Meet Heghine Hakobyan, the UO Libraries’ Slavic, German and Scandinavian Studies Librarian. She is also the Interim Subject Specialist for Religious and Judaic Studies. Full of great experiences and stories, she is an invaluable resource for researchers.

Worldwide Experiences

Before Heghine came to the United States, she lived and studied in multiple parts of the former Soviet Union. She grew up in Armenia and eventually pursued a master's degree in teaching English in Russia. After the catastrophic earthquake in Armenia in 1988, she did translation work with the Peace Corps since she originally was from the earthquake zone.  

Heghine says that she always had a love for teaching foreign languages, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, she had the opportunity to use her English knowledge to work with the United Nations. After a few years, she met a UN representative who recommended her to work as a librarian in Yerevan, Armenia and Kyiv, Ukraine. Eventually, due to changes in her personal life, she made the major decision to move to New York City.

New Horizons

Heghine arrived in the United States when she was 40 years old. She says, “This was my first time in the United States. And of course, you have to just adapt, despite the fact that you’re leaving behind a career. So, you have to build up.”

To do that, Heghine went on to pursue a second master’s degree in library sciences at the City University of New York. She then worked in the Slavic and Baltic Division of the New York Public Library but ultimately realized she wanted to be a specialist librarian. One day, Heghine saw an ad for the Slavic librarian position at the University of Oregon and jumped on the opportunity.  

“The first thing that went through my mind was, ‘It's the combination of my passion and dream!’ To be in the books, to be with the languages, and at the same time, to be in a research academic library,” exclaims Heghine.

Being a Subject Librarian

Heghine’s role as a librarian includes helping researchers with their projects, connecting them to relevant resources, expanding the library’s current collections, and cataloging materials. Heghine also assisted with the recent acquisition and exhibition of Sovetish Heymland and the Making of Socialist Yiddish Culture after Stalin.

“As a librarian, I always try to see myself as a catalyst: the chemical reaction where the catalyst improves or affects the reaction results,” Heghine shares.

Excitingly, Heghine was recently promoted to senior librarian. This prestigious and well-deserved title acknowledges all the hard work she has put into her profession and shows her dedication to improving our library community.  

Heghine finds joy in each day when she works as a subject librarian. She says that her favorite moments are when students that ask for her help come back and tell her how far they’ve progressed in their research and careers.

Visit Heghine's faculty profile page to schedule an appointment or contact her with any questions.

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