Scientific Conference The Journey of the Latvian Book: Terminology and Language in the Light of the 500th Anniversary"

At the Conference Centre of the National Library of Latvia (Level -1), a scientific conference “The Journey of the Latvian Book: Terminology and Language in the Light of the 500th Anniversary” will take place, dedicated to the commemoration of the first book published in Latvian.

The year 2025 in Latvian book publishing and linguistics is marked by the 500th anniversary of the printing of the first book in the Latvian language. It can be confidently stated that throughout these five centuries, alongside the challenges of language standardization and orthography, almost every author—from the earliest translators of religious texts and compilers of advice books, from Old Stender’s Book of High Wisdom to today’s academic textbooks and monographs—has paid special attention to finding appropriate terms for the most complex concepts.

Always relevant remains the wish expressed by Kārlis Kasparsons—physician, natural scientist, science popularizer, and Minister of Education in the Provisional Government of Latvia—at the first anniversary celebration of the University of Latvia (then still called the Latvian Higher School) in 1920: “to clothe the universe of science in the garment of our language.”

This conference, dedicated to this important anniversary, will provide an opportunity for specialists and those interested in terminology from different fields to meet, share experiences, exchange ideas, and establish new contacts.

Terminology experts and researchers from the National Library of Latvia, the Terminology Commission of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and its subcommittees, the University of Latvia, the Institute of the Latvian Language of the Faculty of Humanities, Riga Stradiņš University, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, Riga Technical University, Liepāja Academy, the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia, and Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy will share their perspectives on the history of Latvian terminology, influential figures in its development, as well as the evolution and challenges of terminology in specific fields.

Read more about the conference on the Latvian Library Portal: https://www.biblioteka.lv/latvijas-nacionalaja.../

Conference programme available here: https://www.biblioteka.lv/.../Terminologijas-konference...

Registration is open until 7 October 2025 via this online form: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSeDGYDS5yOe2w.../viewform