The Downtown Campus and Evansdale libraries will open at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 28, and remain open until 10 p.m. Friday, May 3. Both will be open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, May 4.

The libraries will open at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 5 and remain open until 10 p.m. Friday, May 10. They will be open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 11.

For more information, check out the Libraries’ calendar: www.libraries.wvu.edu/hours

The Libraries are among 843 institutions across the nation to receive the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf, a collection of books, films, and an online database assembled to introduce the public to Muslims and the Islamic culture in the United States and around the globe. The bookshelf is part of NEH’s Bridging Cultures Initiative.

“Borrowing from the title of the grant, we want to help build bridges where there are deep misunderstandings, mistrust, and a lack of knowledge,” said Beth Toren, a reference and religious studies librarian.

The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf is the first in the NEH’s planned series of Bridging Cultures Bookshelf programs. The NEH, along with the American Library Association, awarded the WVU Libraries with twenty-five books, three documentary films, a DVD of short films, and a one-year subscription to Oxford Islamic Studies Online. The books and DVDs are currently being added to the circulating collection and will be available to be checked out by all students, faculty, and staff. Members of the public are welcome to visit the Downtown Campus Library to use the books.

On its website, the NEH describes the Bookshelf as a tool to introduce readers to some new and diverse perspectives on the people, places, histories, beliefs, practices, and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world. The subject matter of the books is diverse, falling under five themes: American Stories, Connected Histories, Literary Reflections, Pathways of Faith, and Points of View.

“This collection will definitely compliment the religious studies curriculum, which focuses on world religions. Learning about a great religion in more detail is a fantastic opportunity for students,” said Dr. Aaron Gale, Chair of the Religious Studies Program.

Sohail Chaudhry is Imam at the Morgantown Islamic Center and teaches a class on Islam in the Religious Studies Program. He is also impressed with the books in the collection.

“There’s a lot of misconception about Islam and Muslims. These books will go a long way in helping religious studies students and other students who are interested in Islam to gain deeper insight and a more diverse knowledge base,” Chaudhry said.

Toren worked with Gale and Chaudhry to secure the NEH grant. The three are now planning a forum that will enable the University community and the public to open a dialogue about Islam. Tentative plans call for an informal gathering at the Downtown Campus Library in the fall.

The organizers are excited about the potential in bringing the community together and helping people learn about others with differing views.

Chaudhry believes fear is often a hindrance in establishing a dialogue between people of different faiths.

He said people in general are hesitant to talk with others because they are sensitive about their beliefs and see religion as something private. Asking a question about religion becomes more difficult when they don’t know the other person well.

“People don’t know where to go to seek answers. They’re afraid of talking to others, especially afraid to talk to Muslims about Islam,” Chaudhry said “This forum will provide people a platform to get together, bring out those misconceptions, and chat with each other.”

Gale witnessed firsthand that the interest in such a discussion exists. Earlier this year, he traveled to Charleston to participate in an event titled “Jesus’ Role in Islam.” More than 150 people attend the talk. He’d like to see the same size audience at the Bridging Cultures forum here in the fall.

“This is an opportunity to break down barriers and really see what Islam is about,” Gale said.

A list of all Bookshelf resources is available at the Muslim Journeys’ website, www.programminglibrarian.org/muslimjourneys.

A Research Guide to Islamic Studies is available on the Libraries’ website, http://libguides.wvu.edu/islam. It includes links to Oxford Islamic Studies Online; Mango, a database that students can use to learn Arabic; and information on where to find books and articles about Islam.

Genres include the films of Quentin Tarantino, slasher movies, world cinema, graphic novel adaptations, dark comedy, westerns, gangster films, and Blaxploitation. Students select four from these choices to study.

Students learn film vocabulary, criticism, and movie databases. They watch films on streaming video online or on DVDs at the Library. They join an online learning community in small discussion groups where they discuss film and media, and develop skills to become savvy media consumers.

Visit the website for more information about the course including a complete film list and student comments: http://libraries.wvu.edu/instruction/classes/ulib300/

For more information, contact the instructor: beth.toren@mail.wvu.edu (304) 293-0336.

The award, presented triennially, recognizes a faculty librarian who has made exceptional contributions toward the delivery, development, or expansion of library services or special programs for the constituencies of WVU.

“We applaud Hilary Fredette for her efforts and dedication to significantly improve library services for WVU students and faculty,” said Barbara LaGodna, Chair of the LFA Awards Committee. “She has a record of sustained excellence over many years.”

Hilary Fredette

Since 2006, Fredette has served as the Head of Access Services at the Downtown Campus Library, Coordinator of Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery, and Coordinator for Distance Education for the Libraries. For the past five years, she has also managed the Multimedia Services at the Downtown Campus Library.

