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Cabinets reaching to the ceiling were packed with bones of woolly mammoths and colorful beadwork. Fossils discovered from every Nebraska county sat on rows of shelves.
Many people know about the University of Nebraska State Museum exhibits at Morrill Hall.
But hiding on the fourth and fifth floors in Nebraska Hall are millions of specimens and artifacts that are also part of the museum's collection.
More than 200 people flocked to Nebraska Hall on Saturday to discover all the museum has to offer at the Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Museum Research Collections event, which was hosted by Friends of the University of Nebraska State Museum and the research staff.
Many area citizens and students who attended were not aware that the museum's collection was housed in multiple on-campus buildings. There was a sense of awe among the spectators at the millions of not-so-hidden treasures on display.
What really caught many spectators by surprise was when they found out that what was before their eyes was just a small portion of what there really is.
"Less than 2 percent of what the museum has is on exhibit today," said Wendy Schultz, senior geology major. "It's unfortunate that a lot of people aren't very interested."
The collection includes such items as preserved insects, zebra skulls, dinosaur bones and Egyptian mummies, and scientists attending the event said they hope to spark curiosity in others through their work.
Thomas Labedz, zoology and botany research collections manager, said the collection contains material that people can easily relate to.
Labedz also said people from all over the state came to see the museum for different reasons.
"Some people came because they have family connections to the museum, some came out of natural curiosity, and some are just fans of museums," he said.
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