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Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Completes Reconstruction Of Shushi Librar

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  • Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Completes Reconstruction Of Shushi Librar

    HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND COMPLETES RECONSTRUCTION OF SHUSHI LIBRARY

    22.02.2011 | 15:01
    www.nt.am | Noyan Tapan

    Culture

    Earlier this year, the Shushi Library began operating in a completely
    renovated and newly furnished space. The transformation of the
    venerable landmark, at a cost of approximately 7,000, was sponsored
    by the Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region.

    The library now is poised to function as not only an extraordinary
    destination for reading and research, but a hub for a range of
    educational and cultural events. It will serve Shushi, Stepanakert,
    and nearby rural communities, helping enrich the lives of students
    and the population at large.

    The renovation project has resulted in a complete makeover of the
    library, which comprises a two-story main building and a single-level
    administrative unit, with a total area of 624 square meters. Both
    structures were reinforced and rebuilt around new floor plans,
    the roofs were replaced, and the floors were covered variously with
    ceramic tiles and hardwood. Improvements also include the installation
    of up-to-date electrical and climate-control systems.

    The administrative building consists of an entrance hall and
    four offices. The main building comprises a large reading hall,
    a storehouse, and a basement used for various library needs.

    The people of Shushi have long cherished the dream of seeing their
    city restored and teeming with Armenian life, says Mikayel Khachatryan,
    deputy head of the Shushi Administration. Today that dream is becoming
    reality, through key improvements including rebuilt roads and the
    refurbished roofs of over ten apartment complexes as well as ongoing
    redevelopment projects such as the renovation of the Shushi Cultural
    Center and the Abovyan School, and installation of an internal
    potable-water network.

    Khachatryan has high hopes that the Shushi Library will regain its
    former stature as a regional intellectual center. In the Soviet era,
    he says, the library had up to 60 visitors a day. Moreover, it hosted
    a regular stream of lectures and book presentations featuring renowned
    authors and scholars. All that came to a grinding halt with the onset
    of the Artsakh War. In 1992, when the residents of Shushi returned
    to their native city, what they found was utter devastation. Their
    beloved library, like all of Shushi's once-vibrant institutions,
    was far from being able to resume its activities.

    Now that the library has received a new lease on life, its management
    is hard at work to optimize it. The library's book collection,
    comprising over 16,500 volumes, will shortly be moved back to the
    renovated premises, after having been temporarily stored at the
    Muratsan School. The management has already taken steps to considerably
    expand the collection. Another significant addition will be realized
    thanks to Moscow-based ethnographer Karen Yuzbashyan, who has donated
    his private collection of ethnographic studies, totaling 265 pieces,
    to the library.

    Currently the library employs a staff of seven, with plans to expand it
    in the near future. One critically important position the management
    is seeking to create is that of a bibliographer. Another top priority
    is to digitize the entire book collection.

    "One after the other, redevelopment projects launched in 2009 are
    coming to fruition," says Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the
    Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. "And with the completion of every single
    initiative, we feel proud for bringing hope and joy to Shushi, as
    we continue to do our share in helping restore and beautify this
    magnificent city-fortress of our ancestors."

    Hayastan All Armenian Fund




    From: A. Papazian
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