Book Donation: 500 Books Donated to Hovhannes Tumanyan Library in Alaverdi (photos)

This weekend, armed with 500 books, teams from the publishing house and Freedom Broker Armenia traveled to the Alaverdi community, specifically to Tumanyan's library. The library, in operation for 94 years, houses 42,000 books. Despite poor building conditions and aging books, the library remains a popular destination, often with limited seating available.

Since its inception, Newmag Publishing House has prioritized supplying regional libraries with new, modern, and high-quality books. However, due to a discontinued state budget allocation program for libraries by the Ministry of Education and Culture, this initiative has remained dormant for years. According to Artak Aleksanyan, head of the publishing house, determination and initiative were crucial in making this project a reality.

"We recognized the necessity for regional libraries to update their collections but also acknowledged Armenia's developmental constraints. Understanding that state funding might not be available, we sought out private donors. We are grateful to Freedom Broker Armenia for promptly joining our cause."

"We poured immense energy, time, love, and dedication into creating these books. We published them with care and a commitment to Armenian language excellence, ensuring that every child opening our books understands Armenian as the most beautiful and vibrant language, capable of sparking new adventures and shaping new destinies."

Freedom Broker Armenia believes this event marks a significant stride in supporting educational initiatives and fostering a reading culture in Armenia. During the event at the Alaverdi House of Culture, Lilit Hakobyan, Deputy Head of the Middle East and South Caucasus PR & GR at Freedom Holding Company, emphasized the project's importance.

"This event holds great significance for our company. It's the least we can do for our country and its regions. This initiative will be ongoing because books are a wellspring of hope."

The project aims to refresh regional library collections with contemporary literature and support local communities. Gnel Nalbandian, Editor-in-Chief of Newmag Publishing House, views this as a positive precedent for regularly updating library holdings and retiring outdated books. Addressing the audience with a copy of a Newmag publication, Nalbandian said,

"I encourage you to read 'The Road to Home' and discover how our compatriot raised funds for the New York library. This responsibility belongs to all of us. The joint initiative by Newmag and Freedom Broker Armenia aims to bolster struggling libraries during these challenging times."

Libraries across Lori and other Armenian regions face various challenges—structural issues, underpaid staff doing heroic work, and collections of aging books. That's why we initiated this effort. We bring high-quality literature, beautifully printed with superior paper quality, font, and design.

Karine Aghabekyan, Head of Alaverdi House of Culture, expressed confidence that news of the new books would draw residents to the library.

"We were overjoyed to receive a phone call inviting us to the publishing festival and presenting us with so many books. Learning we would receive 500 books as a gift was even more thrilling."

Local resident, writer, and journalist Hrachya Papinyan highlighted that the library had never before received such a substantial donation of books.

"Regional readers often lack access to the extensive selection found in the capital's luxury bookstores. This delivery marks the first time such a significant quantity of high-quality books has been added to our library. Purchasing new books annually on a limited budget is a challenge. I am delighted for my grandson and young readers who will benefit from this."

As part of the event, Georgi Melkonyan, Head of Educational Programs at Freedom Broker Armenia, delivered a lecture on financial literacy titled "Where Does Financial Literacy Begin?" This underscores the importance of enhancing financial literacy not only in the capital but also in Armenia's regions.

The Alaverdi community presented certificates of acknowledgment to Newmag Publishing House and Freedom Broker Armenia. In a few days, teams from both companies will personally deliver 500 books to the Vanadzor City Library.