Getting to Know Our Neighbors

By Nancy Agafitei

 

About five years ago, I was visited at the library by Saadia, one of the Muslim ladies in our community who used the library with her young children. She came with a request to hold a book fair at the library. She wanted to display books that informed people about her faith, and to offer short talks that addressed topics of current interest about Islam. I think she expected me to decline, or at least debate, her request. For me, though, it was a simple choice -- public librarians are all about giving people access to all kinds of information. I got out the calendar and booked a room for them on a Saturday afternoon.

Religion as a Bridge of Cooperation

By Nancy Agafitei

In January of 2013, the Barbara Bush Branch Library received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association entitled Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys. Termed a “bookshelf” grant, it provides a collection of 25 books, 3 DVDs, and other special resources chosen with a view to familiarizing the American public with Islam and the cultural heritage of Islamic civilizations around the world.

God Speaks in Many Tongues

By Nancy Agafitei

Lent is a season of preparation in the Christian church year that begins on Ash Wednesday and fills the 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter, the day celebrated as the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead after his crucifixion. In the ancient Church, the weeks leading up to Easter were a time of intensive preparation for the candidates who were to be baptized at the Easter vigil on Holy Saturday. This focus suggests that the season of Lent serves not only as a time to meditate on the suffering that Christ endured on our behalf but also as an opportunity to reflect upon our own Baptism and what it means to live as a child of God.
 

Reading Opens Minds and Hearts

By Nancy Agafitei

 

 

Reading is an important part of my life, and since I have been involved with Interfaith efforts I have been able to find messages of connection in much that I read. Here is an example. I am currently reading "Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros for the Pen and Paintbrush book club that partners the Barbara Bush Library with the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts. The discussion pairs significant works of literature with works of art currently on exhibit at the museum.