The Laka documentationcenter

The most important task of Laka is to make information on nuclear energy accessible (read also the introduction about 'us'). The Laka documentation centre consists of several parts. The most important part, especially on the Netherlands, is the clipping archive: articles from newspapers, and magazines which are subdivided in around 600 subjects. We estimate the number on 450,567 articles! On this website, however, there is not much of it to find again. Much comprehensive is also the library with thousands of books. Besides there is a section with magazines (around 600 different titles) and the collections with posters and videos, and an audio collection.

Books

The Laka library consists of about 8,500 books. Varying from scientific technical literature to pamflet-like brochures it is an enormous amount of literature that gives insight in the rise and fall of this technology.
In the past years many books have been added that are also available in electronic form, which is mentioned in the lists of books. There is a page 'new books' on which you can see which books have been added to the library. That makes it easier to keep informed.

Special books

In the Laka collection there are a number of books that are special. They are special because of the period in which they have been written or because of the form or the contents. Assuming that the nuclear era has been around 60 years, the books that have been released in the time period before 1965 have been placed on an apart list, which you can see here. Also you can find a few special books which have been released in the period after this.

Special collections

Though the documentation centre hasn't specialities, the history of the development of nuclear energy in the Netherlands is plentifully represented. Also the borne fruit of the Dutch antinuclear movement is a special point of attention. Like mentioned elsewhere Laka is also seeing herself as treasure holder of this struggle.
Research of the development of nuclear power in the Netherlands starts here!

Subjects

The Documentation at Laka is categorized in different subjects: in total more than 600 with 6 main subjects: 5 of which are ordered geographically (1-Netherlands, 2-Europe, 3-America, 4-Asia & Australia and 5-Middle East & Africa). The sixth main subject is: 'General'; that is everything what is not specifically about a location or a state. This classification is used for all documentation, not only for books. There is yet another main subject, but that is only at the books and these are novels, comics, and so on.
Names of states. When names of states change the same subject gets the new name. When states are splitted into new states or parts from it become new states, then this becomes a new subject, but the old one remains to exist. Therefore there are subjects such as German Democratic Republic (East Germany) or Yugoslavia or Czecho-Slovakia, while there are also the subjects Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Searching

If you search something on a special subject and you want something to read about this, then go to the section of the subjects and look there where you could find it. Of course, most books often have more than one subject, but they are classified under the main subject.
On this website at subjects you can search more and more in detail by clicking each time on the link with the subject. At the end you automatically find a list with books that Laka has available in the library on that specific subject.
When a subject has no link, there are no books on that subject, however, there will be certainly other information (clippings, videos, magazines, and so on).

Nuclear weapons

Laka is an organisation dealing with, on what is generally called, the peaceful use of nuclear energy. This means that there is also a non-peaceful use of nuclear energy. And, indeed Laka has therefore also much information on nuclear weapons. Nuclear energy and nuclear weapons can't be seen separated by each other. For us, as collectors of information, and to restrict ourselves a little, we have much information on nuclear weapon politics, but not for example on nuclear weapon treaties; except of course the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), in which (the promotion of) nuclear energy has an important role.
Since nuclear energy is a direct spin-off of nuclear weapons and the development of nuclear weapons has been (and still is) an important main-spring for states to start a nuclear weapon program, nuclear weapons are an important part of our information (certainly in some countries at certain moments).

Video

An important and often consulted part of the documentation centre is the video collection. The hastiness of television is partly met by holding documentaries available at our disposal for a longer time period. Also alternative productions and footage (images?) from which has been thought to be lost for a long time are placed here. First you need to read 'Terms and conditions'.

Audio

(only on the dutch part of the site) Not yet disclosed and categorized, but rather extensive, is the part on audio. The tapes include radio programs at which Laka was involved and many interviews with Laka. Work is in progress.

Posters

Very extensive and totally disclosed is our collection on posters from the (international) anti-nuclear movement. In total more than 1000 posters from the past 35 years are placed in the collection. Posters are not lent out. However, we have changing thematic exhibitions on this site.

Slides

(only on the dutch part of the site) Two series of slides (in Dutch) can be viewed permanently on this site. They are from the 1950s, the period of unbounded trust in the future that would be magnificent and practically without any troubles thanks to nuclear energy.

Magazines

There is am alphabetical list of the more than 600 titles that are present in the archive. From some titles only a few numbers, from others many volumes (and you can see which). Also you can check which magazines frequently are coming in. Unfortunately, the list not yet available on the site. We're working on that...

Opening schedule

In principal we are opened 5 days a week from 10:00 AM to 5:00 P.M.
It is handsome to make an appointment; then we take care that there is somebody who can put you up to the ropes in the archive. You can make copies and even the possibility to make use of a computer, though we can't always guarantee this.

Lend out

Books can be lend. Therefore we need your identification and address data. The maximum term to lend is 4 weeks and there is a guaranty. The maximum number of books at once is 6 books.
Magazines, posters and articles from the files are not lend out. Of course you have the possibility to copy them. From videos there can be made copies.