A panel meeting was held at IRCICA on 20 October 2023 in honor of the leading expert of librarianship, Ms. Mihin Lugal (1925-2022).
Mihin Lugal worked in the library of the Turkish Historical Society (Ankara) for 33 years until 1983, at Atatürk Cultural Centre (Ankara) until 1987 and then at IRCICA Library (Istanbul) until her retirement in 2013. Throughout her career, she followed the modern developments in librarianship and introduced them to her institutions, which also helped to raise the general level of knowledge in this field; she also wrote books and articles.
The panel at IRCICA started with the opening remarks of Prof. Cengiz Tomar, Head of Research and Publications (IRCICA), delivered on behalf of Director General Prof. Mahmud Erol Kılıç. A documentary film was shown on the life and works of Mihin Lugal, emphasizing some aspects of her career that had interacted with the progress of librarianship in Türkiye. Subsequently, a panel was held, with the following speakers: Dr. Didar Bayır, Head of IRCICA Library and Archive; Mihin Lugal’s son Argun Eren; and, the following scholars who had collaborated with Ms. Lugal: ex-Secretary General (2005-2014) of the OIC Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu; Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı (pre-recorded); Ms. Ayten Şan, ex-Director of Beyazıt Library (İstanbul) and author of a biography book about Mihin Lugal.
After the panel, an exhibition of samples from Mihin Lugal’s and her father Prof. Dr. Necati Lugal’s archive donated to IRCICA was opened.
