ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL N e w s ■ N o v e m b e r 1 9 9 9 / 833 th e u n i q u e c o m ­ m u n ity o f B o u l ­ d e r , w h e r e th e N e w A ge is o ld n e w s , t h e s t u n ­ n i n g F l a t i r o n s t e m p t r o c k c l i m b e r s , a n d e v e r y o n e s e e m s im p o s s ib ly h e a l ­ t h y . T h e m a g ­ n i f i c e n t R o c k y M o u n t a i n N a ­ Your choice o f the opera t i o n a l P a r k or gam bling is available at [(970) 586-1206] Central City. is n o r t h w e s t o f D e n v e r, a b o u t 70 m ile s a w a y . A nd, o f c o u rse , ski a re a s a b o u n d , in c lu d in g L o v e l a n d [(800) 736-3754], le s s t h a n a n h o u r fro m D e n v e r; K e y s t o n e , a b o u t a n h o u r - a n d - a - h a l f trip ; A s p e n / S n o w m a s s [(8 0 0 ) 9 2 3 -8 9 2 0 ]; a n d V a i l [(8 0 0 ) 5 2 5 -3 8 7 5 ], all f a r t h e r a w a y b u t g r e a t t o v is it w h e t h e r y o u s k i t h e s l o p e s o r j u s t a d m i r e t h e s c e n e r y . M o u n ta in visitors a lso e n jo y sn o w s h o e in g , sn o w m o b ilin g , o r just strolling th ro u g h su c h h isto ric to w n s as G e o r g e t o w n , a p ic tu re s q u e v illage o f V ic to rian -e ra stru c tu re s [(800) 472- 8230]; G o l d e n , h o m e to th e C o l o r a d o R a il­ r o a d M u s e u m [(800) 365-6263]; th e C o l o r a d o S c h o o l o f M i n e s G e o l o g y M u s e u m [(303) 273-38151; a n d th e C o o r s B r e w i n g C o m p a n y , w h ic h c o n d u c ts free to u rs o f its p la n t c o n c lu d ­ ing w ith fre e sa m -p le s o f its b r e w [(303) 277- 23371. B rin g e x tra c o in s fo r th e o n e - a r m e d b a n ­ d its in C o l o r a d o ’s g a m b l i n g d e s t in a t io n s : B l a c k H a w k a n d C e n t r a l C it y , tu c k e d in to t h e fo o th ills w e s t o f D e n v e r, a n d , h e a d in g s o u th in th e sta te , C r i p p l e C r e e k . C entral City is a ls o k n o w n fo r th e C e n t r a l C it y O p ­ e r a H o u s e , w h ic h h a s p e r fo r m a n c e s o n ly in th e su m m e r, b u t w e lc o m e s v isito rs to v ie w its V ic to ria n in te r io r y e a r - r o u n d ; a s k fo r a t o u r a t t h e T e lle r H o u s e c a s in o [(303) 279- 3200], S o u th o f D e n v e r a re th e s tu n n in g re d ro c k f o r m a tio n s o f th e G a r d e n o f t h e G o d s in C o lo ra d o S p rin g — a n e n th r a llin g s ig h t [(719) 634-6666], T h e g a r d e n c a n b e e n jo y e d in a n y w e a th e r , s in c e t h e r e a r e p a v e d r o a d s fo r a u ­ to s t h a t w i n d t h r o u g h th e r e d ro c k s. L ike m o s t p l a c e s in t h e U n ite d S ta te s, C o lo ra d o h a s u n p r e d ic ta b le w e a t h e r p a tte rn s in M arch, t h e m o n th o f t h e ACRL c o n f e r ­ e n c e . M u ltip ly th a t u n p r e d ic ta b ility fa c to r b y a b o u t t e n in C o lo ra d o ! It’s a s u n n y sta te — e v e n in t h e w i n t e r — a n d h a s m o r e s u n n y d a y s y e a r - r o u n d t h a n M iam i, F lo rid a , o r S an D ie g o , C a lifo rn ia. T o illu s tra te t h e v a ria b ility o f D e n v e r w e a th e r , h e r e a r e t w o h is to ric w e a t h e r r e ­ p o r t s fro m M a rc h 19: in 1997 t h e r e w a s a h ig h o f 71 d e g r e e s w h ile in 1998 D e n v e r t e m p e r a t u r e s t o p p e d o u t a t 30 d e g r e e s a c ­ c o m p a n i e d b y 5 in c h e s o f s n o w . T h e “n o r ­ m a l” d a y tim e t e m p e r a t u r e s in M a rc h a re in t h e 50 s (w h ic h , w ith lo w h u m id ity , fe e ls d e ­ lig h tfu l) b u t c a n d r o p 20 d e g r e e s o r m o r e at n ig h t. W e a r la y e rs a n d c h e c k t h e fo re c a s t b e f o r e y o u a rriv e . L et’s s e e — d i d I m e n t i o n lin e d a n c in g , th e M u s e u m o f N a t u r a l H i s t o r y , t h e B l a c k A m e r i c a n W e s t M u s e u m a n d H e r i t a g e C e n t e r , t h e D e n v e r B o t a n i c G a r d e n s , a n d th e D e n v e r Z o o ? W ell, I ’v e b a r e ly b e g u n to b r a g b u t e v e n t h e s e l f - a p p o i n te d m a y o r o f D e n v e r m u s t s t o p a t s o m e p o i n t a n d le t y o u ro a m o n y o u r o w n . ■ L e t te r to th e e d ito r It w a s s o re fre s h in g to r e a d J e n n if e r W. K im b all’s “R e m e m b e r w h e n y o u w e r e in fo rm a tio n illiterate?” in th e J u ly /A u g u s t 1999 is s u e o f C&RL N ew s. All t o o o fte n w e o v e re s tim a te th e level o f a w a re n e s s th a t s tu d e n ts a n d faculty h a v e a b o u t d o in g r e s e a rc h , e sp e c ia lly w ith th e te c h n o lo g ic a l e n h a n c e m e n ts th a t h a v e im ­ p a c t e d o u r d e liv e ry o f in fo r m a tio n r e ­ s o u rc e s . A t o u r c o m m u n ity c o lle g e , th e p e r c e n t­ a g e o f s tu d e n ts w h o d o n o t u s e a c o m ­ p u t e r re g u la rly a n d a re n o t c o n n e c te d to t h e In te r n e t is h ig h e r th a n t h o s e w h o d o . Staff a n d fa cu lty w h o m a y u s e a c o m p u te r d a ily to p r o c e s s s t u d e n t e n ro llm e n ts o r p r e p a r e p u r c h a s e re q u is itio n s m a y n o t b e at all fa m ilia r o r c o m fo rta b le w ith “su rfin g o n th e W e b .” K im b a ll’s article w a s e s p e c ia lly u se fu l to m e a s I d e v e l o p e d t h e c o u r s e I a m te a c h in g th is fall fo r fa c u lty a n d staff: I n ­ fo rm a tio n Literacy in a n In fo rm a tio n -O v e r­ lo a d e d W orld.— C h a rle t Key, B la c k H a w k College, e -m a il: k e y c @ B h c l.b h c .e d u mailto:keyc@Bhcl.bhc.edu