The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, announced that 840 sites nationwide would receive a copy of the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys. Sites have been selected in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including 545 public libraries, 259 academic and community college libraries and 36 state humanities councils. To view the full list of sites, visit www.programminglibrarian.org/muslimjourneys.
The program aims to familiarize public audiences in the United States with the people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world. Each of the selected sites will receive:
• a collection of 25 books that highlight the pluralism of cultural forms and traditions within the Muslim world;
• three documentary films including public performance rights;
• access to Oxford Islamic Studies Online, which will allow libraries access to primary source documents and current works of scholarship;
• bonus resources to support programs for public audiences including thematic essays, discussion points, podcasts and proprietary film and Internet content;
• materials to support program promotion, including bookmarks, posters and bookplates.
All of the materials and resources included in the "Muslim Journeys" Bookshelf were selected with the advice of scholars, librarians and cultural programming experts. Bookshelf materials will be featured in programs for public audiences January 2013 through December 2013. For more information, visit www.programminglibrarian.org/muslimjourneys or www.neh.gov/divisions/bridging-cultures. The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf is a project of NEH and the ALA Public Programs Office. Support for the program has been provided by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with additional support for the arts and media components from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts.
Bridging Cultures is an NEH initiative that engages the power of the humanities to promote understanding and mutual respect for people with diverse histories, cultures, and perspectives within the United States and abroad.
