EXHIBITION OPENED MARKING 30 YEARS SINCE DEATH OF MAJOR DONOR DUŠAN ĐONOVIĆ

BANJA LUKA, November 17 /SRNA/ – An exhibition titled “The Story of a Book Expert” by author Vanja Šmulja was opened today at the National and University Library of Republika Srpska in Banja Luka, marking 30 years since the death of the institution's most significant donor Dušan Đonović.

Assistant Minister of Culture of Republika Srpska Tanja Đaković said the exhibition is dedicated to a man whose professional path and personal legacy show how much a single individual can contribute to preserving the cultural heritage of their people, no matter where in the world they live and work.

She emphasized that Đonović, through his will, left the National and University Library of Republika Srpska an invaluable cultural treasure.

"This impressive collection, which includes major works in the field of law from the 16th to the 19th century, the first Serbian law journals, as well as rare diaspora publications, testifies to historical processes, ideas, and people who shaped our identity and cultural memory. Such collections are more than books, they are living documents, witnesses and guardians of our historical heritage," Đaković said at the opening of the exibition.

She stressed that the Ministry of Education and Culture remains committed to cooperation with libraries, museums, archives, and all heritage institutions responsible for preservation of written legacy.

The Director of the National and University Library of Republika Srpska Ljilja Petrović-Zečić told SRNA that the bequest includes more than 4,000 publications, mostly in the field of law, as Đonović himself was a lawyer, a professional librarian, and the director of some of the most prestigious university libraries in New York.

"Here you can find editions from the 16th to the 19th century, emigre literature, journals. When someone bequeaths to the National and University Library of Srpska and to their people what they have built throughout their life, that represents a great responsibility for us to handle it according to library standards," Zečić said.

She recalled that in February 1999, 160 boxes full of books arrived at the library from the U.S. as humanitarian aid, and already in March a professional committee was formed which declared the collection a bequest.

"It was only in 2008 that Vanja Šmulja took over responsibility for this collection and began working on the bequest," Zečić said, adding that the library had not been aware of the true value of the treasure they had received.

She underlined that it was essential to formalize the bequest in a legal manner.

"We contacted Dušan Đonović's wife, which allowed the oral bequest to be formalized in a certain way, and since then the collection has had legal status. We received major assistance from Father Dragoljub Malić, an orthodox priest from Milwaukee," Zečić said.

Šmulja noted that the exhibition will remain open until December 10, and that visitors will be able to see a beautiful story about books and old editions that make the collection truly precious.