This program is designed to reach out to the Non-Muslim Community, through public libraries, in a comfortable environment of education and learning. These brief presentations and lectures cover different aspect on Islam followed by discussion, question/answer session, and literature distribution. Public libraries are an effective venue to reach out to people, particularly those who are uncomfortable to contact Islamic centers or are not aware of their locations.

1. Select a library, with a conference room, in an area where you can expect most participation. Find out if there are any charges for the use of the conference room. For example, libraries in Jacksonville, FL, offer free conference rooms to non-profit organizations if the meeting/lecture is open to the public. Many libraries also provide audiovisual support, like, TV, VCR and Projector.

2. Select a date for a presentation/lecture once or twice a month and reserve a conference room. Most libraries will reserve a room for six months in advance. You need to check with your local library. Select a day, which is easy to accommodate, like last Wednesday of the month, every month (It’s easy to remember the day than a date).

3. Select a time for presentation. Ask the librarian about the time when most people come to library. Usually, most people go after work hours on the weekdays and in the mornings if it’s a Saturday. Presentation should last 30-45 minutes followed by a 30 minutes question and answer session. You should have some time for socializing after the presentation.

4. Select at least 3-4 committed people from the community to help you organize the program.

5. Identify people with good communication skills for presentations/lectures. These people do not have to be the organizers. Look for public speakers like Imam of local Islamic center, local college or university Muslim lecturers or professors or talented youth speakers. Make sure the speaker prepares the topic well with authentic information and references. Ask an imam or a very knowledgeable community member to attend, as a back up, who is also up-to-date on current events and can handle difficult questions. Select a topic in advance and ask them if they are comfortable presenting a particular topic. Choose the topic that is relevant to current issues of this society. The following topics were presented at Jacksonville public libraries and available for future reference;

   1. Islam between rejection and extremism

   2. Creation, Science and Revelation

   3. Quran and Science: Compatible or Incompatible

   4. Women in Islam

   5. Islam and Christianity: More in Common Than You Think

   6. Myths and Realities About Islam

   7. History of Islam in America

   8. Clips from Massage and legacy of a prophet

6. Set up a table for distributing literature like 877-WHY-ISLAM brochures, copies of Quran and some information related to the topic presented.

7. Advertising for the program can be done through various means.

   • Ad could be placed in the local newspaper

   • Flyers and poster can be posted in the local libraries, notice boards of local schools, colleges, and universities.

   • Invitation cards. These can either be given personally or mailed to addresses in the neighborhood, churches, teachers or professors of comparative religion, and inter-faith organizations. (These addresses can easily be obtained from the internet by zip codes. Example of flyer and post card are attached).

   • Community email

   • Ad in local radio and television center.

   • Any other effective means to increase participation.