UW News

May 17, 2005

UW library turns 20, offers public glimpse of ‘treasures’

News and Information

The 20th anniversary of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture will be celebrated Sunday, May 22, with an evening of events featuring the first public lecture by Professor David Mabberley, the new director of the center and the Washington Park Arboretum.

Mabberley will speak on the “Treasures of the Miller Library,” at 7 p.m. in the Northwest Horticultural Society Hall at the center. An international expert in plant systematics and ecology who has written 14 books and more than 200 other scientific publications, Mabberley also has extensive knowledge, and a considerable personal collection, of early horticultural and botanical works.

Several of the library’s books featured in the talk will be on display before the lecture, starting at 6 p.m., and at a reception following Mabberley’s presentation. All events are open to the public with a suggested donation of $10 and those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP by calling (206) 685-8033.

Those attending will receive Suzanne Kotz’s booklet “Nature is Visible, Art Concealed” about the library’s rare books. They also will have opportunities to sponsor the repair of items in the collections in need of restoration and to purchase note cards — reproduced from the covers of the library’s collection of early 20th century nursery catalogs — that commemorate the library’s anniversary.

“The Miller library is grateful to the University of Washington Special Collections Divisions that housed the collections for the last four years during the rebuilding of Merrill Hall,” says Jane St. Germain, acting manager of the library. The Miller library’s special collection is available by appointment for limited use by scholars, faculty, students and the general public by calling (206) 543-0415 in advance.

The Center for Urban Horticulture is located at the corner of Mary Gates Memorial Drive and Northeast 41st Street. A part of the UW College of Forest Resources, the center is known for horticultural research and public education, the preservation of Washington’s endangered plants and the restoration of urban landscapes.

###

Reporters, for more information:
Jean Robins, (206) 685-8033, jrobins@u.washington.edu