Ronald Viane is a Botanist with a PhD in Biology. He has held the position of Professor of Botany at Ghent university and was the director of the university Botanic Garden from 1994 to 2000. He is now a librarian at the KMLP Library. Rene De Herdt is a historian graduate of Ghent university. After working for the Ghent City Archives, he is now the director of the MIAT which he founded. He too is a librarian at KMLP Library. Lucien Debersaques is a graduate of the horticultural college at Melle. For over 20 years he was a professional Azalea grower at Destelbergen. He is a panel member of the Syndical Chamber of Belgian Horticulturalists, and for 35 years on the board of the Azalea association. He too is a librarian at the KMLP Library.