Harold M. Forbes, Associate Curator of the WVRHC, lauded Fredette for myriad enhancements to services implemented under her watch. He noted the introduction of a document delivery service for faculty, the launch of library services for distance education users, improvements in requesting materials from the Depository, and the addition of large monitors and other hardware to the Libraries’ study rooms.

“Hilary has consistently demonstrated an awareness and mastery of new ideas, methods, and technological changes in library and information sciences, as well as exceptional adaptability to changes both within the profession and institution,” Forbes said. “In addition to the accomplishments of recent years, she has a long and stellar record of achievements at WVU.”

Mike Bond and Brian Sinsel, Library Systems employees, have worked closely with Fredette on several projects involving use and delivery of the Libraries’ electronic resources. From streamlining the Electronic Reserves system to adding computers and monitors to Library study rooms, they said that she always kept her focus on simplicity for users.

“Hilary’s insight has provided users of the WVU Libraries with an easier path to finding the information they required. She continues to look for new and creative ways to provide information to those seeking it,” Sinsel said.

Even after implementation, Fredette listens to feedback to determine how and where to make future changes and enhancements.

“Hilary’s desire to create better services for the Library’s patrons and easier work flow for the staff is never ending,” Bond said.

Extending her focus beyond campus, Fredette is a long-time member and past president of the local chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries.

“Hilary is an advocate for ACRL and for academic libraries. In these roles, she has provided leadership and focus for the organization,” said Martha Yancey, Access Services Coordinator for the Evansdale Library.

Fredette began working as a part-time reference librarian at the Charles C. Wise, Jr. and Evansdale libraries in 1998.  From 1999 to 2006, she worked as Government Documents Librarian. She received her bachelor’s of arts in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her master’s of library science from Indiana University.

The Libraries will hold a reception to honor Fredette on May 17 in the Robinson Reading Room, Wise Library.

The change is intended to better reflect the nature of the state’s leading historical archives-library.

“Rather than simply a subject area within the WVU Libraries, the WVRHC is, in fact, a complex research organization with distinct reading rooms and galleries, expert staff, and not one, but many collections and units,” said John Cuthbert, Director of the WVRHC.

Located in the Charles C. Wise, Jr. Library, the WVRHC serves thousands of researchers engaged in investigating West Virginia and Appalachian history and culture each year.

“People travel from every county in the state and from across the country to consult our resources which include leading research collections in nearly every information format and subject area,” Cuthbert said.

The Center’s Archives and Manuscripts collection alone consumes more than half of the total shelf space in the ten-story Wise Library. Included are the majority of deposited papers of West Virginia’s early governors and economic leaders, along with those of authors, soldiers, doctors, musicians, coal miners, and indeed, people of all walks of life. The Center’s collections of West Virginia and regional books, photographs, early sound recordings and historic newspapers are also the most comprehensive of any institution.

The WVRHC’s origins date back to 1930 when the University Library accepted responsibility for preserving the papers of Senator Waitman T. Willey, a founding father of West Virginia. The papers of other key political and industrial leaders soon followed, including those of Francis H. Pierpont, governor of the Reorganized Government of Virginia (1861-1863), and U.S. senators and capitalists Henry Gassaway Davis and Johnson Newlon Camden.

The West Virginia University Board of Governors formally authorized the Library’s growing “Division of Documents,” as the Collection was initially known, in 1933. The Collection was made an official depository for state government records by an act of the West Virginia Legislature the following year.

The WVRHC serves literally thousands of researchers each year through both onsite services and a growing offering of digital collections and services.  Among the most popular of the latter is West Virginia History OnView, a digital photograph database, which provides online access to more than 40,000 historical photographs. Visit the site at http://wvhistoryonview.org/

The West Virginia and Regional History Center will launch a new website later this month.  For more information about the WVRHC, visit: http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/wvcollection/

The session will highlight the electronic and print resources available for free use at the Downtown Campus Library, which recently became a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center. Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the nation’s leading authority on organized philanthropy, serving grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. In its new role, the Library serves as a hub for the Foundation Center’s resources, making them available to nonprofits and social service agencies, as well as the University community.

The workshop, led by Kief Schladweiler, Coordinator of Cooperating Collections with the Foundation Center (www.foundationcenter.org), will provide an introduction to the world of foundation fundraising. It will detail the grant-seeking process, the world of grantmakers, and available tools and resources. It will include instruction on the Foundation Center’s comprehensive online database, Foundation Directory Online Professional. Participants will learn how to create customized searches to develop targeted lists of foundations that match an organization’s funding needs.

To register, contact Penny Pugh at ppugh@wvu.edu (304-293-0334) or Alyssa Wright at Alyssa.wright@mail.wvu.edu (304-293-0337).
For more information, visit http://libguides.wvu.edu/foundationcenter.