De bibliotheek van de Vereniging Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde

- This year the library of the Vereniging Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (Society of the Dutch Journal of Medicine) has reached the age of 90. The idea was born in 1900 when the editor-in-chief M.Straub proposed starting a library for the Journal. This was rejected by the members of the Society, but fourteen years later, in 1914, when the new editor-in-chief G.A. van Rijnberk made a similar proposal, it was accepted. His long term as editor (1913-1946) would prove to be a guarantee for the acquisition of a large collection of books, both antique and contemporary. The collection reflects the history of medicine, notably in the Netherlands, but also in a wider sense. Over the years, several catalogues of the collection have been published, and this year has seen the completion of an electronic catalogue which is available on the Internet (www.ntvg.nl). The acquisition and restoration of books have been re-started in the past five years and a fellowship for the study of the existing collection of books has been instituted.