Searching the collection
Home
On the homepage of the search portal you can find the search section at the top, followed by an overview of the number of records per data collection, and at the bottom four sets, which provide entry into the collection based on a theme.
Menu
By selecting Menu > Discover a theme you can view all available theme sets. More information about the collection can be found under Menu > About the collection. There, you will also find a link to information about the Study Centre, where you can view the collection. For general information about the search portal and contact details, select Menu > About the search portal.
Search entries
Data collections: Archives, Objects and Publications
There are three possible search entries for the data collections that describe the collection of the Nieuwe Instituut: Archives, Objects and Publications.
Select Archives to search the archives and collections managed by the Nieuwe Instituut. Select Objects to find information about archival pieces described as object, such as architectural drawings, models, posters and photographs. Select Publications to search for books, magazines, articles, and audio-visual material available in the library collection.
Validated lists: Persons and Projects
In addition, you can search for Persons and Projects.
Select Persons to search for information on persons or institutions related to the collection, such as architects and design firms. Select Projects to find information about buildings, urban planning, and designs for interiors. Not all the projects are related to the collection. In these cases, the objective has been to document the complete works of a person, independent to the location of the sources.
You can search all the available data collections at once by selecting the search entry All databases. Alternatively, you can limit your search by selecting a specific data collection. Searching in All databases is the default setting.
Specific and broad searches
To specify or broaden your search you can use the * symbol to indicate that you want to search for a value followed by, or preceded by, any number of random characters. The query *house will also include terms like: residential house, guest house, etc. With the search entry house*, the search will include terms like house furniture, House ten Bosch, etc.
Depending on the search terms used, the result will be more or less specific. The more specific the search term, the fewer results show up. The broader the search term, the more - but less accurate - the result.
There are filters to limit the search results. The filters may be dependent on the type of data collection.
Search results
After a search in All databases, the results are displayed on a screen with the results broken down by data collection. From there you can click through the search results for each search entry. When searching a specific data collection, the left column displays the amount of search results in the non-specified data collection. This means you do not have to perform the same search again for different data collections.
Archives
The detail page of an archive features three frames: the first contains the core data from an archive; the second contains the introduction of the entry, with information on the creator, content and structure of the archive. The actual entry, the description of the components of the archive, is displayed at Inventory and is presented in a tree structure. You can continuously expand the tree structure by clicking on the plus sign.
In the same frame you can find a separate search box that allows you to search within the selected archival or collection entry.
The tree structure includes an element that shows the structure of the archive (headings) and a part that represents the actual content (components and optional pieces). Only this last element shows the inventory number assigned to the component. To refer to a specific component you can use the Permalink button to visualize a reference on the Internet and create a copy as a reference in your own documents, such as blogs and the like.
Entries as PDF
Not all entries have been implemented fully. This means that not all archives can be displayed as headings and components in a tree structure. In these cases, the entry can be downloaded as a PDF file.
View images
At the detail page of an object, or within the tree structure of an archive, you can click on an image to view it in image viewer. The image viewer enables you to zoom in on an image.
You can also rotate an image if it does not have the correct orientation. We would appreciate it if you would mention a wrong orientation by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., in which you indicate the inventory or item number.
Download images
You can download all the images in low-res from the image viewer. Archival pieces that are described as an object feature a download button at the bottom of the page. Records that are found in the tree structure of an archive feature a download link in the image viewer.
Order images
From 1 July 2024, reproductions of archive documents can no longer be ordered via the Search Portal, but only via the Reproduction Service. All images can still be downloaded free of charge in small, low-res versions.
Saving favourites
You can save selections of archival records as favourites. To use this option, please register and login.
Booking archival records
The Booking button allows you to make an appointment to physically consult archival records. If you indicate a day and time, the archival records will be prepared for you. You can use the Comments field to further specify your request. It depends on the quantity of archival records whether the entire application will be ready for your visit. If not, the material will be prepared for you during your visit.