PERRYSBURG — Community members are invited to bring personal items documenting the history of the Islamic
community in the Toledo area to Community Scan Day on Sunday. Bowling Green State University’s Center
for Archival Collections and the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo are partnering on the event, which was
made possible by a $12,000 Common Heritage Grant supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“We are excited to partner with the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo to work toward the ongoing
preservation of materials documenting the region’s Islamic heritage,” said Michelle Sweetser, head of
the Center for Archival Collections. “Muslims have been an important part of the cultural and religious
fabric of the area and it is important that we document and preserve that history while we are able to
do so.”
The Community Scan Day is the first in a series of three events that the CAC and ICGT will present as a
part of the grant, which is one of 20 awarded by the NEH this year to preserve and make accessible
materials important to family and community histories by supporting digitization events and public
programming at local cultural organizations. It will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Islamic Center,
25877 Scheider Road.
CAC staff members, who will set up digitization stations at the ICGT, will scan materials. Community
members who bring materials will go home with their originals as well as digital copies and free
supplies to ensure the preservation of the original. With permission, the CAC will add digital copies to
its holdings to preserve and make them accessible to the public.
CAC staff members will be able to digitize a wide variety of materials, including photographs, letters,
newsletters, scrapbooks, 3D artifacts and audio tape, and can record personal stories documenting the
rich history of the Islamic community in the northwest Ohio region.
“Well-organized archives bridge generations, paying tribute to those who have gone before, connecting
their contributions to the current life of our mosque and providing important resources for both the
present and the future,” said Nadia Ashraf-Moghal, ICGT president. “Scan Day will be an important step
in making that happen.”
The grant also supports the creation of an exhibit that will be installed at the Islamic Center and
subsequently on the BGSU campus, as well as a public program in each venue. These events will take place
in the fall of 2019 and spring of 2020, respectively.
For a related story, see:
https://www.sent-trib.com/news/documenting-traditions-bgsu-gets-grant-for-library-work-with-islamic/article_8e7933ac-34b2-11e9-8b2b-23d10ff7f6cb.html