In January 2013, City Tech Library was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)/American Libraries Association (ALA) grant entitled “Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys.” The award includes twenty-five books, four DVDs and a one-year subscription to the Oxford Islamic Studies Online database. The grant is intended to help students, faculty, staff, and the public at large explore the great diversity of Islam, Islamic art and culture, and the experiences of Muslims around the world, particularly in the United States. All of City Tech Library’s Muslim Journeys books may be checked out for three weeks – you can find them on display on the stand just to the right after you enter the library (see image). DVDs must be viewed in the Library’s Multimedia Center. The Muslim Journeys website also includes many interesting audiovisual resources.
Subsequently, in May, the library was awarded an additional grant entitled “Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys,” supporting a series of discussions on five books related to a specific theme from the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf. The Library has chosen the theme “American Stories,” which explores the experiences of Muslims in the United States from eighteenth century to the present. We are currently seeking students to participate in these discussions, which will take place over the Fall and Spring semesters, and which will be led by expert scholars. The first twenty-five students to sign up for the series will receive free books. If you know any students who might be interested in participating, please contact Prof. Ian Beilin at ibeilin@citytech.cuny.edu or Prof. Tess Tobin at TTobin@citytech.cuny.edu. In addition, throughout the Fall and Spring semesters, the library will be highlighting books and themes from the “American Stories” selections on its website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages.
City Tech Library Awarded NEH/Gilder Lehrman Grant, “Created Equal”
In July the City Tech Library was awarded a grant to participate in a national initiative entitled “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.” The sponsors, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, provide programmatic and material support. The award allows the library to host several programs and screenings discussing the history of the Civil Rights Movement in America. The “Created Equal” programs will foster discussion and are intended to help bridge the deep racial and cultural divides in American civic life.
Along with 473 institutions across the country, City Tech Library will screen four documentary films chronicling the history of the Civil Rights Movement. These powerful films, The Abolitionists, Slavery by Another Name, Freedom Riders, and The Loving Story include dramatic scenes of incidents in the 150-year effort to achieve equal rights for all. The films, which were all produced with NEH support, tell remarkable stories of individuals who challenged the social and legal status quo of deeply rooted institutions, from slavery to segregation. Freedom Riders received an Emmy Award in 2012, and The Loving Story and The Abolitionists have been nominated for Emmys in 2013.
The Library will be hosting discussion sessions of each film for students with scholars who are experts in African-American Studies. Our discussion of Slavery by Another Name will be led by Professor James Downs of Connecticut College’s Department of History, and author of Sick from Freedom: African-American Illness and Suffering during the Civil War and Reconstruction (Oxford University Press, 2013). Professor Kevin Noble Maillard from Syracuse University’s School of Law and co-editor of Loving v. Virginia in a Post-Racial World: Rethinking Race, Sex, and Marriage (Cambridge University Press, 2012), will discuss The Loving Story. The other two discussions will be led by faculty members from City Tech’s African American Studies Department, which is co-sponsoring the Library’s Created Equal events.
Additionally, related resources will also be available through the library’s website and social media networks. Library card holders will be able to view the films at any time in the library’s Multimedia Resource Center.
Visit Created Equal website for more information about the grant in general. If you or your students would like to participate in the film discussions, please contact Prof. Junior Tidal (jtidal@citytech.cuny.edu) or Prof. Ian Beilin (ibeilin@citytech.cuny.edu).
About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization that promotes excellence in the teaching and learning of American history. Programs include publications, teacher seminars, a national Affiliate School Program, traveling exhibitions, and online materials for teachers, students, and the general public. www.gilderlehrman.org.
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge, and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, museum exhibitions, and programs in libraries and other community places. www.neh.gov.
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Do you have a favorite subject of study or a favorite author (or both)?
I was drawn to librarianship because I’m always interested in learning something new. While conversing with other librarians, it occurs to me that a great many of us are generalists, and I’d have to class myself as one, too. But I’ve always loved the history of art and architecture. People’s passions often come alive when they are able to create memories around their interests. I love to travel and experiencing the art and architecture of another place is a big part of what makes travel so exhilarating to me.
What book (or other source) would you recommend to others from City Tech Library’s collection, and why?
I’m really enthusiastic about our subject guides! They are succinct, easily navigable web pages designed to direct students to a broad scope of resources among different disciplines. Often, it can be difficult to find a springboard when tasked with research because there is so much information to sift through. I find the subject guides especially practical because they steer the student toward developing a research plan, and provide a welcome jumping off point.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like to be surrounded by as much green as possible in my free time. I frequent the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on a weekly basis and have most recently taken advantage of the CUNY summer schedule to make trips to New England during the extended weekends. As much as I love being in the great outdoors, I am also a huge visual consumer of New York’s cityscape; I try to look up and around me constantly. It’s the best way for me to relax!
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