Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Staff Report
The Armenian Studies Program and Special Collections of the Henry Madden Library announce the launching of the Kloian Armenian Genocide Collection.
Richard Kloian (1937-2010), whose passion for learning and teaching about the Armenian Genocide arose after his father’s death in 1976, was the founder of the Richmond, California-based Armenian Genocide Resource Center (AGRC). Kloian discovered his father’s diary, which told a harrowing tale of genocide survival. It was then that Kloian’s life mission became to bring light on the Armenian Genocide. Kloian spent a good part of his lifetime collecting newspaper articles, book chapters, and other materials related to the Armenian Genocide.
The focus of the AGRC was on Armenian Genocide documentation, education, and recognition. Through the AGRC, Kloian collected a vast amount of documentation on the Armenian Genocide, helped get long-lost memoirs and documents published, and developed many useful materials for helping locate and acquire historical and current works. He also found films about the Armenian Genocide from around the world and got permission to reproduce them for the general public. Kloian published The Armenian Genocide: News Accounts from the American Press, 1915-1922, an important work in bringing together the important documentation of the Genocide.
The Kloian Armenian Genocide Collection was initially donated in 2012 to Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program, a widely recognized center for research on the Armenian culture. Richard Kloian’s widow Antonia donated to the Armenian Studies Program because she wanted his legacy to be continued in an academic setting.
The Kloian Armenian Genocide Collection measures 7 linear feet and dates from 1889 to 2003. The collection is arranged in eight series: The Armenian Genocide, containing articles and chapters from books, newspapers clippings from various newspapers, memoirs from Genocide survivors, case studies, and official government documentation of the Armenian Genocide; Kloian family, with materials from Richard Kloian’s family; Genocide and Holocaust comparisons, providing various articles documenting the correlation between the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust; Teaching aids, compiled to provide a structured way of teaching students the various facets of genocide education, as well as the Armenian Genocide; Genocide denial, containing several articles documenting the Turkish government’s position of denial of the Armenian Genocide; Armenian Genocide Research Center (AGRC), containing documents from the AGRC, which Kloian founded; The Armenian Genocide: News Accounts from the American Press, 1915-1922, materials related to the book; and Audiovisual materials.
The Collection was organized by Fresno State history graduate student Paulette Alatriste, under the supervision of Tammy Lau, director of Special Collections, and Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program. The Collection will be available to students and scholars in the Special Collections section of the Henry Madden Library.