Report From Ross Bridge Resort
SCMLA Chair Judy Burnham recently had a chance to spend a night at the Ross Bridge Resort, and sent in this report:
On a recent trip to Birmingham, I had the opportunity to visit the Ross Bridge Resort, site of the 2008 SCMLA Annual Meeting and I think it is an ideal site for the event! The location was beautiful in the summer and with the fall foliage in October, should be even more spectacular.
The golf pro took me on a tour of the course and even if you don’t play golf, it might be worth the greens fee to see the beautiful views of the surrounding area from the golf course. With over 300 acres and tee levels for all players, the course is the longest in the US and the 3rd longest in the world.
The scents and sounds of the Spa area were so inviting and relaxing. The Women’s Quiet Room (sorry, guys), looked like a perfect place to wind down after the meeting. They advise that you make advance reservations for a tee-time or spa appointment as they fill fast. You can always cancel, if needed. (1 week before tee-time and 24 hours for spa.)
Starbucks is right next to the Business Center with Internet access and a printer. TJ’s Lobby Bar is a perfect place for some networking and the dance floor, although small, will be great for a little southern “rug cutting”.
The indoor pool, fitness center, tennis courts or walking path will be perfect for a little stretching after sitting in meetings. They were busy building some new shops that are within walking distance of the hotel and plan to have them completed before we arrive.
There are lots of places for visiting with old friends, including an indoor fireplace that reminded me of a traditional home library. They also have some outdoor fire pits that will be so inviting on crisp Fall evenings.
A highlight of the visit was the bag piper who plays at various parts of the hotel for an hour at dusk, ending with Amazing Grace on the Terrace.
If you haven’t made reservations, don’t delay. With this beautiful setting and the exciting program, this is a “not to be missed” meeting.
Judy Burnham, SCMLA chair
Judy also sent along some great pictures, and I’ve included a few here:
Making Reservations At Ross Bridge
If you call the Marriott 800 reservations number you may get an operator who says that no rooms are available for the SCMLA conference. DO NOT PANIC! This is not unusual when calling the central reservations number of a big chain. Don’t do it.
The easiest way to book your room is to use the link on this blog, which you can find by clicking HERE. This will automatically enter the appropriate group code in order to get our group rate.
If you would rather make your reservation by phone, be sure to call the local phone number, 205-916-7677. Give them the group code SCMSCMA to insure that you get the SCMLA meeting rate.
And if you run into any problems, just let us know and we’ll sort it out.
Local Healthcare, Pharmacies, Groceries, and Gas Stations
One of the nice things about Ross Bridge Resort, the site of this years SCMLA conference, is the fact that while it is away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it is still not located too far from dining, entertainment, and shopping opportunities. Aside from all of the fun we hope you will have when you venture out into the surrounding area from Ross Bridge, we also want you to know of some places to go to should you need to pick up essentials like groceries, hygeine products, or medication, and we also want you to know about the the healthcare options that are closest to Ross Bridge. The list below contains directions to some of the pharmacies, gas stations, clinics and hospitals, and grocery stores that are located nearest to Ross Bridge Resort.
Pharmacies
- CVS Pharmacy (click here for store hours, directions, and contact information)
- Publix Pharmacy (Click here for store hours, directions, and contact information)
- Walmart Supercenter Pharmacy (click here for store hours, store services, directions, and contact information)
Grocery Stores
- Bruno’s (click here for directions)
- Publix (click here for store hours, directions, and contact information)
- Walmart Supercenter (click here for store hours, store services, directions, and contact information)
Gas Stations
- There are a number of gas stations near any of the pharmacies and grocery stores listed above
Healthcare Clinics and Hospitals
- UAB Health Center Hoover–(provides internal medicine services, basic diagnostics, and referrals; click here for more information including contact information and directions)
- UAB Hospital (for an overview of services, directions, and contact information click here)
Pepper Place
Birmingham’s Pepper Place is a favorite place for locals to eat, shop, and mingle. Pepper Place is spread out among seven buildings covering more than 227, 000 square feet of space. What once was a Dr. Pepper bottling plant has now been transformed into what many consider to be the design, furniture and arts related merchandise center of Birmingham.
At Pepper Place one can:
- Dine at an Argentine restaurant
- Attend a play at Terrific New Theatre
- Shop for international and local antiques
- Shop for work by local artists
For directions to the Pepper Place from the conference hotel, click here.
Plenary Speaker, Rachel Singer Gordon
Introducing Rachel Singer Gordon, speaker, web expert and author of several books including, What’s the Alternative? Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros. Rachel is the founding editor of, and a frequent contributor to, the Info Career Trends electronic newsletter.
Rachel publishes frequently in both library journals and online. See her blogs The Liminal Librarian and Beyond the Job. She is a popular speaker on career issues of information professionals and will address the topic of “getting unstuck” with our attendees.
The Alabama Symphony
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra has a couple of performances scheduled during the SCMLA conference. 
The first one is on October 26th when the orchestra will be putting on a special Halloween themed performance. 
Costumes are encouraged and there will be plenty of Halloween themed activities and music. The second performance during the SCMLA conference is a performance on October 30th celebrating the music of Leonard Bernstein. Cocktails will be served before the Bernstein performance and there will be an after party too. For more information on these events or to purchase tickets click on the hyperlinked text above.
