An End to a Semester Like No Other

We've had some wild times this semester at Vaughn College Library.  Things started out according to plan.  We had a successful movie night.  We got a top-shelf new scanner for the library.  Information literacy sessions were scheduled.  Things were going well until that stupid virus showed up.  Yet we still got a lot done.  We created a Virtual Library website for COVID-19, offered scavenger hunts, and launched a Virtual Book Club.  Plus, we offered virtual reference services.  It's a challenging time and we're going through changes.

And now the semester's over.  Closer to home, a friend of mine was telling me all about Bowling Green, Kentucky and the National Corvette Museum.  Living in Kentucky, she told me that there are only so many bourbon tastings you can do on the weekends.  Last year, I was in Nashville, Tennessee, not far from Bowling Green.  One person might tour Italy, taste wine, and eat pizza.  Others prefer Kentucky bourbon, BBQ, and appreciate Corvette culture the way Zora Arkus-Duntov intended.  Some go to both Kentucky and Italy -like me!  While it takes time and money to make it happen, travel is a gentle reminder that there is much bigger world out there than New York.  As I watch the news and read newspapers about COVID-19, I reflect on all the trips I've taken.  To be fair, sometimes it doesn't take all that much money.  My experience has been that a locale's marketing/advertising campaign often has little to do with how much you enjoy the vacation.  One time, I had way too much fun in Omaha, Nebraska over a long weekend.  For a time, the wealthiest person on the planet lived in Omaha and that guy could have lived anywhere.  On the other hand, my least favorite places tend to be over-priced and largely over-rated tourist traps.  Believe me, I've been to such places.  That's for another blog post.