 When he conceived the plan to turn his private collection of books into a library, his vision was to bring together under one roof manuscripts and printed works in the field of the Hermetic tradition, and to show the interrelatedness between the various collecting areas and their relevance for the present day.Following a difficult year in the shadow of the financial crisis and cuts, The Ritman Library reopened its doors on December 16, 2011.The library is currently focussing on reshaping the once privately funded library into a self-sustaining and public institution, and on preparing the move to the Huis met de Hoofden (House with the Heads) in Amsterdam.