New Developments at AUA’s AGBU Papazian Library

Laurie Alvandian earned her bachelor’s degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine and her master’s degree in library and information science from the Pratt Institute in New York. In 2014, she applied to Birthright Armenia, which led to her volunteering at AUA’s AGBU Papazian Library. In 2023, following Satenik Avakian’s retirement, Alvandian was appointed the new director of the Library. With her passion for libraries and long-standing connection to the University, she hopes to grow AUA’s library resources and promote library education in the region.

Since her appointment as the new director of the AGBU Papazian Library at AUA, Alvandian prioritized setting strategic goals for the Library. Together with her team, she identified several factors — including library policies, procedures, books, online resources, instructions, and research support — the development of which will ensure that the Library meets international standards and remains the leading English-language library in the region. “The strength of a university library is in its collection,” said Alvandian. “We want to make sure we have a strong, up-to-date collection that supports our curriculum and represents a diversity of authors and perspectives. We work on collection audits with our faculty members, as their recommendations are relevant to the current and potential degree programs at AUA.”

In addition to hard copies, Library staff analyzes the diversity of visual, audio, and textual electronic resources to ensure the Library facilitates different types of learning for not only the AUA community, but also the public at large. The Library serves many purposes, including the implementation of various trainings and workshops, such as the information literacy modules created in collaboration with faculty members teaching General Education at AUA. The modules aim to explain the importance of research, citation of sources, and other topics to help students succeed in future research projects. 

Outreach and collaboration play a vital role for the Library, especially when it comes to providing training to the libraries in Yerevan and the regions. One prior collaboration involved donating books to the library of the AUA Extension Center in Goris. Currently, the staff also provide training to Renderforest, a branding and marketing company in Yerevan opening an academy and a library. “One of our long-term goals is to have an impact on library science education in Armenia. A few programs exist in this direction, but they are not up to international standards. Our library is in a unique position, as we have staff with library science degrees. Some of them are even from the U.S.-accredited library science institutions. Slowly, we are starting to incorporate library science education in the existing curriculum. I hope that we will one day offer an AUA Extension course on library science education. If we think bigger, I would love for AUA to have a certificate program, because education in this field is much needed,” said Alvandian. She adds, “Our aim is to help AUA become a strong research university, numbering among top universities worldwide.”