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Book Launch for “Juris Baldunčiks. Academic Articles, Opinion Pieces, Interviews”
June 25, 2024
On Thursday, June 20, the Misiņš Library of the University of Latvia Academic Library hosted the launch of the collected works of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences Professor Juris Baldunčiks (1950–2022), titled “Juris Baldunčiks. Academic Articles, Opinion Pieces, Interviews.”
This highly anticipated book, significant for the linguistic community, includes a foreword summarizing the key aspects of Professor Baldunčiks' pedagogical, public, translation, and scientific activities. The collection also features a bibliography of his academic and popular science articles, monographs, and dictionaries, insights into his unpublished research, and a selection of 30 academic articles, opinion pieces, and interviews. Two previously unpublished articles based on his prepared materials and presentations are also included: one on the history of the word "ceriņi" (lilac) and another on the terms used to describe "kūdra" (peat) in Latvian.
The event was attended by Professor Baldunčiks’ family, including his widow Ingrīda Irbe, his son Edgars Baldunčiks with his family, and his brother. The book’s editors—TSF lecturer Silga Sviķe and Associate Professor Jānis Veckrācis—along with TSF Acting Dean Associate Professor Astra Skrābane, TSF colleagues, Executive Director of VUAS Sniedze Šama, the Director of the University of Latvia Academic Library Venta Kocere, and the head of the publisher “Zinātne,” Ingrīda Segliņa, were also present. Other attendees included linguists and guests with an interest in the book’s themes.
Speeches were given by Dr. habil. philol. Ina Druviete, Professor at the University of Latvia, and Dr. habil. med. Māris Baltiņš, Chair of the Terminology Commission of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Following the formal ceremony, the discussions continued informally over glasses of wine.
The book “Juris Baldunčiks. Academic Articles, Opinion Pieces, Interviews” will be available for reading at the VUAS Library and major libraries across Latvia. It is also available for purchase through the publisher “Zinātne.”
Photo: Ingrīda Punka
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