OC teen brings books, mini libraries to Armenia – Orange County Register

Levon Alyanakyan of Laguna Hills has been visiting relations in Armenia each summer time for many of hislife.

On Alyanakyan’s annual go to to the west Asian nation this summer time, he introduced a bit extra baggage than ordinary – seven suitcases crammed with books.

As soon as there, Alyanakyan, a junior at St Margaret’s Episcopal College in San Juan Capistrano, enlisted assist fromm pals and relations to shelve the books in freestanding picket bins kknown as “Little Free Libraries.” Then he went on to put in practically 30 of mini libraries in provinces round Armenia, principally in areas with no native libraries and restricted entry to books.

A nonprofit primarily based in St. Paul Minnesota, the Little Free Library program goals not solely toencourage studying, but additionally to strengthen good will in communities via the sharing of books.

“In Armenia, books are actually costly and scarce,” Alyanakyan stated. “So, this sort of permits peoplewith numerous books to share the enjoyment of studying them. Individuals can take a e book and go away a e book in itsplace.”

The transportable picket e book depositories, that are generally about 18 inches huge and 21 inches excessive with two cabinets and a glass door, have been put in in communities in additional than 100 nations, with 42 million books altering fingers yearly, based on LittleFreeLibrary.org.

Little Free Libraries can sometimes maintain as much as 50 books.

“We consider all persons are empowered when the chance to find a personally related e book toread is just not restricted by time, area, or privilege,” the web site states.

Alyanakyan bought the thought to put in Little Free Libraries in Armenia, the place his mom was born, after seeing one outdoors a clubhouse in Nellie Gale Ranch.

His first step was to carry a e book drive along with his household and pals that yielded 350 books. After toting them abroad, Alyanakyan and his relations put in about two dozen Little Free Libraries within the Ararat, Loriand Shirak provinces.

They made a degree to place kids’s books within the mini libraries that had been positioned close to colleges.

Earlier than his journey was over, Alyanakyan and his workforce collected much more books, a lot of which had been written in Armenian.

“What it does is it permits the villages to every have a library of their very own,” Alyanakyan stated. “It doesn’thave to be an enormous concrete library with a woman there. These are small communities, to allow them to all sharethis one little library and provides everybody entry to books.”

Every library has a sponsor and bears a plaque with a constitution quantity, indicating it’s a part of theLittle Free Library program. Each chartered library will be situated on a map on the Little Free Library’s web site and app.

Phrase of the brand new Little Free Libraries shortly unfold all through Armenia and past by phrase of mouthand social media. Alyanakyan additionally launched a Fb group, Armenia’s Little Free Libraries, which options a whole bunch of photographs, messages and expressions of gratitude, many from distant villages within the nation.

Journalist Armenuhi Mkhoyan wrote, “That is the case when a 15-year-old can do various neighborhood leaders and ministers. Silently, with out making a present for what he does. Levon, I say good job, your dad and mom will probably be very pleased with you.”

A message from Shirak State College within the Shirak Province stated, “Hopefully, it is going to serve its goal and the bookworms will probably be enriched with new books that can have extra readers.”

Lilit Mkrtchyan, an area writer from Gyumri, wrote: “Fairly cool to see new issues pop up on the town.”

Whereas putting in the libraries was a mission of excellent will, Alyanakyan stated he bought as a lot out of it as he gave.

“It’s enjoyable since you get to journey and go round to distant areas in Armenia and join with the villagers and see locations you wouldn’t see if we weren’t placing the Little Free Libraries (in),” he stated.

“We plan to maintain going till all of Armenia has entry to books. That is our purpose, in spite of everything.”