Former TU-employee Imelda van der Linden started her own company last year and took it upon herself to write a guide to living in Delft for people from abroad.
The ‘Delft Vademecum’ is an excellent aid to newcomers.
“The TU aspires to a reputation as a leading international university but it continues to distribute information leaflets that are inadequate, particularly compared with brochures published by other Dutch universities”, claims Imelda van der Linden. First employed by the TU in 1972, she left nearly a year ago to found her own public relations bureau, Symbiose. Before leaving the public relations department, Van der Linden had already highlighted the need to revise the information leaflets for international students. Her first project as a freelancer was to write a new international guidebook based on the existing pamphlet for MSc students: ‘Living and studying in Delft.’
Van der Linden considered ‘Living and studying in Delft’ to be both pedantic and patronizing in parts and immediately decided to scrap certain passages, including a paragraph explaining how to use a ‘European’ toilet. Moreover, more dramatically, she decided to omit all study-related sections, thus targeting many more foreigners. The soon to be published ‘Delft Vademecum’ is a guide to everyday living in Delft for individuals and families from abroad.
Institutions such as the IHE, businesses in Delft and particularly the local council have expressed their enthusiasm for the initiative, which will benefit international students, foreign TU staff, people following programmes such as CICAT and TOPTECH, and foreign employees of local companies.
The ‘Delft Vademecum’ not only explains many aspects of life in Delft, but also explores national matters, such as insurance issues, national holidays, Dutch traffic regulations and the role of the Dutch police force. The chapters concerning children and education are some of the new additions; the sections detailing cultural attractions, restaurants and ‘going out’ have been expanded. The book refers to many Internet sites and readers are warned when sites are not in English. The opening hours and addresses of many enterprises have been verified and information concerning TU services is easily recognizable in a special section at the end of each chapter.
Appetizer
Van der Linden not only carried out the research alone but also did most of the photography for the pilot project. Her company has taken financial risks, but she has been supported throughout by the TU, which has already placed a large order. The author believes that the ‘Delft Vademecum’ will attract a wide readership. Besides commercial success, this would secure the future of the project. Although Van der Linden also wants to take on new assignments, she hopes that the book will remain in print for many years.
The ‘Delft Vademecum’ will be published at the end of July, just before the MSc courses commence, and will be available free of charge at the TU’s Master of Science office and at the Communication and Marketing Bureau. Readers who are not attached to the TU can order a copy directly at Symbiose for about eighteen guilders.
Van der Linden adds a final word of warning: “The Vademecum is for people from abroad who have arrived in Delft recently. It’s an excellent appetizer or welcoming gift but is not intended as promotional material.”
Imelda van der Linden can be contacted at:
symbiose@jacotrading.nl . .
Tel: 0182 39 18 30
Former TU-employee Imelda van der Linden started her own company last year and took it upon herself to write a guide to living in Delft for people from abroad. The ‘Delft Vademecum’ is an excellent aid to newcomers.
“The TU aspires to a reputation as a leading international university but it continues to distribute information leaflets that are inadequate, particularly compared with brochures published by other Dutch universities”, claims Imelda van der Linden. First employed by the TU in 1972, she left nearly a year ago to found her own public relations bureau, Symbiose. Before leaving the public relations department, Van der Linden had already highlighted the need to revise the information leaflets for international students. Her first project as a freelancer was to write a new international guidebook based on the existing pamphlet for MSc students: ‘Living and studying in Delft.’
Van der Linden considered ‘Living and studying in Delft’ to be both pedantic and patronizing in parts and immediately decided to scrap certain passages, including a paragraph explaining how to use a ‘European’ toilet. Moreover, more dramatically, she decided to omit all study-related sections, thus targeting many more foreigners. The soon to be published ‘Delft Vademecum’ is a guide to everyday living in Delft for individuals and families from abroad.
Institutions such as the IHE, businesses in Delft and particularly the local council have expressed their enthusiasm for the initiative, which will benefit international students, foreign TU staff, people following programmes such as CICAT and TOPTECH, and foreign employees of local companies.
The ‘Delft Vademecum’ not only explains many aspects of life in Delft, but also explores national matters, such as insurance issues, national holidays, Dutch traffic regulations and the role of the Dutch police force. The chapters concerning children and education are some of the new additions; the sections detailing cultural attractions, restaurants and ‘going out’ have been expanded. The book refers to many Internet sites and readers are warned when sites are not in English. The opening hours and addresses of many enterprises have been verified and information concerning TU services is easily recognizable in a special section at the end of each chapter.
Appetizer
Van der Linden not only carried out the research alone but also did most of the photography for the pilot project. Her company has taken financial risks, but she has been supported throughout by the TU, which has already placed a large order. The author believes that the ‘Delft Vademecum’ will attract a wide readership. Besides commercial success, this would secure the future of the project. Although Van der Linden also wants to take on new assignments, she hopes that the book will remain in print for many years.
The ‘Delft Vademecum’ will be published at the end of July, just before the MSc courses commence, and will be available free of charge at the TU’s Master of Science office and at the Communication and Marketing Bureau. Readers who are not attached to the TU can order a copy directly at Symbiose for about eighteen guilders.
Van der Linden adds a final word of warning: “The Vademecum is for people from abroad who have arrived in Delft recently. It’s an excellent appetizer or welcoming gift but is not intended as promotional material.”
Imelda van der Linden can be contacted at:
symbiose@jacotrading.nl . .
Tel: 0182 39 18 30
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