Nieuws
Exhibition Birding Wageningen, 17 October 2016-20 March 2017
"Birding Wageningen, 70 years Vogelwerkgroep KNNV" is the new exhibition of the Special Collections in the Forum Library. In a 'bird's eye view' we outline the history of research on birds, from antiquity to the modern techniques, such as 3-D printing of bird eggs.
Magnificent bird books such as the 18th-century large folio De Nederlandsche Vogelen by Nozeman and Sepp and books of famous bird illustrators can be seen in the exhibition as well as more modern works, recent bird survey maps and reports and some (giant) eggs. Special themes in the exhibition are the lapwing - in the Dutch Year of the Kievit, the study of bird eggs (oology), and Wageningen-based research.
Last year members of the Vogelwerkgroep Wageningen (part of the KNNV-association for field biology) visited the Special Collections to see the original of the reissued De Nederlandsche Vogelen. They were surprised and impressed by the richness of the Collection's bird books. At its foundation Wageningen received many book donations and collected old natural history books to build a broad scientific library collection. That one of its librarians at the time, Van Pelt Lechner, was a well-known birder and oologist might have helped to build this collection. Soon after its visit the Vogelwerkgroep requested the Library to make an exhibition dedicated to its 70th anniversary in 2016.
"Birding Wageningen" is on display in the Special Collections reading room from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. To visit the collection in the afternoon or with a group, please inquire with Special Collections for an appointment.
