Cruise Ship Librarian: Day 1

Day 1:

After a lovely night’s sleep in what is probably the swankiest hotel I have ever been in, I walked a block down the outer road in San Diego to get an amazingly quick breakfast at the local Denny’s. I always appreciate a server who is on his toes and this guy handled an entire dining room on his own like a champ.  About 20 employees of my new company, some new and most returnees, piled into shuttle vans to go to the ship.  Of course, the ship was massive!  Once we arrived, we all stood around for 15 minutes before being brought into the Port Authority building and go through a security check much like the one at the airport.  From there, we entered the ship on Deck B (aka the 3^rd deck) but the lowest one that can be reached by elevator.  

Unlike everyone else, my “buddy” did not arrive right away, so one of the HR people came to show me my cabin.  It’s ridiculously small.  In fact, I was told that it might have been a storage closet at one time, and except for the bathroom inside, I would believe it. My roommate had the bottom bunk already so I psyched myself up for learning how to climb a ladder up to my bunk and how to climb down.  I’m actually scared of heights, although you wouldn’t know it since I have been up some pretty high places.  Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro is one example.  Essentially, I have to psyche myself up for the challenge and then I can do it.  I won’t have to get too used to being up on the top bunk however, because my roommate will be leaving the ship in 2 weeks when we get to Florida.  The key is to wake up early that day and, as soon as she leaves, move my stuff down to the bottom bunk.  She’s taking up more drawers than her fair share, but that will change soon enough.

So, after a safety meeting, I was taken upstairs to my supervisor’s office by one of the entertainment staff.  I was only there for a couple of minutes before my buddy arrived.  Today was a crew inspection and immigration also boarded, presumably to make sure the staff is all well, not bringing anything into San Diego they shouldn’t, no stowaways, etc.  My ship just came back from a 28 day South Pacific cruise, so I suppose that sort of thing is necessary.  My buddy, as it turns out, is the current Librarian aboard the ship.  Her contract ends when we arrive in Florida.  Like me, she has her MLS degree, and so I’m really lucky to be trained by a real librarian for the first 2 weeks of my cruise.  When I told her I also had a degree, she hugged me.  Like I had figured, a lot of the librarians in our fleet have no degree and no real aspirations to be librarians.  However, she’s only been on this particular ship since January and she’ll be moving to a different ship after she leaves here.  That means she’s yet to get the library into the best shape it can be.  I hope to leave it in much better shape when my contract ends in September.

I still have some stuff I need to do on Day #2 including getting my nametag.  I have a badge/cabin key, but no nametag.  I also need to get my uniforms which were delivered, or so my supervisor said.  Finally, I need to get internet up and running ($40 for 460 minutes, which is much better than what passengers pay $55 for 100 minutes) and to be reimbursed by the purser for the meals I ate while in San Diego.  

There’s so much more I can say about what I did today.  It was extremely long and exhausting and all the back and forth between decks made my feet hurt horribly.  I don’t need to use the gym; I can get all the exercise I want simply by climbing all the stairs.  Tonight, I went with the other librarian to stand on the stage of the big Showroom and be introduced to all of the passengers who attended as the new librarian.  It looks like it’s a thing they do on every cruise, so I guess I’ll have to get used to being in the spotlight once in a while.  

I was in the library when the ship cast off and began to move.  I didn’t really feel it, however, until I went down to my room to get changed for dinner.  That’s when I got some major dizziness, but it passed eventually.  My stomach has held up pretty well with being at sea, kind of like I knew it would, but my head is a different matter.  Sometimes I lose my equilibrium, but I think that’s all part of gaining my sea legs.  In bed, I worried that the sway of the boat would cause me to fall out of the top bunk, but I was fine and I soon fell into a very deep sleep.

It is actually Day #2 now, about 6:20 in the morning and I am sitting in my library writing this and hoping I can get my internet going today so I can transmit this.  If nothing else, we will be in Puerto Vallarta on Monday, where there is supposedly a Wal-Mart within walking distance of the dock.  There are a million more things I could write about my first day, but it will have to wait.  I missed my boyfriend at least twice and hoped he was doing well.  I’ll write again soon. 

Sorry there's no pictures.  I haven't had the time but I promise to do so sometime next week.

The Big Rush; Or, How Cruise Ship Libraries Differ From Your Average Run-of-the-Mill Library

Wow, the last couple of weeks have been busy!  As I sit now, I will be winging my way to San Diego exactly three weeks from today.  From there, I will get on a big ole' ship and start my first post-graduation job.  For six months, I will sail the high seas and provide books and information to an ever-changing group of people.

That's going to be the weird part.  Although I have been assured by different mentors that this job will help me obtain a professional librarian position elsewhere at some point, I am worried that there's a lot of differences between your average public library and a cruise ship library. 

First, I will not be serving a diverse population

Oh sure, I expect to see patrons from all sorts of countries and from various parts of the U.S., but the average age of those who cruise with Holland America tend to be older.  Furthermore, these are people who can AFFORD to sail on cruise ships, so I will not be serving the economically disadvantaged.  I doubt anyone on the ms Statendam is going to be particularly smelly or mentally unstable (although mental issues don't go away just because you've got money, there are plenty of crazy rich people out there I'm sure) or unemployed.  Retirees perhaps, but unemployed or underemployed, not so much.  People won't be asking me about how to apply for a job or file for government assistance.  At most, I might have to worry about having books in other languages for our international guests.

