Landmark Richard G. Hovannisian Library to be Established in Yerevan
Global Fundraising Campaign Has Been Launched
YEREVAN — A global fundraising campaign has been launched to support the creation of the Richard G. Hovannisian Library in the heart of Yerevan. Dedicated to honoring and extending the monumental legacy of the late Professor Hovannisian–a titan of modern Armenian History–the library will permanently house the unparalleled collection of more than 10,000 books and volumes he amassed over his lifetime.
Born to Armenian Genocide survivors in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Hovannisian set out on a life’s journey to pioneer the field of Armenian Studies in the United States and across the world. He founded and held the AEF Chair in Modern Armenian History, later renamed in his honor, at UCLA. He wrote the four-volume masterpiece, “The Republic of Armenia.”
Hovannisian preserved the history of the Armenian Genocide through several more books and a comprehensive oral history collection, which now resides at USC’s Shoah Foundation. His series of conferences on the historic Armenian cities and provinces also became books, wherein the lost history, culture, and spirit of Western Armenia are forever preserved.
The Richard G. Hovannisian Library is envisaged as a world-class cultural and intellectual space. Work is already well underway on the ground in Yerevan, where specialists and catalogers are meticulously indexing the vast archival collection. By the end of this year, these volumes will be integrated into a beautifully designed facility featuring custom, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
The space will serve as a dynamic center for the study and advancement of Armenian and regional studies, inspiring a new generation of scholars, thinkers, and leaders through a year-round calendar of panels, symposia, and educational programming.
While the Hovannisian family, together with several allied Armenian institutions, has borne the lion’s share of the initial project and construction costs, a global campaign has been launched to bring this history-in-the-making across the finish line, funding the final outfitting of the space, ongoing archival work, and future programming.
“We hope to build, in my grandfather’s name, a library that will not only perpetuate his legacy, but that will allow new generations of Armenians to discover the riches of our past and to be inspired and propelled toward our future,” said Garin Hovannisian, Founder of Creative Armenia, which is helping implement the project on the ground in Yerevan.
To make a tax-deductible contribution to the campaign, please visit the official donation portal at the Creative Armenia website.
