National Association for Armenian Studies and Research

Since 1955, NAASR has built an extensive library and maintains one of the top rare book Armenian libraries open to the public, with over 30,000 books and holdings dating to the 1600s, and periodicals dating to the 1800s. Materials in the collection are primarily written in Armenian and English, but important publications in Turkish, Farsi, Russian, French, German, Arabic, and other languages are also represented. Through the years, numerous significant and valuable collections have been donated to NAASR including special collections-personal archives and papers from over 25 prominent scholars, genocide survivors, religious figures, and early immigrants to the U.S.NAASR's Mardigian Library is used primarily by scholars and independent researchers (whether in person or remotely requesting scanned materials or references), university students, high school students, and the general public. The entire library's collections are available free of charge for research and reference purposes, or simply for browsing, and receives on average 100-150 requests/visits per year. Since the library catalog is fully accessible online, requests come from around the world.NAASR offers over 50 educational programs each year and co-sponsors programs, lectures and conferences with other academic and cultural organizations at venues throughout the country, which are also broadcast and archived online worldwide through its YouTube channel Armenian Studies. NAASR supports scholars worldwide through research and assistance. In 2023, 39 grants were approved for support by NAASR and the Knights of Vartan Fund for Armenian Studies. The grant recipients were mostly global, including from the US. NAASR runs a bookstore, which is the largest English-language bookstore on Armenian topics, available online and onsite, with over 2,000 titles.NAASR's members include scholars, students, researchers, and members of the general public. NAASR collaborates with a myriad of non-profit organizations and universities throughout the world.