On November 18th, 2024 at the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia, the exhibition “Lyubomir Miletich – the first librarian of the Higher School” was presented. The exhibition was curated by the University Library.
In the presence of the diplomats from the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje, the President of the Croatian Society in Bitola, representatives of Bulgarian associations in North Macedonia and guests, the Consul General of Bulgaria in Bitola Nikolay Dimitrov highlighted the role of Academician Lyubomir Miletich in the development of one of the most important structures in the educational activities of the Alma Mater – the University Library. He introduced the participants and guests at the opening of the exhibition and pointed out important facts from the biography of the scholar born in the town of Shtip, who had a European reputation and was an avid patriot.
The Director of the University Library Assoc. Prof. Bilyana Yavrukova spoke about the idea of the exhibition, which is paro of the traditional St. Clement Days of the Sofia University. Organized on the initiative and in cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Bitola, the exhibition presents the scientific activity of Acad. Lyubomir Miletich, with an emphasis on his work as a librarian of the University, highlighting his contribution to the construction of the University Library building. As a member of the Ephoria that was entrusted with the inheritance of the brothers Evlogy and Hristo Georgiev, he strongly supported the proposal to construct a special building for the library and took an active part in the competition and discussion of the allocation of the premises. Assoc. Prof. Yavrukova informed the guests about the forthcoming celebration on 16th December of the 90th anniversary of the official opening of the buildings of Sofia University and the University Library, which as an architectural complex have been declared a cultural monument of national importance.
In their speeches, the visiting researchers from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences presented different aspects of the work of Acad. Miletich and his contribution to Bulgarian linguistics and history. Nikolay Poppetrov from the Institute of Historical Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences added facts from the biography of Lubomir Miletich. In his speech Assoc. Prof. Georgi Mitrinov from the Institute of the Bulgarian Language focused on his linguistic works. Nikoleta Voynova, a PhD student at the Institute for Historical Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and a member of the Macedonian Scientific Institute, spoke about Miletich`s contribution to bringing awareness of the Macedonian issue among foreign researchers and politicians.
