A Selected Annotated Bibliography of Books at the New Muslim Project Collection: Providing a Guided Description of Islamic Resources for Information Seekers in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

The New Muslim Project (NMP) office has a considerable collection of printed books about Islam, and the unique feature of the collection is that most of the books are in English. These meticulously handpicked books are available to either be taken home permanently (as some titles have multiple copies), or borrowed by those who would like to know about the religion. NMP’s initial plan was to set up a proper online library for the collection. However, due to the scarcity of staff time and volunteers, the collection lacks even a basic catalogue that makes informed access to the books almost impossible. The main objective of this bibliography is not about introducing Islam. Instead, it is about providing people with a relevant summation of selective Islamic books from the NMP collection so they are better informed before choosing a book from NMP collection to read.

The bibliography of selected Islamic books from the NMP collection consists of entries arranged in an index card format utilising a modified variety of the Zotero reference report. The primary focus of the bibliography will be the annotations, and subjects that categorise each book. Each book’s annotation will help readers decide whether the book contains the information they seek. Subjects work as a rudimentary method of grouping the bibliography, as well as an elementary approach for readers when deciding on a topic to read. The items are first grouped based on their subject, and then ordered alphabetically based on their title. Lastly, the bibliography also provides a list of subject, tag and author indexes to further facilitate readers’ access to the selected books.