Ephrata Public Library Receives Smithsonian Grant for New Traveling Exhibit | Compendium

“Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human?”  Set to Arrive at 19 U.S. Public  Libraries

The Ephrata Public Library has been chosen as 1 of 19 public libraries in the nation to receive a grant for a new traveling exhibit from The Smithsonian.

The traveling exhibit is an exhibition on human evolution based on the iconic “David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins” at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. The exhibit, titled “Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human” will be at the library from July 29 through August 25.

“This is a unique opportunity,” said Penny Talbert, Executive Director of the Library. “The public library is the perfect host for lifelong learning activities and public dialogue.” The Ephrata Public Library has hosted national opportunities, such as three years of The Big Read, a reading initiative funded by the National Endowment of the Arts and Discover Earth, the science exhibit that drew over 60,000 visitors over a 6-week period in 2013. The library also played host to The Civil War Road Show through a grant from the State of Pennsylvania.

Talbert says one of the reasons the library has been so successful in receiving grants is partnerships the library has formed within the community. “We couldn’t do large projects like this without strong partnerships with local nonprofit organizations, municipal officials and businesses,” she explains. The library is currently in partnerships with a long list of local organizations, including the Historic Ephrata Cloister, the Ephrata Area Chamber of Commerce and the Ephrata Area School District.

“This exhibition is all about integrating scientific discoveries from around the globe and making them available for everyone to see,” said Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program and curator of the traveling exhibition. “We hope it will spark a respectful and positive conversation across the country about what it means to be human and inspire people to contemplate their place in the natural world.

The 1,200 square foot traveling exhibition includes more than 40 educational panels, interactive kiosks, hands-on displays, videos, 3-D skull casts and presentation representing groundbreaking research in the scientific study of human origins. “Exploring Human Origins: What Does it Mean To Be Human” will highlight key milestones in the journey of human evolution and explain how they developed over time, including walking upright, the earliest known technologies, brain enlargement, symbolic language development, the origin of agriculture and the creation of complex societies.

The exhibit appeals to the innate curiosity of all human beings in terms of understanding themselves and their own existence. It aims to engage local communities in a global scientific exploration of how humans have evolved over time, while inviting discussion that connects this exploration to varied societal perspective about what it means to be human.

Applications to host the exhibition were reviewed by peer public librarians and representatives from the National Museum of Natural History and the Public Programs Office of the American Library Association. Along with the exhibition, the library will receive a programming support grant from the project sponsors. They will also offer free public science lectures and education workshops hosted by Smithsonian scientists, including paleoanthropologists Potts and Briana Pobiner. These programs will be complemented by community events that invite conversations with clergy, civic leaders and the public to consider how scientific discoveries about human origins may relate to diverse cultural and religious perspectives on what it means to be human.

“It is our hope that this exhibit encourages healthy dialogue with our community members,” says Talbert. “We are honored to have highly acclaimed educators share topics that have been traditionally controversial. And while it is not our intent to change the belief system of people,
we are pleased to be the vehicle through which the sharing of a variety of viewpoints in light of the latest scientific discovery is made accessible. In fact, this exhibit directly satisfies the mission of the Library.”

“Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?” was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and support from the Peter Buck Human Origins Fund. The traveling exhibition will feature replicas and images of specimens from the Smithsonian’s “David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins” in the national’s capital. More than 20 million people have visited the $20.7 million permanent exhibition hall in the nearly five years since it first opened in March 2010. The 15,000-square-foot exhibition space was named for David H. Koch, a well-known philanthropist, whose $15 million gift made the hall possible. Both the permanent
and traveling exhibitions are part of the National Museum of National History’s Human Origins Initiative, which seeks to explore what it means to be human.
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