YEREVAN – On Thursday, July 21st, the first official Little Free Library in Armenia was installed in Yerevan, at 80 Aram Street. It was the first of 15 libraries that will be installed in Yerevan, Ashtarak and other parts of the country, as part of a project called Little Free Libraries in Armenia.
Initiated by Birthright Armenia alumni, Laurie Alvandian and Nina Romá Agvanian, the project aims to provide free public access to books and information through the placement of miniature outdoor libraries throughout the country. The libraries are free and open to everyone and operate on a “take a book, leave a book” system, in which at any time people can either take books from the library or place books in the library for someone else to read. While books of all languages are accepted, donations of Armenian books are especially encouraged.
The project was funded by Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk and the libraries were built by Four Peaks Landscape + Architecture.
“We want people to start reading more, to get involved in community projects such as this one, and to have free access to information. This library belongs to the community, and we hope that the community takes care of it, keeps filling it with books, and really values what it represents,” said Alvandian.
The concept of the Little Free Library began in the United States in 2009 and is now a non-profit organization with over 25,000 officially registered libraries in over 40 countries around the world. “We knew that this organization existed and that people were building these little libraries all over the world, but we also noticed that there were no registered libraries in Armenia,” said Agvanian. “We decided that we had to bring this project here.”
You can find out more about Little Free Libraries in Armenia and keep up to date with the installation of libraries throughout the country by visiting their Facebook page.
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This will be an important test for the civic spirit of the average Armenian citizen. There is no Sargisyan or “bad government” to blame with this project. It’s for the people by people that care for Armenia. Let’s see if it will be valued for the excellent idea it represents or whether the books will all go missing in a few weeks to be resold for “dollars” at vernisage while the little library becomes a pigeon retirement him covered in droppings. The gauntlet has been thrown down. ..
I have some excellent textbooks to contribute on my next trip.