Diversifying the Collection: Aspiring Educators Program Leads to Addition of Islamic Book Collection WP Aspiring Educators Program leads to addition of a new Islamic book collection. During the summer of 2021, Education professor, David Fuentes, taught a dual enrollment course, Foundations of Bilingual and Multicultural Education, to 12 local high school students as part of a pilot academic enrichment initiative, the WP Aspiring Educators Program. Five of the students were Muslim and were excused from class to observe Eid al-Adha. While these students were absent, the other students visited the Cheng Library to learn more about this Islamic holiday. The visit led to discovering that the Cheng Library's holdings on Islam and Muslim culture were limited. The students then began finding and reviewing literature focused on the Muslim culture. Professor Fuentes decided to collaborate with Neil Grimes, Education & Curriculum Materials Librarian, to educate students on formatting and composing annotated bibliographies. The students addressed an issue of equity and inclusion by developing an annotated bibliography of materials that focus on the Muslim culture. Upon completion of the project, the books were presented to the Cheng Library as recommendations for the Library collection. Eighteen print and digital books on the Islam and Muslim culture were purchased, including books for children, that were added to the Library's collection. The students returned to campus in November for a formal celebration of their experience in the WP Aspiring Educators Program and their project, which resulted in the addition of a new Islamic book collection to the Cheng Library. The new collection is displayed in the Cheng Library Curriculum Materials Center. You may read more about the Aspiring Educators Program and the students’ experience in the Fall/Winter 2021 issue of the WP Magazine. February 08, 2022
