President Milanović Participates in the “Between the Shelves” Storytelling Evening
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović took part in the main event marking Croatian Book Month, titled “Between the Shelves – Storytelling Evening”, held this evening at the Botaničar Café and Gallery in Zagreb.
“Between the Shelves – Storytelling Evening” is the central event of Croatian Book Month, a national celebration dedicated to books and reading, organized by the Zagreb City Libraries since 1995. The event brings together a range of storytellers – librarians, library users, and other participants – who share engaging anecdotes from libraries, with a focus on unusual and humorous stories that entertain, intrigue, and offer insight into the everyday life of libraries and librarians through personal experiences.
Alongside President Milanović, this evening’s storytellers included librarians Ivanka Ferenčić Martinčić, Director of the Virje Public Library; Isabella Mauro, Head of the Croatian Center for Children’s Books; Verena Tibljaš, librarian at the Trsat Branch of the Rijeka City Library; psychologist, researcher, and Director of the Institute for Social Research Boris Jokić; and award-winning author Ivica Prtenjača. Maja Lesinger – senior librarian, educator, author, and Director of the Prelog Town Library and Reading Room – was selected as this year’s ambassador of the event and also served as moderator of the storytelling evening.
This year’s Croatian Book Month, celebrated from 15 October to 15 November, honours librarians as superheroes – guardians of knowledge in the digital age. The theme highlights the often invisible but vital role of librarians in a modern society increasingly shaped by digital technologies. Under the slogan “Chosen by Librarians,” nearly 300 institutions – including libraries, cultural centres, museums, institutes, and publishers throughout Croatia – are organizing more than 2,000 events. Through books, meetings, readings, and discussions, audiences are invited to explore the diversity and richness of libraries, the multifaceted nature of librarianship, and the unique strength of this profession.
President Milanović was accompanied by his Special Adviser for Culture Zdravko Zima.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek