Georgia Southern Library to Take Part in Bridging Cultures Initiative

January 15, 2013

STATESBORO, Ga. — Jan. 15, 2012 — The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that Georgia Southern University’s Zach S. Henderson Library is one of 842 libraries and state humanities councils in the United States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands 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.

Developed by the NEH and the American Library Association (ALA) based on the advice of scholars, librarians and other public programming experts, the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf is intended to provide 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.

Georgia Southern, along with the other libraries that have received the Bookshelf, is now eligible for upcoming public programming grant opportunities. Support for the development and distribution of the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York, with additional support for the arts and media components from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

“We are excited to be one of 44 libraries in the state of Georgia to receive this award,” said Bede Mitchell, dean of the Zach S. Henderson Library at Georgia Southern. “While long considered a regional University, Georgia Southern now has students from nearly every U.S. state and from more than 90 countries around the world. Bridging Cultures engages the power of the humanities to promote understanding and mutual respect for people with diverse histories, cultures and perspectives within our country and abroad. ”

“There may be no institution more civil than the public library,” said Jim Leach, chairman of the Bridging Cultures initiative. “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.”

About the National Endowment for the Humanities

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 120  degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement.  In 2011, the University was named one of the Top 10 most popular universities in the country by U.S. News & World Report and is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars.  Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.