Muslim Journeys Grant

Grant explores ‘Muslim Journeys’ through books, videos

 With the goal of familiarizing residents with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world, Sun Prairie Public Library is participating in a grant project called the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf.

 Sun Prairie Public Library is one of 840 libraries and state humanities councils across the nation selected to participate in the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys. Through the grant, the library has received:

·         a collection of 25 books that highlight the pluralism of cultural forms and traditions within the Muslim World;

·         three documentary films, with public performance rights;

·         a one-year subscription to Oxford Islamic Studies Online, which gives libraries access to primary source documents and current works of scholarship; and

·         bonus resources to support programs for public audiences including thematic essays, discussion questions, podcasts, and proprietary film and Internet content.

The books and films comprising the Bookshelf were selected with the advice of librarians and cultural programming experts, as well as distinguished scholars in the fields of anthropology, world history, religious studies, interfaith dialogue, the history of art and architecture, world literature, Middle East studies, Southeast Asian studies, African studies, and Islamic studies.

This grant presents an exciting opportunity for residents to learn more about the history, faith, and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world.  This is an amazing program that can foster greater cultural and religious understanding.

The library will use the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf materials to conduct programs during 2013, and the books and videos also will be available for the personal use of local residents.

The 15 participating libraries are: Alicia Ashman Branch (Madison), Baraboo, Brodhead, DeForest, Fitchburg, Marshfield, Monroe, Pinney Branch (Madison), Portage, Sequoya Branch (Madison), Stoughton, Sun Prairie, Verona, Waunakee, and Wisconsin Dells.

   Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities, conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association. Major support for the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Local support is provided by the South Central Library System, which wrote and submitted the grant application.