 Gail Borden was not a woman despite the spelling of his first name. He never lived in Elgin, and he never donated funds for the library which bears his name. How his name became attached to our library is as fascinating and complex as the man himself.
Born in New York in 1801, Borden found his way to the province of Texas as a young man where he farmed and published a newspaper. His newspaper supported the Texas independence movement and he became associated with such historic figures as Stephen Austin and Sam Houston.
After struggling with various other enterprises in Texas and New York, Gail Borden had suffered the death of his wife and was near financial ruin. Finally, at the age of 55, after years of experimentation, Borden was a awarded a patent for condensed milk.
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StoryTubes - the 2-minute or shorter "my favorite book" video project - has won the PLA Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award and that win couldn't have come at a better time. The $1,000 PLA award honorarium prize will go into the project. |
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 Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS) has selected five museums and five libraries to receive the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries that make extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social contributions. Please click "Read more." |
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In December 2008, Iwo Jima veteran Gordon Schnulle, opened a large cardboard that arrived at his Elgin residence. Over 100 letters spilled from the carton. They were letters of thanks from local high school students. Always a faithful marine, Schnulle wrote back to each student. |
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The Gail Borden Public Library has been honored with the prestigious 2008 John Cotton Dana Award from the American Library Association (ALA) due to community involvement.
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The American Library Association (ALA) recently announced that the Gail Borden Public Library District of Elgin, Ill. is the 2006 winner of the Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award for its project "GIANTS: African Dinosaurs, created by Project Exploration" exhibit. |
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Members of the 650 libraries of the North Suburban Library System voted the Gail Borden Public Library the 2006 Library of the Year. |
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The Illinois Library Association awarded the Gail Borden Public Library the 2006 Highsmith Award for Innovation. |
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* YWCA Corporate Award 2008
* Mayor's Award for Preservation with historian Mike Alft 2008
* North Suburban Library System Innovation Award 2008
* Downtown Neighborhood Association “Community's Favorite Place” Award 2007
* Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award 2007
* Slow Global Warming Visionary Award 2007
* Illinois Main Street Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization 2006
* Elgin Image Award 2004 and 2005
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The Gail Borden Public Library District and the community have been recognized for a number of achievements. Click here to read about GIANTS: African Dinosaurs, Created by Project Exploration and Dinos on Parade. |
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In recognition of a marketing campaign that put a new library card in the hands of more than 8,000 U-46 students, the Gail Borden Public Library (www.gailborden.info) in Elgin has been named the recipient of the 2009 Marketing Award from the North Suburban Library System. |
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History of the Library