The Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Library of Ventura College is one of 840 libraries and state humanities councils across the country selected to receive the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA). 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.

The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf includes the themes of American Stories, Connected Histories, Literary Reflections, Pathways of Faith, Points of View, and Art, Architecture and Film. 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.

The Ventura College Library will host three public events highlighting these sources: September 25 - a food tasting and display featuring materials; October 15 - Chris Cryer, author of Tolstoy in Riyadh, will discuss the lives of Muslim women in the book Dreams of Trespass; and October 29 - Nooshie Motaref, author of Iran: A Persian Tapestry, will provide a presentation on Islam and Sufism. All three events are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Library Reading Room, LRC Second Floor, Ventura College, 4667 Telegraph Road, Ventura. For additional information, please visit http://www.venturacollege.edu/departments/student_services/library/musli... or contact Ayanna Gaines at tel. no. 805-289-6188 or by email at againes@vcccd.edu.

The 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. The Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Library is a community resource for education, research, information, continuing education, and fulfilling intellectual curiosity. The Library is located at 4667 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA, 93003. Hours are 7:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday, and 9:30 a.m.-noon Saturday.