Armenian culture in demand

Library officials and community members team up to add about 400 books on the subject by October.

By Jackson Bell

The Leader

BURBANK — When library officials first asked Tamar Krekorian if she would spearhead a book drive to increase the library's collection of Armenian books, she jumped at the chance.

The drive, launched Feb. 9, was conceived by Library Services Director Sharon Cohen as a way to increase international readership at each of the city's three libraries while offsetting past and potential budget cuts.

"The books will not only add to the library collection but also help promote culture, cultural understanding and awareness in the community," said Krekorian, chairwoman of Books for Burbank Committee and wife of Burbank Unified School District board member Paul Krekorian.

The drive will have three phases. The first, which lasts until April 1, will focus on collecting books about Armenian history and the genocide. The second phase ends June 1 and will focus on collecting Armenian children's books. The third phase, which ends in October, will focus on collecting books on such general culture subjects as Armenian music, art, literature and cooking. The goal of the drive is to increase the library system's collection of Armenian-related books by 400, to 8,400 by October.

The library's book budget for the 2003-04 fiscal year is nearly $300,000, which is about $50,000, or 17%, less than the previous budget plan, Cohen said.

"We get a lot of requests and the books that we have are well used," she said. "But we're not currently meeting the needs [of our patrons], so we're trying to beef up the collection."

Books can be donated at any one of the city's three library branches: Burbank Central Library, 110 N. Glenoaks Blvd.; Buena Vista Library, 300 N. Buena Vista St.; and Northwest Library, 3323 W. Victory Blvd. Books also can be dropped off at Sardarabad Armenian Bookstore, 1111 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale.

In addition, a book fair to benefit the drive will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 6 at the Burbank Central Library.

Armen Martin, a member of the Burbank chapter of the Armenian National Committee, said the drive will spur more community involvement among the estimated 10,000 Armenians who live in the city.

"This would be a lot easier for us if we just solicited large donations from a few people," said Martin, whose organization has partnered with the library for the drive. "But we're making a broad-based effort to get people used to giving back to the community."