Mardigian Library
Library Catalogue
The Mardigian Library's fully searchable catalogue can be accessed by clicking here: NAASR Library Catalogue.
Please note that the NAASR follows Library of Congress transliteration rules for Armenian, Russian, Persian and other languages. We suggest omitting diacritical marks when searching.
A separate listing of NAASR's periodical holdings is also available. (Note that some periodicals are included in the Library Catalogue.) As the list is constantly changing, if you do not see a specific issue listed we suggest contacting us.
About the Mardigian Library
The Edward and Helen Mardigian Reference and Research Library at NAASR is composed of nearly 30,000 books, pamphlets, periodicals, and documents, primarily in Armenian and English, dating as far back as the late 17th century. The collection encompasses a broad range of topics including history, literature, art and architecture, linguistics, as well as law, anthropology, 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.
Two circumstances led to the establishment of a library at NAASR. The first was the donation of books on Armenian subjects by NAASR members and their families; the second was the increasing number of requests to NAASR by students, the media, and individuals for information on Armenian topics. The library has become a center for scholars, undergraduates, high school students, and the general public, who have benefited from NAASR’s unique holdings.
“The collections at NAASR are extremely important in studying the Armenian Genocide. I hope to come back here very often.” - Ugur Ungor
Through the years, numerous important and valuable collections have been donated or willed to NAASR and form the heart of the Armenian language collection, and NAASR continues to accept donations. The largest of these collections is the Ani and George Bournoutian Collection of more than 3,000 titles. Other major collections donated to NAASR include those of Hagop Atamian, Dickran Boyajian, Dr. John A. C. Greppin, George Kolligian, Harry Kolligian, Alice Odian Kasparian, Abraham Krikorian & Eugene Taylor, Samuel Toumayan, and Manoog S. Young.
“NAASR has never failed to help me when I’ve needed sources, books—any information, practical or impractical.” - Kevork Bardakjian
The library also contains several important collections of personal papers, 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.
Highlights of the library include a large number of histories of now-destroyed Armenian villages and towns, Armenian dictionaries of many different types, a copy of virtually every title published in English over the past half century, and an enormous trove of newspapers and periodicals, including scholarly journals.
Online catalogues of other Boston-area Armenian libraries with important holdings of interest to researchers:
The Mesrob G. Boyadjian Library at the Armenian Museum of America in Watertown, MA
The Eghia Demirjibashian Library at the Armenian Cultural Foundation in Arlington, MA