Skull Casts, image credit: Smithsonian's Human Origins Program

The Spartanburg County Public Libraries, Headquarters Library, will host the traveling exhibition Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? after the library was selected through a national competition offered by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and the American Library Association (ALA).

In addition to programming being planned by SCPL, scientists and other experts from the NMNH Human Origins Program will visit Spartanburg to host events for the community, including a science program, educator workshop, community conversations and more. You can visit www.spartanburglibraries.org as we get closer to May for more information on these upcoming programs.

 

Through panels, interactive kiosks, hands-on displays and videos, Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? invites viewers of all ages to explore to learn about the milestones in the evolutionary journey of becoming human.

 

The traveling exhibition encourages a public conversation that focuses on multiple perspectives of what it means to be human — one that embraces the ideas and beliefs of non-scientists and fosters greater appreciation of the complexity of the science of human evolution. 

 

The exhibition will open in the lobby of the Planetarium Learning Center at the Headquarters Library on May 29 and close on July 31, 2026. The Headquarters Library is located at 151 South Church Street in downtown Spartanburg. The exhibition is free and open to the public during library hours.

 

Exploring Human Origins: Promoting a National Conversation on Human Evolution is administered by ALA’s Public Programs Office in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s (NMNH) Human Origins Program.

 

Spartanburg’s first public library opened on October 17, 1885, thanks to a generous donation from Mrs. Helen Fayssoux Kennedy in honor of her husband, Dr. Lionel Chalmers Kennedy, a well-known and respected physician who passed away five years earlier. Since that time, the library system has grown to include 11 branch libraries and a Bookmobile. Now operating with a staff of approximately 200 employees, the Libraries continue to strive towards their mission to inspire people to pursue lifelong learning for a thriving Spartanburg County. Each location provides a variety of programming for children, teens and adults and is equipped with meeting room facilities, free internet access, and shelves full of books, magazines, movies, music and more. For those who are not able to come into a library, Homebound services delivers books to shut-ins almost every day. Additionally, many downloadable resources are available on our website, www.spartanburglibraries.org.