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October 3, 2005

Towering 'Giants' dinosaur skeleton exhibit awes visitors at Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin

It's a good thing that the new Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin is a two-story building.

Otherwise, the 33-foot-high Jobaria dinosaur skeleton wouldn't fit inside.

The Jobaria is front and center as when you walk in the door, its feet on the ground floor and tiny head on the second floor.

It's all part of the exhibit "Giants: African Dinosaurs," created by Project Exploration and on display at the library now through December.

Besides Jobaria, a plant eater, there are several carnivorous dinosaur skeletons on display, including Suchomimus, Afroventor and Deltadromeus. The exhibit features a "touch gallery" of real fossils; the Deltadrome Theatre, with a 45-minute video narrated by Bill Kurtis; and a gift shop appropriately named the dinosTaur.On top of that you can get your picture taken next to large femur bones.

All of the dinosaurs and fossils are of African dinosaurs discovered within the last 10 years in Morocco and Niger by Paul Sereno.

Project Exploration was founded in 1999 by Sereno, a University of Chicago paleontologist, and his wife, educator Gabrielle Lyon, to make science accessible to the public; it targets city kids and girls especially.

With this in mind, the project works to reduce the distance between science and the public for the target audience, inspire them to learn through hands-on experience with science, and connect students, teachers and families with working scientists. Project Exploration has brought groups of inner-city youth on digs in Montana and Wyoming, and has trained others to be docents for exhibits.


It must be working, because 93 percent of the students who have participated have continued their relationship with the project beyond the initial experience.

Project Exploration and the library got together this year when Denise Raleigh, the library's head of marketing and public information, saw the exhibit at Chicago's Garfield Park.

When Raleigh began working at the library, she saw the possibilities of bringing towering dinosaurs to a beautiful structure with high ceilings and a "made-for-Jobaria" rotunda.

"I knew it was big, and I also knew it would be expensive, but even then I could tell it would be a great way to showcase our new library."

Raleigh approached the Grand Victoria Foundation about getting the exhibit for the Elgin library.

After determining that "Giants" could benefit the whole community, Grand Victoria agreed to fund the delivery and rental of the exhibit with a $175,000 grant. The Elgin Noon Kiwanis and many others also came aboard to support the unique venture.

Miriam Lytle, the library's special projects coordinator, is experienced with exhibit installation and management — but even she confessed to being a bit daunted.

"When three tractor-trailer trucks pulled up to the library, and a seven-man crew with a crane arrived — and especially when I saw crates the size of mini-vans — I was impressed," she said. It took 10 days to put the exhibit in place.

Many libraries host exhibits, but this is an exhibit of higher magnitude, not only because it's big but also because it is very complex. Parts of the exhibit are in every area of the library. More than 200 volunteers were recruited to serve as docents, greeters, workers at the dinosTaur and in other capacities.

I asked library director Carole Medal if she felt the effort had been worthwhile.

"Definitely yes," she said quickly. "'Giants' has made real the concept of the library as a community center. It also reinforces the fact that we're a destination.

"The exhibit has been the catalyst for our reaching out to community partners such as School District U-46, private schools and colleges and myriad community groups. For example, we put together 'Elgin Area … Dig It!' featuring a map for kids that can be stamped after visiting five cultural centers. Children getting all five stamps will be entered into a drawing for prizes."

Medal reiterated a point made by paleontologist Sereno, who said that his work always begins at the library. "We agreed that showing the results of the research in the library was most appropriate."

Check out "Giants: African Dinosaurs" on the Web at www.gailborden.info/dinogiants, or tune in to our award-winning cable TV show, "What's New in Libraries," featuring a guided tour. See the Web site www.whatsnewinlibraries.org for times and channels in your area.

Or, best of all, visit the beautiful new Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin before the end of the year and get the feel of just how big dinosaurs really were.

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