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Burbank Library getting hundreds of donated Armenian books

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  • Burbank Library getting hundreds of donated Armenian books

    Los Angeles Daily News, CA
    March 25 2004

    Burbank Library getting hundreds of donated Armenian books

    By Alex Dobuzinskis , Staff Writer

    BURBANK -- Burbank libraries will soon have more than 200 donated
    books either about Armenia or written in Armenian for their
    international collection, a community organizer said Wednesday.

    The library's acquisition of Armenian books comes at a time when the
    number of Armenians moving into Burbank is on the rise.

    Pharmacist Tamar Kekorian, the wife of Burbank school board member
    Paul Kekorian, said about 100 books were collected at a book fair
    earlier this month and other books have been collected in the
    meantime to bring the total to more than 200. The goal is to collect
    400 to 500 books.

    "It's such a tremendous project that we decided to stretch it over
    nine to 10 months so that we can actually accomplish it," Kekorian
    said.

    The books already collected are valued at more than $5,000, she said.
    The books were donated by local residents, and some provided money to
    buy new books.

    The first phase of the book collection focuses on books about
    Armenian history and the Armenian genocide of 1915.

    The next phase of the collection will involve the donation of
    children's books, some of them written in Armenian.

    One of the books ready to be donated is by poet Hovhannes Toumanian,
    who was born in 1869 and wrote a number of short, fablelike stories
    such as "Nazar the Brave."

    Nazan Armenian, a member of the Armenian National Committee of
    Burbank, said the book donation program is good for the libraries.

    "It will drive more Armenian patrons to use the library," she said.

    Kekorian said she got involved in collecting books for the city after
    head librarian Sharon Cohen approached her husband and asked for help
    in obtaining more books about Armenia.

    "I would like to encourage others to be involved in projects like
    this. Because due to budget cuts, it's very difficult for libraries
    to have the kinds of collections that they would ideally like to
    have," Kekorian said.
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