Photo: Mankica Kranjec
Liljana Klemenčič was born to parents Jurij Barić and Marija (born Šterman) in Ptuj, Slovenia, where she completed her primary and secondary education. She furthered her studies in art education at the Pedagogical Academy in Maribor, successfully graduating and subsequently pursuing a career in classroom teaching, ultimately completing her studies in 1981.
She secured her first job in 1979 at Dr. Ljudevit Pivk Primary School in Ptuj, a school with a specialized programme, where she taught art education and technology for one year. Subsequently, she continued to teach both subjects for the following two years at Hajdina Primary School.
In 1983, she joined the Youth Department of the then People’s and Studies Library (now the Ivan Potrč Library) in Ptuj. In the following decades, as a youth librarian, she successfully introduced and developed new forms of work with young people despite the modest conditions. In 1994, when the Youth Department moved to a new location in the premises of Mali grad (Small Castle), and suitable conditions were finally created for the regular implementation of various activities, the department experienced growth both in terms of space and staff. Liljana Klemenčič was appointed Head of the Department in 1996, a position she still holds today.
Alongside her regular work in the library, she has acquired a significant amount of formal and informal education and has initiated numerous authorial projects related to literature, bibliopedagogy and storytelling. In addition to her work as a bibliopedagogue, she reviews children’s and young adult fiction and is the author of literary columns such as Tednikova knjigarnica (Weekly Bookshop) for Štajerski tednik, Mentorjeva bralnica ali bibliotrk (Mentor’s reading room) for Mentor and Neobvezno za knjigoljube (Nonobligatory for booklovers) for Večer. She actively promotes quality literature through regular appearances on Radio Maribor with her literary column Zbrano, zapisano, prebrano (Collected, written, read) and on Radio Ptuj.
Furthermore, she writes expert articles on youth literature, reading, and book education. Additionally, she has written prefaces in various works of fiction, such as the novel Stvar (The Thing) by Marjana Moškrič. She has also adapted texts for picture books like Kurent (2001) and Kako je Evropa dobila ime (How Europe Got Its Name) published in 2004.
She has been a member of the editorial board of Mentor magazine since 2010 and an active participant in the Slovenian Reading Badge Society since 2012. In addition, she has established herself as a talented storyteller, captivating audiences of both children and adults.
Among her most notable projects are Fairy Tales with Yoga created in collaboration with Sonja Trplan and the Reading Badge for Adults. She also collaborated with Mladinska knjiga to organize summer reading terraces in Ptuj from 2005 to 2012, presenting new books in cooperation with their authors.
In her spare time, she is an avid collector and caretaker of Pelargonium zonale, boasting a collection of over 200 different varieties.
Mira Petrovič. KLEMENČIČ, Liljana. (1957-). Obrazi slovenskih pokrajin. Mestna knjižnica Kranj, 2020. Access date: 26. 9. 2023. Available at: https://www.obrazislovenskihpokrajin.si/oseba/klemencic-liljana/
