Members of the 650 libraries of the North Suburban Library System voted the Gail Borden Public Library the 2006 Library of the Year.
The Gail Borden Public Library District is number one according to the North Suburban Library System, a consortium of over 650 academic, public, school, and special libraries in north suburban Cook, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties.
Gail Borden Library received the 2006 Library of the Year Award for "For a spirit of innovation that has electrified the community and redrawn the picture of the public library as a community center. The Gail Borden Public Library has a long history of community focus with the highest regard for those it serves. An integral part of the educational community, the library has always been a willing resource, which seeks to serve through cooperative works. The culmination of these efforts was the vast community support and involvement in the library's inspired GIANTS: African Dinosaurs project. With brilliant fundraising, powerful partnerships, and a dedicated corps of volunteers, the staff and trustees have made the library a place of cherished memories and boundless possibilities for citizens of all ages and cultures."
Carole Medal, library director said, "We are so honored to win this award. This is the first 'Library of the Year' award for Gail Borden and it is truly a community award. The dinosaurs came to this community in the form of the Dinos on Parade public art and the GIANTS scientific educational project due to visionary partners, dedicated volunteers and the hard work of our staff. Everyone in this library district earned the designation of 'Library of the Year'."
Library Foundation president and Dinos on Parade co-chair, Marlene Shales, said, "The people in this community were a huge part of this award as well as the foundation, the trustees and the Gail Borden staff. Everybody pitched in. They had a good time while putting on an excellent program. The whole community had fun with this from children to seniors. It was something that caught the imagination of the community. This award was a win for everyone."
Medal said that the Grand Victoria Foundation's major funding support was key to initiating the project. Then Kiwanis also made a significant donation and the rest of the community was involved in a variety of ways - sponsoring, painting or visiting the public art dinos and/or volunteering for or visiting the educational GIANTS dinosaurs in the library.
"This library and this community have a long tradition of supporting each other. This project let us highlight what the library and its community can achieve together. We are also so proud that Karen and Dan Fox won Volunteers of the Year for their efforts during GIANTS. They represent the commitment by many individuals that made this project a success," added Medal.