Who should we beget our libraries?

I have already posted about the closure of Armenian personal libraries, as well as about the closure of NY City Armenian Community Center’s public library. The concern seems to have engulfed the epi center of the Armenian Diaspora, Aleppo, the famed Armenian Haleb. Attached is my translation of excerpts from Levon Sharoyan’s recent posting from Aleppo on his Facebook page on February 22, 2026, titled “Who should we beget our libraries?” (ՄԵՐ ԳՐԱԴԱՐԱՆՆԵՐԸ ՈՐՈ՞ՒՆ ԿՏԱԿԵՆՔ). Vaհe H Apelian 

Courtesy Levon Sharoyan

“I am sure that this heart-wrenching question will be asked from time to time by all those book lovers, bibliophiles and intellectuals who, over the years and long decades, have accumulated stacks of books in their homes and have managed to create a respectable and rich library, that has given them breath, spirit and wings; cultivated and tempered their minds, ennobled their souls, and given color to the walls of their homes. What happy moments have passed under the shadow of that library, sometimes alone, at times accompanied by rare conversations, with a small number of like-minded friends, who love literature.

These family libraries were always kept neat, clean, and organized. They were always cared for. Often, financial contributions were made to purchase this or that book, this or that series, this or that dictionary, this or that encyclopedia. Sometimes the wooden furniture of the library was renovated and refinished. Periodically, additional expenses were even incurred to reorganize some worn and damaged volumes, to provide them with new leather covers... What happiness for a book lover, a book lover!

The library is the wealth of an intellectual person.

***

Yes, our family libraries have "fed" us for many years, from our school days to the present. But what will be their fate in the future, in the near future, when we, having grown old or worn out, will no longer be able to take care of them?

This inevitable prospect is a nightmare for us, the owners of libraries. Who will be the owner of our library when the time comes for us to leave?

Yes, this is how we have begun to think every time we pondered about the great mystery of life and death. This is how we have thought every time we have been informed, upon hearing the news of the death of an intellectual.

We know that the commodity called “book” is not a precious metal or a ringing coin that would arouse the interest of our immediate heirs. But, nevertheless, why do our children (mostly university and educated) not show a coveted warmth towards their parents’ books and libraries?

***

We live in an age of learning, science, and attaining highest university degrees. But, book reading, the love of books, and the value of libraries are rapidly declining in our contemporary society. I am led to think that 125 or 150 years ago, during the time of Tourian, or Medsarents, a Raffi or Srpuhi  Dusab, the love of reading was much more widespread in our Armenian reality than it is today. Similarly, the situation was fundamentally different in the days of Soviet Armenia. You will be amazed to see that one of Charents’ collective work was printed in 40,000 copies, a volume of children’s fairy tales in 60,000 copies, a classical Armenian novel in 20,000 copies, a translation of foreign literature in 10-15,000 copies. And informed sources testify that those books, once published, were already sold out from the bookstores within a few months, 

Those happy times are over!

Today, the product called “book” does not have a desirable presence in our homes. For today’s growing generations, the book has lost its charm or appeal. A beautiful book in Armenian placed on the table, no matter how interesting the title, will not succeed in attracting or captivating the Armenian person, especially in the Diaspora. That Armenian person is not interested in either the author or in the content of the book. He is not at all interested to know what a contemporary Armenian author could have told in his 200 or 300-page volume.

***

We witness this unhealthy state of mind every day and continuously in our Armenian schools. Not a single student has a sincere desire to pick up a book and read. The same is true of our clubs, whose libraries remain slumbering in summer and in winter.

I believe that the love of reading can sprout and grow from a young age. Therefore, the role of parents and the school will be great here. A neat and tidy library at home and a functioning library open to the students in the school (with a lively and knowledgeable librarian) can lead us to beneficial results."