by Anne van Oorschot, AWC The Hague (with historical information from Growing Dutch, the AWC’s 75th anniversary history book)
It is hard for me, an AWC member of 36 years, (who loves to read!) to imagine the club without a library! A lot has changed over the past 91 years. While members return more frequently to the US and come back with suitcases loaded, the biggest change is the ease with which English books – and e-books! – can be ordered online. As we come to the end of the AWC library’s existence, let’s look back at the history of this important part of our club’s past.
From the beginnings of our club’s history, a library was considered an essential part of our organization. As early as 1930, supporters contributed books and established a fledgling library, open twice weekly, in a corner glassed-in cabinet of the Hotel Vieux Doelen. The library provided not only a much treasured source of reading material, but also a place for members to meet socially. In 1933, the growing library was moved for a short period to Restaurant Anjema, before finding a residence for many years in a small rented space at Noordeinde 92 – above a gift shop called Tesselschade. According to a FAWCO report from 1934, “The library is running splendidly and is a great rendezvous for both club and outside members… [and] contains about 500 books.”
After the Netherlands was invaded in May 1940, the name of the library was changed, and attempts were made to keep it open as long as members were still able to come by. When it became prudent to close it down, the books were taken away and hidden. One year after the liberation, the library was reopened. As a thank-you to the many friends who helped hide English-language books during the war, the library was made available for the first time not only to club members, but also to Dutch, British and other English-speaking friends. Since new books were almost unattainable in the Netherlands, members were permitted to pay their dues by American check. Consequently, two-thirds of the membership fees were deposited in “a library account” in a New York bank and then credited to an account at Brentano’s Books in New York, where books were ordered against the Club’s cash balance. By 1953, Club membership had increased to 100, and the library had grown to such a degree that a fixed sum from the Club’s budget was allocated to the library to cover rent, the purchase of new books and general library upkeep. A second room was leased from the shop, Tesselschade, in order to accommodate more than 2,000 books and periodicals, plus a new children’s section. (I LOVED this part of the library when my three children were young, as I had access to all the fun books I remembered from my own childhood!) This second room was located on the top floor, with a handy rope bannister to help navigate the steep stairs (a challenging endeavor for pregnant members and toddlers). For the first time, it was decided to insure the library for a sum of ƒ15,000. By 1958, the library (also used for Board meetings) contained approximately 3,000 volumes with a monthly circulation of approximately 600.
By November 1960, the Tesselschade location had become overcrowded, and the growing collection (and the weight of the books!) required new quarters. The club also hoped to find a location which could provide a small space for social activities. A move was made to a newly rented location on the Vondelstraat. In 1963, the flourishing library – which also functioned as club headquarters for a growing membership – circulated 9,214 books. A committee was formed to look into yet another new location, which eventually resulted in a contract with the American Protestant Church Council in 1964. We were overjoyed to move from our small quarters to the roomy second floor of the church. Special cupboards with removable doors were made to store all the books, and for an annual donation of ƒ2,000, and an annually-renewable contract, space was provided for over 4,500 hard cover and 1,500 paperback books.
With the acquisition of our own clubhouse in 1984, the library finally found a permanent home. Proper bookshelves, weatherproofing and essential carpeting took a huge bite out of the club’s budget, but packing up and moving the books from the American Protestant Church reigns as one of the major undertakings our members have ever tackled! Thanks to a highly motivated “Book Brigade” and the services of a moving company, over 7,500 books were transported to their new home at Nieuwe Duinweg.
Dedicated volunteers continued to nurture the library and meet the interests of parents and children – not only in maintaining a broad selection of books, but in motivating staff to open 4 days per week, plus 2 Sundays per month. The catalog grew and became an undeniable source of pride for the AWC.
In 2005, the Club’s 75th anniversary, the library offered a wide variety of adult and children’s books, with an Oprah book section, a new book section and – thanks to an increase in the library’s budget - audio and video sections, with DVDs being added as well. The process of computerization had been carried out in 2004, before which time every item had to be hand-cataloged! After 75 years, the library consisted of over 8,500 books, videos, DVDs and audio tapes!
While we thought the Nieuwe Duinweg would be a permanent home for the AWC and the library, the world changed on us. With fewer space needs in a more digitized world, more possibilities due to online ordering, and a smaller membership, the huge cost of maintaining our 11-room home away from home became a burden. We put the house on the market, made a hefty profit when it was sold, and found a modest new rental home at Jahan van Oldenbarneveltlaan 43. While this new space fit our membership well, it could not accommodate the size of our library. With English books easy to come by in the Netherlands, the use of the library had been decreasing, so a major purge of books was carried out, and only a portion of the once-impressive library went with us to our new clubhouse. The trend of decreasing library use continued, and another downsizing of the library collection was made a couple of years later. We now find ourselves looking for a new home once again, but this time we have a library that never really gets used. Thus, the decision was made to get rid of the remainder of the books… but what to do with the books remaining in our once-proud library?
Members were first given the opportunity to take any books they might want, so many volumes went to welcoming new homes; but what about the rest? Selling was a possibility, but personal stories indicated that would bring in little money and still leave us with the vast majority of the books. Then we heard about Books4Life…
In October 2003, two Tilburg University students decide to quit complaining about all the terrible things that occur in the world and take action. They began steps to create the first student-operated bookstore for charity in the Netherlands. After a few false starts, a good business plan was created and presented to the Executive Board of Tilburg University. The board approved it in July 2004 and offered the use of a space in the basement of one of the university buildings for the bookstore. Publicity followed with a call for volunteers and books. In the months that followed, thousands of books found their way to the store. The grand opening of Books4Life took place on February 22, 2005, and the first donations of € 4,215 were given out 10 months later on December 10 – Human Rights Day. In the years that followed, Books4Life expanded their reach, adding book sales via internet (Marktplaats) in 2009 and via Bol.com in 2014. Donations have grown over the years, as well with a total of € 21,200 being donated in 2019 and € 11,230 in the 2020/coronavirus year. The formula has grown via other universities, with Books4Life stores now in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Groningen, Nijmegen and Utrecht, and also 2 stores in Austria (Vienna and Graz).
The formula is the same everywhere. Books4Life stores are run entirely by volunteers, meaning at least 90% of the net proceeds of the books sold go directly to charities: 50% goes to Amnesty International and Oxfam Novib, with the other 50% going to a minimum of three other charities suggested by each store’s volunteers. All the charities and projects Books4Life support aim to promote human rights and fight poverty worldwide.
Needless to say, Books4Life was thrilled to receive all the books remaining in our AWC Library! Doesn’t this organization sound like a good fit with our AWC? The same kind of group with volunteers doing all the work and raising money for local and international charities. There is actually a tighter fit between Books4Life and our AWC than you could ever guess! The President of the Executive Board of Tilburg University – who gave their blessing and store space to Books4Life – happened to have an American wife. And she happened to be a member of AWC The Hague… who went on to suggest Books4Life as a recipient of the AWC books… and ended by writing this article. ☺
(photo courtesy of Anne van Oorschot)
