NORWAY — The Norway Memorial Library has announced plans for a summer series based on the collection of materials, Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, which the library was awarded from the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities earlier this year.

At a kickoff held June 20 a conversation about Islam and Ramadan, one of the five Pillars of Islam, was facilitated by Reza Jalali, the Muslim Chaplin at Bates College and coordinator for Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Southern Maine.

The book discussion series will be held at the library on the following dates:

Thursday, June 27, at 7 p.m., “The Butterfly Mosque” by G. Willow Wilson, led by library staff members Katherine Morgan and Julia Hoisington.

Thursday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m., “Out of Nowhere” by Maria Padian, led by Heather Lindkvist, lecturer in anthropology and special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion at Bates College.

Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m., “Ornament of the World” by Maria Rosa Menocal, led by Anne Marie Wolf, assistant professor of history at University of Maine at Farmington.

Participants may request copies of the books online using the Minerva Catalog, or call the library’s information desk at 743-5309, ext. 1.

On Thursday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m. a showing of “Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World,” will take place at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Forum. The program is a journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years of history exploring Islamic art. Henry Hamilton will introduce the film and talk about his personal experiences with Islamic art.

Thursday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. the Muslim Journeys series will wrap up with a musical performance by the Middle Eastern ensemble Okbari, consisting of Amos Libby and Eric LaPerna. This program will include a brief history of Middle Eastern music and instruments followed by Okbari performing traditional Middle Eastern music.

Partnering with Norway Memorial Library in these programs are Oxford Hills & Buckfield Adult Education and the Western Maine University College Center. Funding for all programs is provided by a grant from the Maine Humanities Council with matching funds from the Friends of Norway Memorial Library.

The 25 books and three DVDs from the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf are on display and available to checkout. All programs are free and open to the public. To register for programs and for more information call the library at 743-5309, ext. 1, or visit www.norway.me.us.

The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities, conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association. Support 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.