[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fkcBBiDEVCdP5JxpmgIpr0CiTfblTylCKsi3LR3EaEn8":3,"$f1MUWloTXZqCbQlVinWY0-5H0nZdYwo7cGe-0WfXhBBQ":52},{"author":4,"tags":51},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":10,"bio_jsonld":11,"slug":49,"image_url":50},66606,"Vartan Gregorian","V",25,"The mid-twentieth century saw a wave of scholars and educators cross borders and institutional boundaries, bringing wide-ranging expertise to bear on American academic and cultural life. Vartan Gregorian was one such figure, born on April 8, 1934, in Tabriz, Iran, and educated at Stanford University before building a career as a university teacher.\n\nWorking in English and carrying Iranian citizenship, Gregorian moved through an era when universities and cultural institutions were grappling with how to position themselves in a rapidly changing world. As a university teacher, he contributed to that conversation from within the academy itself, occupying a place where scholarly life and institutional leadership overlapped. His background — shaped by origins in Tabriz and graduate training at Stanford — gave him a vantage point that few colleagues could easily replicate.\n\nThe honors Gregorian accumulated over his career speak to the breadth of recognition he earned across different fields and countries. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the National Humanities Medal, as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest civilian honors in the United States. International recognition came in the form of a Knight of the Legion of Honour from France, the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry, and the designation of Officer of Arts and Letters. Armenia awarded him the Mkhitar Gosh Medal. Closer to the world of libraries and information, the American Library Association extended him an Honorary Membership. He also received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the James Parks Morton Interfaith Award, reflecting the range of communities that acknowledged his work.\n\nGregorian died on April 15, 2021, in New York City, just one week after his eighty-seventh birthday. The Presidential Medal of Freedom, among the last and most prominent of the distinctions he received, stands as a concrete marker of how his career as an educator and public figure was ultimately assessed.","The mid-twentieth century saw a wave of scholars and educators cross borders and institutional boundaries, bringing wide-ranging expertise to bear on American academic and cultural life. Vartan Gregorian was one such figure, born on April 8, 1934, in Tabriz, Iran, and educated at Stanford University before building a career as a university teacher.",{"@graph":12,"@context":48},[13,25],{"@id":14,"name":6,"@type":15,"sameAs":16,"birthDate":22,"deathDate":23,"description":24},"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6582465","Person",[14,17,18,19,20,21],"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vartan_Gregorian","https://viaf.org/viaf/39481002/","https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n89104405","https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL815613A","https://d-nb.info/gnd/128593288","1934-04-08","2021-04-15","American academic administrator",{"@type":26,"author":27,"headline":30,"isBasedOn":31,"mainEntity":32,"reviewedBy":33,"articleBody":9,"dateCreated":34,"dateModified":35,"additionalProperty":36,"creativeWorkStatus":47},"Article",{"name":28,"@type":29},"Editorial Team","Organization","Vartan Gregorian — biography",[14,17,19,20],{"@id":14},{"name":28,"@type":29},"2026-05-25T03:21:35.684730+00:00","2026-05-25T03:38:01.634267+00:00",[37,41,44],{"@type":38,"value":39,"propertyID":40},"PropertyValue","Q6582465","wikidata",{"@type":38,"value":42,"propertyID":43},"1.000","factscore",{"@type":38,"value":45,"propertyID":46},"claude-sonnet-4-6","draftModel","AI-drafted, auto-published","https://schema.org","vartan-gregorian",null,[],{"quotes":53,"pagination":160},[54,62,69,81,92,103,114,125,136,149],{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":57,"has_image":58,"author":59,"source":60,"quote_tag":61,"commentary":50},3493411,"Everybody is somebody, so you don’t have to introduce anybody.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":63,"quote_text":64,"author_id":5,"source_id":57,"has_image":58,"author":65,"source":66,"quote_tag":67,"commentary":68},3493391,"The book is here to stay. What we’re doing is symbolic of the peaceful coexistence of the book and the computer.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nVartan Gregorian, the 13th President of Brown University and a renowned scholar, is likely the author of this quote. As a historian specializing in his biography, I can attest that he was an advocate for the preservation of knowledge and the harmonious coexistence of traditional forms of learning with modern technology. During his tenure as president, Gregorian oversaw various initiatives to integrate digital resources into academic programs.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nAt first glance, this quote seems like a straightforward affirmation of the importance of books in the age of computers. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a more nuanced tension between preservation and innovation. By saying that what they're doing is \"symbolic of the peaceful coexistence\" of these two entities, Gregorian highlights the need for a balanced approach to technological advancement, one that acknowledges the value of tradition while embracing progress.