In conjunction with the celebratory event NAASR held on May 6, 2023, marking the appointment of Christina Maranci as the third holder of the Mashtots Chair in Armenian Studies at Harvard University, we are devoting this Library Treasures installment to materials from NAASR’s own organizational archives pertaining to this organization’s pioneering effort to establish the first chair in Armenian Studies in the U.S.—or, indeed, anywhere in the Armenian diaspora in North America—focusing on the years from 1954 to the appointment of the first chairholder in 1969.
For this installment of the Treasures of NAASR's Mardigian Library, we have chosen examples and maps and atlases and a few related works from our holdings. They are not necessarily selected for their beauty (although some are indeed beautiful) nor for their age (though some are quite old) but because they tell an interesting story and reflect the diversity of approaches to mapping Armenia over the past 325 years, which is the time period reflected in the maps included in this feature.
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) is proud to announce that it is a recipient of a Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in support of its efforts to safeguard the important and rare holdings in its Edward and Helen Mardigian Library. The grant will support a general preservation assessment and the purchase of rehousing supplies.
We offer this in tribute to all of those who keep the spirit of learning and the love of books alive, from the Mekhitarist Fathers of San Lazzaro to Vartan Gregorian.