Books have become a victim of our fast-food and industrial lifestyle.

Saba (Homeland and Resistance Service of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA)), Maedeh Marvian Hosseini: The Specialized War Library of the Art Bureau started its activities in 1379 (2000) with the aim of collecting, organizing, and preserving written and research resources related to the Iran-Iraq War. This library is considered one of the oldest study centers in the field of Sacred Defense and strives to make information and resources related to this part of the country’s contemporary history available to researchers, writers, and enthusiasts with a comprehensive and specialized approach.

The approach of this library is not merely collecting resources; rather, its focus is on producing specialized information and providing data beyond conventional library standards. According to the library manager, the experts at this center identify the needs of the research community by carefully examining the content of published works and, based on that, produce scientific and verifiable information. According to the latest statistics, as of Aban 1404 (November 2025), over 31,000 book titles have been registered in this library, including various books, periodicals, and theses in different languages. On the occasion of Book and Book Reading Week, we visited this specialized library to have an interview with Marzieh Mohammadi, the library manager, about its history, activities, and challenges.

When did the library begin its activities and with what goal was it founded?

The Specialized War Library of the Art Bureau officially began its activities in 1379 (2000), and from the outset, it has strived to continue its activities with a comprehensive approach in collecting and organizing published resources regarding the Iraq-Iran War, the Sacred Defense.

What mission and approach has the library defined for itself?

Although identifying and collecting everything published on the topic of the Iran-Iraq War is one of the main missions of this library, our special approach is shaped by producing specialized-level information – information beyond what is standardly produced at the national level. Experts at the Specialized War Library, while utilizing information produced by institutions such as the National Library, accurately review the content of information resources and produce information considering the needs of the target community.

Who are your target audiences? Researchers, writers, veterans, or general enthusiasts?

In fact, there is no limitation on the range of this library’s audience. People of any age group and educational level can become members and use its services. Children and teenagers are also observed among the library’s members. Mothers or homemakers, students, university students, and various professional groups are members of this library. However, given the library’s goals and approach, a significant portion of our audience falls into the group of researchers and writers. Writers active in this subject area and researchers engaged in personal, academic, or organizational research on the Iran-Iraq War / Sacred Defense primarily use this library’s services. Nationally, the Specialized War Library’s services also have special audiences. For example, for years, the Sacred Defense Book of the Year Award, which is considered the largest and most important national book award in the specialized field of Iran-Iraq War books, has had continuous and stable interaction with the library.

How many books are currently available in the library?

Based on the latest reports in Aban 1404 (November 2025), over 31,000 book titles have been registered in the Specialized War Library. It should be noted that these titles are available in a collection comprising 35,000 copies in various languages in this library.

What resources are available in the library, and how can these resources be borrowed or read?

In terms of the variety of forms, the resources available in this library fall into three groups: books, periodicals, and theses. Like other libraries, almost a very large part of the resources in the main stacks are in the borrowing cycle. Only limited resources, including reference materials, visual collections, valuable books, non-Persian resources, periodicals, and theses, cannot be borrowed externally but are made available to visitors without any restrictions in the library’s reading room. Currently, services for books and periodicals are based on paper copies, and for theses, services are provided digitally in the library’s reading room. Efforts are also underway to digitize the book and periodical sections. In various periods, the library also attempted to organize non-book resources such as multimedia resources, posters and flashcards, yearbooks, reports, and projects, but due to various reasons such as lack of access to suitable software and hardware for organizing, producing, and managing information, lack of space, and expert human resources, these items were set aside.

How much of your resources are specifically related to the oral history of individuals and commanders in the Sacred Defense?

In recent years, in historical research on the Iran-Iraq War and Sacred Defense, the term ‘oral history’ has become a challenging term with various definitions and applications, which we do not intend to address here. But if by ‘oral history’ you mean that the content of the book has been compiled based on interviews and the question-and-answer structure has been preserved in the final published work, it can be said that currently there are over 200 such titles in the library’s book collection.

What are the rules and regulations regarding membership, borrowing, and using the library’s resources and services?

Various types of membership are defined in this library, and each range of visitors falls into one of these types. Based on their membership type, the membership duration is activated from six months to several years. In the regulations governing services to visitors, the number of resources for external borrowing is defined as 2 copies for 15 days, and for in-room borrowing, 12 copies. However, individuals who continuously and professionally use the library’s services have experienced much larger and greater numbers than those mentioned. In fact, these rules are defined minimally to care for and protect the collection and keep the borrowing cycle alive for each book, and under different circumstances, they are flexible and adjustable at the librarian’s discretion. The library experts do not set a ceiling for providing such services, and with proper interaction between the member and the library, the number and duration of borrowing can be extended as long as the book is not needed by another person and is not requested or reserved by another member.