AUA Honors Vartan Gregorian for Donation of His Book Collection to AGBU Papazian Library

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YEREVAN, Armenia — On October 14, 2014, the American University of Armenia (AUA) honored Vartan  Gregorian for donating his book collection to the AGBU Papazian Library. Mr. Gregorian has been donating  books from his personal library to AUA since 2010, a mostly English-language collection which has now  surpassed 600 items, on subjects such as the social sciences and humanities. A plaque in honor of his  generous donations was unveiled during the ceremony.

Vartan Gregorian, an Armenian born in Iran, is the twelfth president of Carnegie Corporation of New York,  assuming the position in 1997. Prior to that, he served for nine years as president of Brown University. From 1981 to 1989, he served as president of The New York Public Library. He is the author of three books: The Road to Home: My Life and Times, Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith and The Emergence of Modern Afghanistan, 1880-1946.

With his most recent donation, the Papazian Library has created a special section for Mr. Gregorian’s  collection. Mr. Gregorian was personally present to cut the red tape and officially open his collection to  the AUA community and public. AUA President Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian welcomed Mr. Gregorian to AUA,  stating, “We really believe our students will benefit from these books.” Library Director, Satenik Avakian,  who expects at least 400 more books to arrive in the near future, expressed her appreciation for Mr. Gregorian’s donations and added that, “The Papazian Library is the most popular and widely used library in  Armenia.”

Mr. Gregorian, who has openly championed libraries throughout his career, stated, “It’s like giving  away your children. It’s hard to part from your library of books. I’m sending most of them to Armenian  institutions, and I’m happy to do that. A book that is not read is a dead book.”