American University of Armenia Institutional Repository AUA AGBU Papazian Library

History and Founding

The American University of Armenia Institutional Repository is the digital repository of the American University of Armenia (AUA), located in Yerevan, Armenia. AUA itself was founded on 21 September 1991 — the same day Armenia declared independence — through a partnership among the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the University of California, and the Armenian government. It is the first U.S.-accredited institution in the former Soviet Union and the country's first institution modelled on Western-style higher education.

The institutional repository was developed by AUA's AGBU Papazian Library to provide an online platform for capturing, archiving, and preserving the university's digital scholarly output and archival materials. Training for the repository's development, using DSpace software, was conducted in partnership with the AMICAL Small Grant Awards programme. The repository is accessible at dspace.aua.am.

Collections and Holdings

The repository collects and provides open access to a broad range of materials associated with the University's academic and administrative history, including:

• Theses and dissertations from AUA's graduate and undergraduate programmes
• Scholarly publications and research outputs by faculty and students
• University archives and administrative records, including AGBU records and AUA founding documents
• Historical photographs, press clippings, and institutional materials documenting AUA's founding and development since 1991

As of June 2024, the AGBU Papazian Library held 30,676 printed books, 672,058 digital resources, and various media formats. The library has received notable donations including books from historian Richard G. Hovannisian and scholar Vartan Gregorian.

Journalism and Media Materials

The repository contains materials from AUA's Centre for Excellence in Journalism and related research programmes. These include working papers, conference presentations, and training materials relevant to journalism education and media development in Armenia.

Access and Usage

The repository is freely accessible online at dspace.aua.am. Materials can be browsed by collection, author, title, subject, and date. The AGBU Papazian Library serves both the AUA community and external researchers from other institutions in Armenia and internationally. Address: 40 Marshal Baghramyan Avenue, Yerevan 0019, Armenia.