Another Two-fer

Once again, I am combining two trips into a single report.

It was my privilege to attend the American Library Association Mid-Winter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on behalf of my employer.  The ALA is is the oldest and largest library association in the world.  It was founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.  The mission of ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” To that end, the ALA brings together librarians with those of us who serve libraries at these great convention.

I was, once again, privileged to work with Oscar T. Robot.  He is a charming android who is a delightful co-worker.  Librarians from around the world stopped by to visit with Oscar and me.

I arrived on Friday afternoon and ate lunch at a wonderful bar-b-que place near my hotel.  The President's inaugural address was just beginning but through the marvel of technology, I was able to listen to it while I ate despite the absence of a TV or a radio.

While there, I was able to enjoy an evening with my nephew and his family.  They live north of Atlanta and are a wonderful family.

 We were in Atlanta on a momentous weekend.  On Saturday, the "Women's March" filled the streets of Atlanta with people calling attention to the causes of women's rights.  Then on Sunday, the hometown Atlanta Hawks played the Green Bay Packers for a spot in the upcoming Super Bowl. 

These conventions are exhilarating and very informative but I was glad to return home at the end of four days.













I attended a committee meeting of my brother's tribe on the following Saturday.  The committee has the responsibility of shepherding men and women who sense God's call on their lives to vocational ministry to prepare them for ordination.  I contributed little to the examination of the candidates but came away impressed that the future of my brother's tribe is in good hands.

Today was a short day.  I called first at nearby Cleveland Community College in Shelby.  More than thirty years ago, I lived in Shelby and audited a class in accounting at CCC.  The campus has blossomed (and moved across the road) since I attended.

Just outside Shelby, the State DOT has built a new bridge that is quite high.  From that vantage, you can see the mountains of Western North Carolina.  On this morning, they were all covered with snow.




Isothermal Community College was my next stop.  It is a fine part of the North Carolina Community

College system but you have to admit it has a unique name.  Here's what I found out:  "The isothermal belt is a zone in western North Carolina, primarily in Rutherford and Polk Counties, in which temperature inversion resulting in milder temperature contributes to longer growing seasons than in the immediate surrounding region. The phenomenon usually occurs on the southern slopes of mountains and foothills protected from frost and freezing temperatures by higher mountains to the north and northwest. The temperature inversion, possible at any time, usually develops in the early spring. The condition is advantageous for tender plant life and early blooming trees as well as for the cultivation of fruit, especially apples and grapes.

In 1858 Silas McDowell of Franklin coined the name "isothermal belt" based on the concept of the isotherm, a line on a weather map linking all points that have an identical mean temperature for a given time. Since then the term has been widely used and modified by scientists and area residents to sometimes exaggerate the advantages of the area. The names of Thermal City in Rutherford County and Isothermal Community College, which serves Rutherford and Polk Counties, are derived from this term."

Charles Wiggins is the director of the library.  He has served a number of schools mostly in Western North Carolina.

I stopped for lunch just prior to arriving at my last school.  Mojos BBQ and Grill is in a strip shopping center but parked outside was a food truck bearing the name.  The BBQ had an especially good "smokey" flavor that didn't need sauce.

My final stop was in Flat Rock at Blue Ridge Community College.  Ali Norvell is the newly-installed director replacing Susan Williams, who retired.  

I returned home by nearly the exact same route I had gone (minus the BBQ stop).  I have the impression that both my brother's tribe and the libraries of North Carolina have a bright future.