READING IN FOREST LIBRARIES: THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARIBOR

Tuesday, 11 June 2024, 17:00, Botanical Garden of the University of Maribor

This year's Tourism Day will be celebrated by the Slovenia Forest Service in cooperation with the Tourist Association of Slovenia, the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, and the Forestry Library (Slovenian Forestry Institute) by inviting everyone to read in the forest. The University of Maribor Library is joining the initiative with several events aimed at promoting reading culture and fostering a positive attitude towards nature. We are also participating in the National Month of Joint Reading, which this year focuses on reading in public spaces (more at: https://nmsb.pismen.si).

For the first forest library reading we have chosen the Botanical Garden of the University of Maribor as the location. We will feature a book by Diane Adriaenssen about the life and work of the De Belder couple, renowned dendrologists and horticulturists. Jelena De Belder Kovačič is a world-renowned plant breeder, horticulturist, and dendrologist, originally from the Maribor area. The book, Jelena and Robert de Belder, Noble as Mother Nature, was published in 2008 by Pivec Publishing.

The event will be moderated by Boža Janžekovič, a librarian at the University of Maribor Library. Metka Pivec, an assistant at the Botanical Garden, will introduce Jelena de Belder Kovačič and the plants in the Botanical Garden associated with her. We will read and discuss some interesting facts from the book, including the story of the witch hazel plant named after her, which also grows in the Botanical Garden of the University of Maribor.

The meeting point is at 17:00 in front of the entrance to the Botanical Garden, from where we will walk to the shaded benches at the edge of the garden. In case of bad weather, the event will take place in the multi-purpose room of the Botanical Garden.

Entrance to the Botanical Garden is free for event visitors.

The event will be conducted in Slovene.