Adult Programs

A year long series at Middle Country Public Library in partnership with the Islamic Association of Long Island – Selden Masjid.

The Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys Bookshelf grant was awarded to over 900 public and academic libraries through a joint effort of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. Funding for the development and distribution of the Bookshelf grants is provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. These Bookshelf grants are to highlight the importance of civility in American life and the role of libraries in fostering community conversations which bring the humanities alive to the public. The Chairman of the Bridging Cultures initiative, Jim Leach, said, “There may be no institution more civil than the public library. 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 in an ethos of openness and mutual respect.” This award consists of a collection of 26 books, 3 films, and a year’s access to the Oxford Islamic Studies Online research database. There are five themes, each developed by a nationally known scholar, which provide the context for reading, viewing, and discussing.