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TextLibrary Awarded Muslim Journeys Bookshelf Collection
For Immediate Release: Jan. 22, 2013
Contact: Mary Mulrenan 703-324-8319
Fairfax County Public Library is one of 842 libraries and state humanities councils to be awarded the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf, a collection of books, films and other resources that will introduce the American public to the complex history and culture of Muslims in the United States and around the world.
The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf is intended to address both the need and desire of the American public for trustworthy and accessible resources about Muslim beliefs and practices and the cultural heritage associated with Islamic civilizations. Each participating library will receive 25 books, three films and access for one year to Oxford Islamic Studies Online.
Four branches of Fairfax County Public Library have won the bookshelf including George Mason Regional Library, Thomas Jefferson Library, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library and Woodrow Wilson Library.
Mohammed Esslami, branch manager at Woodrow Wilson library, said he’s excited about the chance to educate the community about Muslim beliefs and practices, “What an opportunity to continue the discussion about Islam in our community; stay tuned for program and event announcements,” said Esslami.
The first in a planned series of Bridging Cultures “Bookshelves,” the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf project is a leading effort in the Bridging Cultures initiative, chaired by Jim Leach. It highlights the importance of civility in American life and embraces the role of libraries in fostering community conversations that bring the humanities to the public in new ways. “There may be no institution more civil than the public library,” Leach said. “Libraries are centers of learning that offer a welcome space where members of the public can learn about the history we share and express different points of view in an ethos of openness and mutual respect.”
Muslim Journeys is presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in cooperation with the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Programs Office. This program is made possible with a generous gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
Read more about the Muslin Journeys project.
Fairfax County Public Library
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 324
Fairfax, Virginia 22035
Media Contact: Mary Mulrenan
703-324-8319, TTY 703-324-8365, Fax 703-324-3180
librarynews@fairfaxcounty.gov
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library
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