CADENS is a project based at the Institute of Art History at the University of Nijmegen. The intention is to provide comprehensive access to information on contemporary art contained in all Dutch 19th century art exhibition catalogues, by means of a computer database. Two publications, a directory of artists and a keyword index, are envisaged.

Artists’ books have been exhibited several times in the Netherlands since the late 1970s, notably at the Van Reekummuseum at Apeldoorn. They can be purchased from Galerie A in Amsterdam, and collections can be found in several Dutch museums including the Stedelijk Museum, the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, and the Groninger Museum, although problems associated with storage and conservation tend to inhibit access.

The loan of works of art to the public was initiated in the Netherlands in 1955 through a scheme set up by a group of artists to encourage people to purchase contemporary art. The success of this scheme attracted support from the government, which was itself acquiring works in the process of assisting artists. Works thus acquired were lent to public institutions and government bodies, but from the 1970s they were also made available for loan to the public via artotheques. These two schemes gave rise to over a hundred art lending centres including hybrid establishments owing something to both; however, direct government support of artists has recently been phased out, and as a result artotheques no longer obtain works via the government and must evolve alternative methods of acquisition.