Hitting the books will be part of Erik Ohlander's summer plans thanks to a recent grant from the Purdue University Libraries. The Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) assistant professor of religious studies was awarded the Purdue University Library Scholars Grant, which will allow him to travel to conduct research for his current book project.

Hitting the books will be part of Erik Ohlander's summer plans thanks to a recent grant from the Purdue University Libraries. The Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) assistant professor of religious studies was awarded the Purdue University Library Scholars Grant, which will allow him to travel to conduct research for his current book project.

Ohlander was awarded $3,571 to conduct research on Arabic manuscripts in the Rare Books and Special Collections division of Princeton University's Firestone Library and at the Library of Congress. His research will focus on issues pertaining to the city of Mecca as a nodal center in the formation of Sufi networks in the Islamic world during the later medieval period.

This grant, along with other awards, will advance his second book, "Sufis of Mecca: Mysticism and Transregionality in the Later Medieval Islamic World." His first book, "Sufism in an Age of Transition: 'Umar al-Suhrawardi and the Rise of the Islamic Mystical Brotherhoods," was released Feb. 15.

Ohlander was one of seven faculty members from across various Purdue departments to receive this grant, which helps faculty members access unique collections of information not available at Purdue. The award covers transportation, lodging, meals, and fees charged by the library or other collection owner.