Check Out our New Books

Supplement your August reading by requesting some of our new titles this month via links from the "PAGE" tabs on this blog.

Hinduism in Global Context

Want to learn more about Hinduism? In our Reference section here in the Social Sciences rm., we are always looking for more books about the non-Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) to supplement the  websites and databases we recommend when people call us with questions. We recently acquired an Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2013) published in English by the India Heritage Research Foundation, with more than 7,000 entries about this oldest living spiritual and ethical tradition. Come browse through to see color illustrations of Hindu art, discover Hinduism's global context, its history and geography, language and literature, philosophy, polity, religion and spirituality, sciences, social institutions and movements, spiritual disciplines, or read the latest scholarship in Hindu studies.

OISO Now Available for Research

Oxford Islamic Studies Online , the premiere research database on The Qur'an & Islamic topics in the English speaking world is now available at all St. Louis Public Library branches*. It offers easily searchable access to information from world-renowned experts :

·        Prose or verse translations of The Qur’an, plus a complete Concordance

·        “What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam” in Q&A format

·        Articles on Islamic art, architecture, history, contemporary thought, maps, study guides, dictionary and glossary, thematic studies, links to additional resources
The database has been made available through last year's  Muslim Journeys grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. We hope it will prove useful to St. Louis-area Muslims as well as those who want to learn more about Islam in general.

* Please note: You cannot sign-in over the internet with a library card, but anyone visiting any branch of the city library can use it by sitting down at an adult reference computer or logging on to a public access computer.

Art in the Social Sciences Room

Sometimes books for those who appreciate the creative arts can be found in other departments of the library. Check-out these three recent arrivals, recommended by Fine Arts Librarian Mary Frechette:

Where Does Art Come From How to Find Inspiration and Ideas by William Kluba is an exploration rather than a how-to guide , a combination of art-history, psychology, and spirituality.

The Artist's Library A Field Guide by Laura Damon-Moore & Erinn Batykefer suggests ways to use your library to increase artistic productivity and inspire new work. 

 NOTE: Watch this space for news of a special program on Central Library's resources for moving your professional artistic career to the next level, Central for Creatives, coming in November 2014. 

All the Art That's Fit to Print (and Some That Wasn't) Inside the New York Times Op-Ed Page by Jerelle Kraus, full of examples and explanations, especially since the 1970's.

Interfaith Book Discussion #3 -- July 29

Join us Tues. July 29, 7-8:30 pm, Central Library Book Club Rm. Interfaith dialogue opportunities present the “name tag” problem: attendees are asked to put their name and religious affiliation on their name tag. Conversations among interested parties often presuppose that each person has a religious or faith home, but that is not always the case. Important dialogue can also happen between persons of faith and those without a religious affiliation. Leslie Heberlie and Claire Droeste will lead discussion of this book as the first step in exploring the perspectives of the “nones” or the “spiritual but not religious,” as part of a longer effort to engage more widely across the faith/no-faith chasm. Cosponsored by Interfaith Partners of Greater St. Louis and Diversity Awareness Partnership.
In the meantime, reserve Belief without Borders by Linda Mercadante here.

Browse Islamic Treasures in Topkapi Palace Museum Illustrated Catalog

After I saw a copy of  this book at Iqri Library, I ordered a copy of  The Sacred Trusts by Hilmi Aydin for the reference shelf here in the Social Sciences Rm. so anyone interested can take a look at many of the sacred relics of Islam on display in the Pavilion of the Sacred Trusts at the Topkapı Palace Museum, Istanbul.
The slipcase only hints  at the gorgeous photography and written descriptions of each item inside.
Come to the library, pull out a chair, and consider the beauty and meaning of objects located this far away place.

Community Donates Books on Islam

 Thanks for donations from Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, St. Louis, who examinined the room's collection of books about Islam and then donated the following  books by or about leaders, beliefs and philosophy of that movement:

•  Invitation to Ahmadiyyat
• Islam Its Meaning for Modern Man 
• Ahmadiyyat or the True Islam
• Life of Muhammad
• World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace
• Saving the Savior
• Revelation Rationality Knowledge and Truth

and two English translations of books SLPL had only in Bosnian;

• Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam and 
• Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues (written in 1992)

We are also especially thankful for the community's replacing missing volumes from our 5-volume Reference set of The Holy Qur'an in English and Arabic with English Translation and Commentary published by Islam International and for providing additional circulating copies of the Qur'an in English and Arabic.