The Historians' Days , organized by the Royal Dutch Historical Society since 2017, are a biennial gathering of Dutch historians and all those professionally engaged with the past. The fourth edition took place this year in Maastricht. The program spread over three days and, in addition to the usual keynotes and sessions, offered plenty of treats such as guided tours, sound walks, bike tours, film screenings, and even a pub quiz.
At the same time, the local Social History Centre for Limburg (SHCL) its 75th anniversary, providing a good opportunity to organize a panel discussion as part of the Historians' Days, entitled "Archives by and for Society ." The goal was to examine several private archives in the Netherlands and Belgium, how they strive to fulfill their mission, and how this differs from public archives. In addition to the SHCL, the discussion was also attended by the Catholic Documentation Centre in Nijmegen, the Historical Documentation Centre for Protestant Heritage in Amsterdam, and Amsab-ISG and Liberas in Ghent. Around thirty people were present, including many staff members from archives and documentation centres, resulting in a lively and in-depth discussion.
Afterwards, a reception followed in the magnificent former church building that the SHCL uses as a reading room, together with the local city archives.
During the panel discussion, from left to right: Hans Krabbendam (Catholic Documentation Centre), Donald Weber (Amsab-ISG), Nico Randeraad (Social Historical Centre for Limburg), Peter Laroy (Liberas), Fred van Lieburg (HDC Protestant Heritage).
