2004 Annual Report of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center

Resources of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center include: a research library with approximately 6,000 scholarly books and journals; the Karekin Hovsepian library with approximately 10,000 books of a literary and general nature; an audiovisual library of hundreds of videos and thousands of tapes and records; resources such as microfilms, microfiche, photographs, maps, historical documents and artifacts; old and rare publications in the hundreds; collections of over one hundred old journals and newspapers; over 40 contem­porary newspapers and other periodicals; access to personal biblio­graphical and scholarly resources of the staff; use of onsite computers for research purposes; scanning and photocopying facilities.  The Center is open to the public during Diocesan office hours.

Routine Activities: These include keeping the office open for five days a week; training and supervising occasional volunteers; screening newspapers, journals and e-mail reports on a daily basis; purchasing new books; supplying informa­tion and material to scholars, musicians and artists, and the public at large; helping other departments and Diocesan personnel; advising St. Nersess Seminary and graduate and college students; sponsoring theses of St. Nersess seminarians; providing short write-ups and translations for the Diocesan offices; lecturing and teaching.  Members of the staff catalogue new books, screen newspapers and periodicals, and create files for future use. Write-ups are sent to various newspapers and journals.  Research is conducted at the request of church luminaries.

Lectures and Functions: Events at the Diocesan Center included a presentation of a new book by Kemal Yalçin (Apr.); staff lectures for the Khrimian Lyceum (Jun.) and ALLARC workshops (Jul.); a retirement reception for Dr. Thomas Mathews of New York University (Jun.); a presentation by Fr. Stewart of Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (Jun.).

Events outside the center included a staff Lenten lecture series on the Holy Sacraments, at St. Vartanantz Church, Chelmsford, MA (Feb.-Apr.); a staff lecture at Brown University co-sponsored with the Armenian Students Association on new research on the Armenian Genocide (Apr.); a staff lecture for the Khrimian Lyceum, in Boston, MA (Apr.); a Rwanda genocide conference co-sponsored with the Institute for the Study of Genocide, at General Theological Seminary, NY (May); a staff lecture on Armenian Genocide denial for “Not Just Blacks and Jews in Conversation,” at Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY (Jun.); a staff lecture on the Armenian alphabet at St. George Church, Hartford, CT (Nov.); a staff lecture on Zeytun and the Armenian Genocide, at St. James Church, Richmond, VA (Dec.).

Other Activities: Participation in review of ANSEF grant proposals; review of Zohrab Liebmann fellowship applications; assistance to Columbia University’s Armenian oral history project; the coordinator continued to act as editor of the Armenian section of The Armenian Church periodical; the coordinator in his capacity as a priest visited various parishes, conducted religious services and delivered sermons; translations and write-ups for Primate’s office; answers provided to inquiries of a religious nature from the Diocesan website and parishes; provided historical correction in letter to editor, Time Out New York magazine; concluded digitalization of tapes of Gorky/Mooradian collection; consultation on Diocesan Catholicos Vasken I commemorative booklet, Diocesan 2005 calendar, Project Save 2005 calendar; translation of inscriptions on liturgical items in Istanbul Armenian churches; critical reviews of proposed publications for university and Armenian presses; reviewing and editing articles or lectures by others; provided, translated, and authored liturgical texts for various churches; edited or reviewed publications of guidelines for Diocesan use; provision of computer assistance to other staff members, particularly concerning Armenian language issues; 17) suggested or provided books for digitalization for various Armenian websites; participation in several UN related meetings and events.  Staff also served on several committees, including: the Holy Etchmiadzin liturgical committee (as secretary); Diocesan committee on divorce; St. Vartan Bookstore committee; Vahakn Dadrian commemoration committee; Armenian alphabet anniversary committee; Bp. Zgon Publication Fund.

Publications: These included book reviews in several journals; an encyclopedia article; and a series of three articles devoted to Holy Etchmiadzin today.  Materials and chapters were provided for a handbook on the Armenian Church, and a book of questions and answers, both to be published by the Diocese in 2005.  Acknowledgement was provided to the Zohrab Center in the prefaces of a number of works.  The center has assisted a number of authors, including journalists, literary experts, PBS documentary makers, novelists, and historians.

Acquisitions: The library continued to expand modestly through a series of purchases and donations.  Our collection depends heavily on the good will of individual Armenian donors.  This year, a number of small collections of Armenian and English language books, and author’s copies of new scholarly items, were received as gifts.  The process of electronically cataloging holdings is still in progress, though due to the lack of a professional librarian, the work has been relatively slow in recent years.  Material in the Zohrab Center files continues to be scanned and stored digitally.

Notice: Please consult the library before you throw away Armenian books in your possession.  We ask you to spread the news that the Diocese is collecting Armenian books and journals.

Personnel: Fr. Krikor Maksoudian, co-coordinator (part-time employee); and Aram Arkun, co-coordinator (full-time employee).