International Association of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts

Société Internationale des Bibliothèques et des Musées des Arts du Spectacle

An Outline of the SCTC

(Foundation for Contacts of Theatre Collections in the Netherlands)

Willem Rodenhuis (President STCT Netherlands. Librarian, Institute for Theatre Studies, University of Amsterdam)

Documentation des Arts du Spectacle dans une Société en Mutation / Documentation of Performing Arts in a Changing Society

Société Internationale des Bibliothèques et des Musées des Arts du Spectacle / International Federation of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts
19ème Congrès International, Lisbonne 7-11 september 1991 / 19th International Congress, Lisbon 7-11 September 1992
Ed.: José Carlos Alvarez. Lisboa : 1994, p. 57-59

First of all I would like to make a short statement about the fact of the absence of Wout Spies, the Dutch representative of the Netherlands Theatre Institute and president of the SCTC Foundation, who was among you for many years.
Due to a longlasting illness dr. Spies had to retire from his job by the first of January of this year. In connection to this some mutations took place in the SCTC board, one of which is that I took over the chaimanship.
I do hope that we proof to be an acceptable replacement for the work and energy that Wout Spies offered to SIBMAS so generously.

Now I begin my introduction I titled: An Outline of the SCTC (Foundation for Contacts of Theatre Collections in the Netherlands).

This congress' theme Documentation of Performing Arts in a Changing Society deserves our rightly attention. It is probable that the organizing committee did not realize themselves the very energic changes that took place in society, especially in Europe, as a result of both internal and external political processes, which influence the appearance, size and possibilities of the librarian's job considerably.

Fist, it has become clear to what stage the automatisation of data and its documentation influences the field of theatre. Collections can easily be brought on line. Result of this is that a researcher, journalist or student can investigate more than ever in principle any documentation while preparing a publication. This process, with its specific development of know how and procedures is not to be put to an end, in my view, within the coming decade. A second element, which is stimulating the change of society considrably, is that of the dramatic process of political unification in Europe, at least in the western and southern parts of it. Central and eastern Europe are for the time being entangled in the laborious process of finding a redefinition of its own social, political and cultural background. Of course, these developments are also reflected upon in the theatres, the repertoire and style of directing.

For the Netherlands the unification of Europe implies a reconsideration (or even a threat) of the position of the Dutch language, which proves to be only a minority language in the whole scala of languages spoken throughout Europe. This fact becomes evident in the production process of the theatre, but exists even more and longer with regard to film and television-drama productions.

I am pleased having the opportunity to tell you something about the activities of a cooperative body in the Nethelands, in which institutes and libraries of different status and quality of collection take part.

In 1973 the SCTC was founded, as Eric Alexander as one of the founding fathers will remember, a foundation which objective it is to promote the exchange of knowledge and experience between the participating collections. Right from the beginning three kinds of members, to be distinguished after its users, can be depicted, as there are:

1. Libraries of acting schools and directing courses plus the collections for theatre research and film & TV studies of the universities of Utrecht and Amsterdam.

2. Libraries of dome-organizations for the different fields of the performing arts, both professional and amateur.

3. Specialized collections like puppetry, mime and dance.

At this moment the foundation numbers fifteen members, equally divided between the disciplines mentioned earlier. The year's contribution is Dfl. 100, taking into account that additional costs for meetings, traveling and secretarial work are paid by the institutes and not claimed to the STCT treasurer. Apart from the mutual information exchange, the verification of each others norms for acquisition and the eventual attuning of these, also some concrete initiatives have been realized in the past few years. With respect to this i would like to mention here two long term projects: the catalogue of the periodicals and the thesaurus.

The first mentioned project has been concluded, partially caused by the introduction of a database system and the cooperation in this field, now six years ago. On the other hand, the thesaurus is still under construction and is supported by the specialized knowledge of the representatives of the institutes who take part in the SCTC foundation.At this moment a second edition of the provisional thesaurus is made. The ultimate objective is to publish the definitive edition in English as well. The thesaurus project is headed by Gaby Wijers, staff member of the Netherlands Theatre Institute in Amsterdam.

Another initiative that took a concrete shape is the survey, published by the SCTC foundation titled Theatercollecties in Nederland en Vlaanderen, in which more than fifty collections in the field of theatre, puppetry, dance, mime, film, theatre education and theatre research are put together. The aim of this publication is to provide the interested researcher a guide at the very instant his research leads to the Dutch-speaking countries. An English translation accompanies each description of a given collection. For those of you, who are interested I took some copies to this congress.In addition to this the involvement of the foundation in a theatre historic project, directed by dr. Robert Erenstein of the Amsterdam University can be mentioned. This project aims to write the integral history of the theatre in the Netherlands and Flanders. The SCTC foundation is especially ready to take part in the vast bibliographic research, the very keystone of this ambitious, but challenging project.

Moreover, some of the foundation members are involved in the development of a Nationale Basisclassificatie, an inventory of database subject entrance for scientific research purposes.

Coming to an end of my introduction I would like to mention a kind of acquisition policy as it took shape in negotiations between three collections in downtown Amsterdam: the libraries of the Theaterschool, the Netherlands Theatre Institute and the Institute for Theatre Studies are here concerned. Each of these institutes took the responsibility for a specific range of subjects, apart from a general reference collection. This is to the benefit of the users of the libraries, who may as a result of this approach expect a very broad and yet specialized collection, with the only restriction that is housed in three different libraries, however in one square kilometer. This is how it works out in practice:

• Theaterschool: manuscripts, textbooks, promptbooks, literature on dance education and educational drama and immigrant theatre.

• Netherlands Theatre Institute: history of the Dutch of the (world ) repertoire, documentation productions, playwrights and actors, governmental cultural policy and festivals.

• Institute for Theatre Studies: literature on theatre as a phenomenon, both theoretical and historical.

Books are acquired worldwide, with a practical restriction to the language practiced.

With regard to the future and the herewith connected wishes I would like to make a few remarks.As was already shown in the title of the survey of theatre collections published by our foundation, the SCTC welcomes a closer cooperation with related institutions in Flanders. Some explorative talks have already taken place during the past year.

The SCTC foundation would also welcome some bilateral contact between sister institutions and organizations. SIBMAS, as the organization and forum for the exchanges of view like this congress, offers in this regard the framework par excellence, from which we take the benefit eagerly.

19th Congress

URL: http://www.sibmas.org/congresses/sibmas92/lisb13.htm