The Hampartzoum and Ovsanna Chitian Collection and Archive of Armenian Ethnographic Artifacts and Documents and the Armenian Archaeology and Ethnography was founded in 2013 by Zaruhy Sara Chitjian. The research program is a part of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA and represents the first permanent research program of in Armenian Archaeology and Ethnography established in the U.S. The program is designed to foster research and to serve as a active repository for Armenian ethnographic and historical materials. The documents and artifacts held by the program are available to students and scholars for research and educational purposes. The Chitjian Archives and Armenian Archaeology and Ethnography research program is dedicated to the preservation of the cultural heritage of historic Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora and the dissemination of this knowledge through public lectures, seminars, conferences, and publications.