Enjoying Nature in Birmingham
Are you interested in doing some hiking while you are in Birmingham? Or are you looking for a place to sit quietly in the woods and relax? Birmingham has a number of conveniently located wooded parks and preserves that will appeal to everyone from the avid hiker to those looking for trails for leisurely strolls or just a nice place to sit and relax in the shade.
Moss Rock Preserve in Hoover is probably the most convenient outdoor area to the SCMLA conference location. Moss Rock Preserve is located on 250 acres of beautiful wooded land which includes over ten 
miles of gentle walking trails, a rolling landscape, creeks, and a wide variety of plant and animal life. This preserve also has beautiful boulder fields which attracts many rock climbers. Admission into the preserve is free. For directions from the conference hotel to the Moss Rock Preserve click here.
A little further out from Birmingham is beautiful Oak Mountain State Park. Oak Mountain State park, Alabama’s largest state park, rests on close to 10,000 expansive acres and includes: golf, improved 
camping, picnicking, swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, mountain bike trails, backpacking, a demonstration farm, and horseback riding facilities. Admission is no more than $3.00 per person. Directions from the SCMLA conference location can be obtained by clicking here.
And just east of Birmingham, nestled among an urban area, is the peaceful Ruffner Mountain Nature Center. Ruffner Mountain provides scenic views, 11 miles of hiking trails, and opportunities to view native 
animal and plant life. The Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, in addition to all of the outdoor activities it provides, also holds many wildlife presentations and organized activities. Directions from the conference hotel to Ruffner Mountain Nature center can be found by clicking here.
The Birmingham Zoo
The Birmingham Zoo, located just a short distance from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, is one of Birmingham’s most popular attractions. The zoo spans over more than 120 acres and is home to 750 
animals from over 250 different species. There are over 80 species of birds, 80 species of reptiles, and 60 species of mammals. Some of the animals in the zoo’s collection include Bengal Tigers, Egyptian Cobras, Squirrel Monkey’s, Red Panda’s, and giraffes (Click here for a complete list of zoo animals).
Especially popular at the Birmingham Zoo are the animal exhibits that allow for zoo visitors to interact with the animals. On weekends from 10-11am and from 2-3pm zoo visitors can feed the giraffes. The zoo’s 
latest interactive exhibit, Kangaroo Kountry, has been very popular with zoo patrons. In Kangaroo Kountry visitors can walk along a path through the simulated terrain of the Australian Outback and get up close with a number of Red Kangaroos and other Outback creatures. Also popular are the camel rides which are offered daily at the zoo.
For zoo hours, directions, and admission fees click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Plenary Speaker, David Levy
Introducing David Levy, Professor at the Information School, at the University of Washington as a plenary speaker at our annual meeting.
David Levy holds a PhD from Stanford University in computer science (1979) and a Diploma in calligraphy and bookbinding from the Roehampton Institute, London (1982). For fifteen years (until December, 1999), he was a member of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) where his research focused on the nature of documents and on the tools and practices through which they are created and used. His current research focuses on information and the quality of life. His book, “Scrolling Forward: Making Sense of Documents in the Digital Age,” has just been published by Arcade Publishing.
David’s 2007 article, No Time to Think: Reflections on information technology and comtemplative scholarship will be the basis for his talk.
As the abstract states:
This paper argues that the accelerating pace of life is reducing the time for thoughtful reflection, and in particular for contemplative scholarship, within the academy. It notes that the loss of time to think is occurring at exactly the moment when scholars, educators, and students have gained access to digital tools of great value to scholarship. It goes on to explore how and why both of these facts might be true, what it says about the nature of scholarship, and what might be done to address this state of affairs.
I hope you will plan to attend and see how this related to us as librarians.
Great Dining in Birmingham
Birmingham has a number of wonderful dining options ranging from local barbecue favorites such as 
Dreamland BBQ to great Thai restaurants such as Surin West. Opportunities abound in Birmingham too for sampling great southern cuisine at restaurants such as the Irondale Cafe (the setting for the novel “Fried Green Tomatoes at the WhistleStop Cafe” by author Fannie Flagg).
Birmingham has a number of fine dining restaurants and most famous among these are the restaurants owned and operated by renowned chef Frank Stitt. Frank’s work is one of the great prides of Birmingham and
his culinary skills have brought him widespread recognition including having his restaurant, Highland’s Bar and Grill, named as the fifth best restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine (Frank himself has been proclaimed by Bon Appetit magazine to be one of the culinary “legends of the decade”). At Highland’s Bar and Grill one can expect a night of unforgettable food (food their website describes as “…American south meet[s] the traditions of the south of France) and incredible service. Dress at Highland’s is formal and reservations are HIGHLY recommended (reservations are accepted up to a month in advance).
Frank’s other restaurants include Bottega Restaurant and Cafe and Chez Fonfon. At Bottega Frank and his crew offer up wonderful Italian dishes. For a formal dining experience one can go to the restaurant side of Bottega; for a more casual dining environment one can visit the cafe side of Bottega. The cafe side of Bottega includes both indoor and outdoor dining and a bar. Reservations are welcome at Bottega Restaurant but the cafe does not accept reservations.
Frank’s most recent addition to the Birmingham restaurant scene is Chez Fonfon. This restaurant is in many ways a companion to Highland’s Bar and Grill as it serves cuisine that results from combining French country and American south standards. Unlike Highland’s, Chez Fonfon is a less formal dining experience, but like Highland’s, the food is fantastic.