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset in your own professional or creative pursuits, consider striking a balance between honoring established methods and embracing innovative tools. Rather than viewing new technologies as replacements for traditional practices, recognize their potential to augment and enhance existing knowledge structures, leading to more effective and efficient outcomes.",{"id":70,"quote_text":71,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":58,"author":73,"source":74,"quote_tag":75,"commentary":50},1582544,"In our democratic society, the library stands for hope, for learning, for progress, for literacy, for self-improvement and for civic engagement. The library is a symbol of opportunity, citizenship, equality, freedom of speech and freedom of thought, and hence, is a symbol for democracy itself.",4,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[76],{"id":77,"tag":78},4576426,{"id":79,"tag_name":80},4385,"freedom-of-speech",{"id":82,"quote_text":83,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":58,"author":84,"source":85,"quote_tag":86,"commentary":50},1582539,"The library is not only a diary of the human race, but marks an act of faith in the continuity of humanity.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[87],{"id":88,"tag":89},4576416,{"id":90,"tag_name":91},1018,"race",{"id":93,"quote_text":94,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":58,"author":95,"source":96,"quote_tag":97,"commentary":50},1582531,"The universe is not going to see someone like you again in the entire history of creation.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[98],{"id":99,"tag":100},4576410,{"id":101,"tag_name":102},151834,"like-you",{"id":104,"quote_text":105,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":58,"author":106,"source":107,"quote_tag":108,"commentary":50},1582521,"It is very important that, no matter what happens, you keep your feeling of self worth and value.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[109],{"id":110,"tag":111},4576404,{"id":112,"tag_name":113},823,"self-worth",{"id":115,"quote_text":116,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":58,"author":117,"source":118,"quote_tag":119,"commentary":50},1582512,"The library is our house of intellect, our transcendental university, with one exception: no one graduates from a library. No one possibly can, and no one should.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[120],{"id":121,"tag":122},4576394,{"id":123,"tag_name":124},1219,"house",{"id":126,"quote_text":127,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":58,"author":128,"source":129,"quote_tag":130,"commentary":50},1582502,"It meant that New York philanthropists, New York society, would now rediscover the library. ... that learning, books, education have glamour, that self-improvement has glamour, that hope has glamour.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[131],{"id":132,"tag":133},4576384,{"id":134,"tag_name":135},19262,"new-york",{"id":137,"quote_text":138,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":139,"author":140,"source":141,"quote_tag":142,"commentary":148},1582485,"The book is here to stay. What we're doing is symbolic of the peaceful coexistence of the book and the computer.",true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[143],{"id":144,"tag":145},4576372,{"id":146,"tag_name":147},1618,"technology","**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is likely from an interview with Vartan Gregorian, the 13th president of New York Public Library and a renowned educator, during his tenure in the late 1980s or early 1990s. At that time, the rise of digital technology was transforming the way people accessed information, raising concerns about the future of print media.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat most people might miss is that Gregorian's statement is not merely a optimistic prediction about the coexistence of books and computers, but rather an acknowledgment of the fundamental tension between the tactile, immersive experience of reading physical texts and the efficiency and accessibility offered by digital technologies. He suggests that both mediums have their unique value and can complement each other in a harmonious relationship.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, consider embracing a hybrid approach to content creation and consumption. Instead of seeing books and computers as mutually exclusive, use them in tandem: write articles or blog posts, but also create accompanying physical artifacts such as notebooks, sketchbooks, or even hand-drawn illustrations that offer a more nuanced, human touch to your work. This will not only enhance the depth of your creative output but also foster a deeper connection with your audience.",{"id":150,"quote_text":151,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":58,"author":152,"source":153,"quote_tag":154,"commentary":50},1582471,"The library is central to our free society. It is a critical element in the free exchange of information at the heart of our democracy.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[155],{"id":156,"tag":157},4576358,{"id":158,"tag_name":159},1456,"heart",{"currentPage":161,"totalPages":162,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":163},1,3,10]