material. The Dutch Dialect Database (more than 1000 hours of dialect recordings) is available online. The other audio collections (over 5000 hours) are digitized and will partly become available online in the future. The overview of these collections can be found here. Further information on audio digitization can be read here.

Databases

The Meertens Institute also has online databases. These offer a unique perspective on Dutch language and culture and serve as starting point for research.