My travels, and that darn pesky regular job have kept me from reporting for a while. My next scheduled trip isn’t until February, so I hope to catch up on both sides.

After I was elected president, the first chapter to invite me to attend their meeting was the South Central Chapter. I eagerly accepted, since I know many people in this chapter, and it gave me the opportunity to visit Albuquerque, where I’d never been before. As a bonus, the meeting was to be held in the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town.

The theme was “Re-Imagining Our Libraries & Our Lives,” and the meeting was packed with activities. The opening speaker was Philip Kroth, MD, MS. He is the assistant director of the Health Sciences Informatics Program at the University of New Mexico, and he gave an enlightening perspective on medicine and research from the librarian’s side, contrasted with a perspective of librarianship from the researcher’s side.The Hospital Libraries Interest Section had a luncheon with featured speaker K. Ann Caudell, PhD, RN. Dr. Caudell is the project consultant for the Magnet Recognition Award that the University of New Mexico Hospitals is attempting to receive. She gave a wonderful overview of the time consuming process involved in getting this recognition.

In between the general sessions, the chapter had 24(!) contributed papers and 16 round tables. This group likes to communicate. I gave the MLA update, as part of a session featuring representatives from several other health library associations in the chapter’s states. A special treat for me was being invited to speak with about a dozen library school students who were able to attend the meeting. They were eager to hear about job opportunities, salary ranges, and participating in MLA.I’ve spent almost no time in the southwest before, so I was particularly pleased with the emphasis that the meeting planners put on cultural aspects. General sessions began with blessings from Native Americans, and one session featured a Native American flutist. The opening social event was held at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, and the closing event was at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. I even had a few hours to visit Old Town. You can check out my photos from the SCC Chapter meeting on Flickr.

An extra special bonus to this trip was a three day visit afterwards to Santa Fe, via the Turquoise Trail. Highlights there were the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the many, many art galleries, and the most amazing blue sky I’ve ever seen. Yep, I got photos.

Next chapter: Southern.