Today at the National Library of Armenia, we hosted Ani Babaian, the coordinator of the Mardikian Library of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR). Not only the National Library employees attended, but also representatives of the Yerevan Avetik Isahakyan City Central Library and several Yerevan Community Libraries.

Within the framework of cooperation with the National Library of Armenia, the creation of the "Mardigian Library" collection within the Armenian Union Catalog, which reflects the bibliographic records of Armenian Studies books available in the Mardigian Library. https://is.gd/ESAlg7 Presenting the activities of NAASR, she noted that it was formed on the initiative of 60 Armenian-Americans and Harvard professors who wanted to develop Armenian studies in the United States. Babayan also touched upon the valuable publications on Armenian studies published under the auspices of NAASR, which are of great value both in the Diaspora and in Armenia. The speaker discussed the library’s activities and mission, pointing out that donations are the primary source of replenishment for the collection and that, despite having a small staff, they do a great deal of work, from acquisitions to processing, circulation, and digitization. The library is also supported with great enthusiasm by young volunteers who are involved in ongoing technical work. The Mardigian Library collection has approximately 40,000 library items, including books, brochures, periodicals, maps, etc. The collection encompasses a broad range of topics including history, literature, art, architecture, linguistics, poetry, as well as law, anthropology, cooking, and natural sciences. The library is named in honor of the late Edward and Helen Mardigian in recognition of their decades of generous support of NAASR and its initiatives and the continued support of the Mardigian family.

The library draws scholars, undergraduates, high school students, researchers, and the general public from around the world, interested in NAASR’s unique holdings. The library also contains several collections of rare personal papers of great interest, including those of the late Avedis Derounian (aka John Roy Carlson), Fr. Krikor Guerguerian, the Rev. Charles Vertanes, Emmanuel P. Varandyan, Haigazn Kazarian, Marderos Deranian, Dicran Simsarian, and others, which represent a substantial source of information for future researchers.

During the lecture, Ani Babayan presented with particular enthusiasm a significant event in the history of the library: the donation of the First Printed Armenian Bible (Voskan Bible, Amsterdam, 1666-1668) to the library. This exceptional value, one of the few examples in the Diaspora, has become an important part of the library's history. This meeting was a wonderful opportunity for cooperation between Armenian cultural and library institutions.