In the Summer of 1993, I was in elementary school and couldn’t wait to go to the theater with my mom and see the new movie about a dinosaur theme park. The graceful, long-necked, Brachiosauruses were my favorite. What I didn’t realize was that the velociraptor scenes would give me nightmares and I’d end up sleeping in mom’s room for a week. Now with my own dinosaur-loving children, we watch all the movies frequently and it’s my job to make sure there are no velociraptors under their beds. The mark that the Jurassic Park movie franchise left on me and my family is undeniable and that’s why I’m so excited about an upcoming Aurora Public Library District (APLD) program entitled The Science of Jurassic Park. On Monday, Nov. 13, the Eola Road Branch will be host to prehistoric expert Donald Baumgartner when he explores the science behind the popular movies and allows mega-fans like me to truly geek out.
Donald Baumgartner is a medical entomologist at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Chicago and Adjunct Faculty in Biology at W.R. Harper College in Palatine. He is a dinosaur enthusiast and avid fossil hunter who knows how to separate the real scientific facts from the Hollywood fiction portrayed in the Jurassic Park movies. Fans of the series will have a blast learning about how a dinosaur theme park might really play out in the real world.
“I’m interested in learning if the newer movies are more or less accurate than the original ones,” shares Librarian Megan Cavitt. “We know the movies have ignored some scientific understanding of dinosaurs for the sake of action. I’m curious as to how far that went.” Our knowledge of how dinosaurs looked and behaved is always changing as we (literally) dig up more information, and the films have adapted to that. We hope attendees will learn some fascinating facts about dinosaurs and remind themselves that movies don’t always get the facts right!
What the Library has gotten right is the fact that children love dinosaurs! APLD celebrates “Dinovember” every year with programs and activities centered around these (not-so) terrible lizards. This year, all Library locations are offering a dinosaur-themed scavenger hunt, along with crafts and additional children’s programming. You can make your own Paper Pterodactyl Puppet at the Eola Road Branch Wednesday, Nov. 15 and wear your fanciest (or most ferocious) attire to the T-Rex Tea Party at the West Branch Monday, Nov. 20. Be sure to register for the We Dig Dinosaurs event at the Santori Library Saturday, Nov. 18, where participants will experience a fossil dig, play dino-bowling, make a bone craft, and more! There will be many activities to keep your little dino-lover active and learning.
Though many children phase out of dinosaurs, some (such as myself) grow up to be dino-loving adults. That is why we wanted to offer a program that older kids and adults could learn from and enjoy. In addition to The Science of Jurassic Park program, APLD has some wonderful dino-centric titles on our shelves. Learn more about the beginnings of paleontology by reading The Dinosaur Hunters by Lowell Dingus, or The Monster’s Bones by David K. Randall. For a totally different movie about dinosaurs (one that focuses more on the people who discovered them) watch Ammonite, a fictionalized biography of paleontologist Mary Anning. And of course, if you need to binge on the movies before the program, the Library owns copies of each title in the original franchise and then some.
Thirty years after the original film’s release, Jurassic Park is an undeniable staple of pop culture. Thankfully for me, I got over my fear of the velociraptors, otherwise I’d be in trouble. We hope The Science of Jurassic Park program will appeal to not just fans of the movies, but to anyone who is interested in the ways movies depict science and nature. The program will take place at the Eola Road Branch Monday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room. Be sure to register ahead of time to reserve your spot! Visit the Events Calendar at www.aurorapubliclibrary.org/Events or contact the Library at 630-264-4117.
Andrea Tiberi is the communications coordinator for the Aurora Public Library District.