Exploring Human Origins: A Community Conversation

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

In its 2015 strategic plan, Chesterfield County Public Library (CCPL) made a commitment to community engagement and to “helping people transform information into knowledge.” By embracing the role of “town square,” CCPL is emerging as a leader in facilitating dialogue and discussion within the community about topics and issues that are important to our citizens. The library has introduced regular programming to intentionally generate community conversations. In 2015, CCPL was one of nineteen public libraries nationwide awarded a grant from the American Library Association and the Smithsonian Institution called Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to be Human? This traveling exhibit was created as a result of the Smithsonian Institution’s Hall of Human Origins, an exhibit that provides insight into the origin and evolution of human kind. The traveling exhibit was intended to spark community conversation not only about the scientific explorations related to human evolution but how we as humans have evolved culturally, spiritually, and in all the other ways that are so specific to humans. In addition to hosting the exhibit, CCPL sponsored several programs led by scientists from the Smithsonian Institution. We also partnered with local university professors to co-present and lead some programs. Our program locations- library, park, local pubs both inside and outside of Chesterfield County- reflected a commitment to reaching out beyond our own walls to meet and engage with people in many different environments.