Ida Rupp Public Libraries

At the Dino Movie & Slumber Party we all had so much fun! We watched a classic dinosaur movie, ate snacks, created pixel art, and excavated dinosaurs! After the movie, a few stuffed animal friends stayed the night at the Ida Rupp Public Library. They enjoyed a story time, played in sensory tubs, and even had a pillow fight!

During the night, however, is when Peter, Taco, Littlefoot, Totoro, and Reggie decided to get into some mischief. They roamed the library reading books, playing with LEGOs, and played hide and seek!

⛏️FOSSIL FRIDAY⛏️: Jack Horner

🥚 American paleontologist Jack Horner was born in Montana in 1946. He discovered his first fossil – and a fascination with dinosaurs – at a young age. After failing to get a college degree due to undiagnosed dyslexia, Horner was eventually hired as a fossil preparator at Princeton University.

🥚 During summer breaks in Montana, Horner and his friend Bob Makela would go on fossil hunting expeditions. These expeditions eventually lead to the discovery of nesting colony for a new species of duck billed dinosaur that they named Maiasaura.

🥚 The research that Horner and Makela carried out in Montana helped lead to the now accepted belief that dinosaurs were warm blooded animals. The discoveries they made also showed that at least some species were social creatures that traveled in herds and cared for their young after hatching.

🥚 A technical advisor for five Jurassic Park movies, Horner had a cameo in “Jurassic World”. The character of Dr. Alan Grant was coincidentally inspired by him when Michael Crichton wrote the original novel.

Do you have a favorite summer recipe? Sharlene and Laura have shared theirs.

We're back at Main Street Port Clinton Entertainment District this week!

Join us along with Back To The Wild, Castalia, Ohio to connect with some of our native wildlife this coming Friday at 1 PM. Learn fascinating facts about local species, discover the challenges wildlife face in today’s world, and leave with a deeper appreciation for protecting the natural world. The trained staff from Back to the Wild will be bringing some of their animal ambassadors, so you don't want to miss out!

Week 3 was shorter, but we still had a ton of fun!

To start out the week at Ida Rupp, patrons got to create their own fabric designs using flowers and hammers. Then all ages learned about extinct species from The Toledo Zoo.

Wednesday, kids of all ages got to drop into Ida Rupp to try out a bunch of different retro toys and technology. Anything you recognize from growing up?

At Marblehead, Katie Burnsworth from Erie MetroParks helped kids unearth "what's under that log."

And at Erie Islands, patrons got to paint rocks and our Words & Wine Book Club met up to discuss the books they've read in the past month. Check out our Instagram to see what books they discussed!

Week 4 starts tomorrow! Which programs are you most excited for?

Today is American Eagle Day! On this day in 1782, the Continental Congress chose this iconic bird as a symbol for the young United States of America.

🦅 The Bald Eagle appeared on our country’s Great Seal, various forms of currency, the President’s seal, and in many other places for over 200 years, but wasn’t officially designated as our national bird until 2024!

🦅 It takes at least 5 years for Bald Eagles to acquire their iconic white heads & tails. Males and females have identical plumage, but females are 25% larger than males. A typical female Eagle can have a wingspan of up to 8 feet!

🦅 In 1979 there were only 4 breeding pairs in Ohio, and the species was in danger of extinction across the United States. Due to federal legislation, and a ban on the pesticide DDT, the Bald Eagle was officially removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in 2007.

🦅 There are currently at least 122 Eagle nests in Ottawa County – the highest of any Ohio county! Most pairs return to the same nest year after year, and they have the largest nests of any bird in North America.

⛏️FOSSIL FRIDAY⛏️: Zeresenay Alemseged

💀 Zeresenay Alemseged was born in Ethiopia in 1969, and he currently holds a faculty position at the University of Chicago while continuing to work in the field. His research as a paleoanthropologist focuses on the evolution of our species.

💀 In 1999, Alemseged formed the Dikika Research Project (DRP) - the first Ethiopian-led paleoanthropological field research project. The ongoing mission of this project is to recover data that can aid in the study of human evolution.

💀 Between 2000-2005, Alemseged and a small team recovered the fossilized skull & partial skeleton of the 3.3 million-year-old “Selam”. This 3-year-old female specimen is the oldest and most complete juvenile human ancestor ever found.

💀 Aside from the discovery of Selam, the DRP has also found evidence of human tool use and meat consumption which predates previous discoveries by almost a million years. This year, the lower jaw of Paranthropus was found by the team – a discovery that shows the early hominin was more widespread than previously thought.

“Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory, or an acceptance of the way things are. It’s a celebration of progress. It’s an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible - and there is still so much work to do.” - Barack Obama

This is who keeps your library running. 📚 Recognize any familiar faces?