Timed to provide a little summertime education disguised as fun for kids, Elgin’s Gail Borden Public Library has unveiled “Earth Matters: Rethink the Future,” its new free exhibit.
“We are excited to bring this world-class experience that turns complex global challenges into hands-on discoveries to the Gail Borden Public Library,” library spokesperson Natalie Kiburg said. “We know how much our visitors love getting up close and hands-on with amazing exhibits, and Earth Matters allows visitors to do that in such an immersive way.”
The traveling exhibition was created by Scitech in Perth, Australia, and produced by Las Vegas- and Atlanta-based Imagine, the same group behind the “Dinosaur Explorer” exhibit, which proved to be a big hit when it was on display from September 2025 to January 2026.
As his mother watches, Hadriaan pushes the levers powering the miniature city in the interactive Micro Grid exhibit in the Gail Borden Public Library’s center lobby. It’s one facet of the Elgin library’s “Earth Matters” exhibit, on display through mid-August. (Gail Borden Public Library)
“They shared ‘Earth Matters’ with us, and we thought it was the perfect fit with its engaging, hands-on educational components and the perfect tie into our ‘Plant a Seed — Read! Summer Reading Challenge’ theme,” she said.
‘Earth Matters’ uses both floors of the library for exhibits that cover a variety of topical themes, including biodiversity, rising global temperatures and carbon emissions, Kiburg said.
“Overall, the whole exhibition uses a lot of digital projections, brightly lit-up colors and graphics, and unique shapes — like contour cut, 3D trees — that are very visually appealing,” she said. “Each exhibit also draws you in with push buttons or things to grab to explore more about each feature.”
As soon as patrons enter the library, they walk through a colorful grid representing how Earth’s annual temperature has changed each year from 1850 to 2018, she said. Next, in the library’s rotunda, people can experience energy generation, storage and transfer in a microgrid by using the bike pedals to produce energy and light up a town.
“The townscape brightly comes to life with lights and sounds, and partners work together on different pedals to share excess energy to power the entire unit,” Kiburg said.
A local mom and her sons enjoy the interactive Fish Pond feature that’s part of the “Earth Matters” exhibit at Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin. (Gail Borden Public Library)
Children — and maybe some limber adults — can crawl through a 10-foot-long “fallen log” tunnel to discover creatures that need protection. Other interactive stations allow visitors to use magnetic rods to catch fish or trash in a toy pond or use toy blocks to help insects build a “hotel” room.
“Throughout each exhibit zone, you will find light box displays with thought-provoking questions, tidbits and visuals pertaining to the subject of that zone,” Kiburg said.
The displays are in English and Spanish and also have a QR code to read the content in French. There are digital touchscreens that take visitors through prompts or quizzes with more info.
One example, Kiburg said, is a question posed in “The Protect the Coral Reef” display on the first floor as visitors enter the Youth Gateway towards KidSpace. It asks people to imagine they are fishermen planning to grow their business through fishing and to choose which type of fishing is best for the environment.
“The three answer options are: explosive fishing; rod-and-reel fishing; driftnet fishing. As you select your answer, there is a bar on the side that shows your reef’s health based on the answer you chose,” Kiburg said.
A red tree frog display is projected on the Forest Experience exhibit wall and floor on the second floor of the Gail Borden Public Library in downtown Elgin. It’s part of the library’s new “Earth Matters” exhibit. (Gail Borden Public Library)
There’s also a “Reflection Zone” on the second floor that features low-hanging clouds that guests step into.
“While your head is surrounded by these large clouds, you’re able to listen to other visitors and how they reimagine the future, reflect on the changes you would like to see in the natural environment and share your vision to the cloud,” she said. “It’s more than hands-on interactives. It’s an experience to be able to step into this piece.”
Funded by the Gail Borden Public Library Foundation, “Earth Matters” runs through Aug. 16. The library will also be offering occasional programming related to the exhibit. For more information, go to gailborden.info/earthmatters.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.