Second, I will not be actively looking to promote or market the library

Face it, I'm sure Holland America would like for their libraries to be used, but it's really just a service they provide and it's no sweat off their nose if passengers do not step foot in the library.  Holland America has their money regardless.  I'm sure I will be promoting the book clubs discussions that I will be leading on the longer cruises, but that's about it.  This is so unlike public libraries that are trying so hard to stay relevant and become an integral part of the community so they can continue to receive funding.

Finally, I will not establishing long-term relationships with my patrons
Cruises, by their very nature, are a revolving door.  The longest cruise on the itinerary of my ship will be 19 days.  Every 7, 14, or 19 days I will be seeing a new group of passengers as the old group disembarks.  Unlike a public library, there will be chance to really get to know my patrons' reading habits, no way to anticipate what they should read next, or just to get to know them as people.
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However, there are some points that I think will really work in my favor.  Those include the ability to work long hours with no days off, running a library completely on my own, working with my employers to develop the book and resource collections, devising library programming including book club discussions, and teamwork with other members of the Entertainment Staff.  That's right folks!  I'm in the Entertainment division!!

I promise to update again one last time before leaving for San Diego and I will start posting pictures as soon as I can!  Thanks for sticking with me and I hope to provide a clear picture of what life is like working on a cruise ship.

Contract? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Contract!

So, again, I've become far too lazy to update this blog, but then again, I've been waiting on final confirmation on my job search.  Last Monday, I was offered the position I had hoped for, to be a cruise ship librarian.  However, the deed is not complete until I've received the 10-month contract from my new employer.  It's been a week now and I've yet to receive it.  Once I've read it and signed it, my new employer will have, essentially, total possession of me until the end of the year.  My tenure is supposed to begin sometime in March.  The cruises will take me from Florida to San Diego via the Panama Canal, up to Alaska during the summer, and then to Hawaii, Tahiti, and even down to Peru at one point when the weather cools off again.

I've been lucky because I have been able to trade messages with another librarian with the same cruise line and she's been able to give me pointers about what to pack, what a typical work day looks like, et cetera.  She said it took about a week or so to get her contract as well, so I know waiting this long is pretty typical.  After I've signed my contract, I need to make appointments to do a full physical exam including a CBC, chest x-ray, and a full medical history.  I also have to visit the dentist, order my uniform, and make up a shopping list of what I need for the next ten months.  Furthermore, I need to pack up my entire life, find a sub-leaser for my apartment, get a storage unit, and move everything out.  

Today, I am being featured on INALJ as a Success Story, which is poignant especially since I first saw the job advertisement on INALJ's Daily Digest.  Seriously, if you are a librarian, subscribe to the Daily Digest.  It is the single best place to find library jobs.  I had volunteered to be the Missouri editor for the site, but had to resign before I even began since cruise ships and the internet do not mix very well.  Plus, it costs an arm and a leg to access the internet from cruise ships.  Hopefully, one day, the internet will be a lot more accessible from out in the middle of the ocean than it is now.

Okay, I'll try to get back on here again soon to talk more about getting my life in order for my first post-graduation library position.  If you came to this blog for the first time after seeing my INALJ feature, I'm sorry this blog isn't the best, but I hope you come back to read about my adventures on the high seas.  If I see Captain Jack Sparrow, I'll let you know!

Melting Snow, Hy-Vee, and Learning How to NOT Constantly Sit on Pins and Needles

This whole past week I have been a big ball of anxious energy, checking my e-mail every fifteen minutes and figuring out what I would need to do to close up shop in the U.S. and live on the high seas for nearly a year. I was supposed to hear back by now from the employer with whom I had my second interview last Friday, but alas, nothing was sent to me.  There could be many reasons why.  No doubt the holidays slow things down, or the position could have been offered first to someone else.  Who knows?  All I really know is that means I have another weekend to endure (at least) until I hear something.

                                                     Future Home/Place of Work?

Frankly, I haven't really applied to any professional jobs in the last two weeks.  There's so many jobs that I've yet to hear back from (probably because of the holidays) and I've kind of burnt myself out on the whole cover letter/resume/application/transcripts hoops I have to jump through for each and every position.  I'm starting to treat the whole process kind of like college essays.  I think the only way to get me back into the game is a change of venue.  While in college, I would often make myself go somewhere with good wi-fi, buy some food, and then sit at an uncomfortable booth and stay there until I had made considerable progress on the paper, or finished it altogether.  Often, this would happen when a big deadline was looming over my head.  Well, the thing with applying for jobs is that there is no real deadline, but then again, I am about to lose my assistantship, which means I'm out of income, which means the rent doesn't get paid.

So, I think I need to head to Hy-Vee for some Chinese food.  Seriously, for those of you unlucky enough to live in an area without Hy-Vee, I pity you.  That place is like how I imagine heaven will be, only there will be no such thing as money or payment for services rendered in heaven.  There, I'll start applying again with my trusty laptop.  I do have an interview on Monday with the local public library for a little part-time job.  Hopefully, if I did get that position, I could find another part-time job (or full time) and work until something better came around.  At least then I could continue some sort of library employment and get some practical public library experience to boot.

By the way, the snow we received on New Year's Eve is finally melting away.  Water is dripping from the roof of my third floor apartment and my flatmate is singing away in her room next to mine.  She's been waking me up with her singing this past week long before my alarm is set to go off.  I've been considering that preparation for "ship life" where I'll be, no doubt, getting into a routine of waking early, working out, showering, eating breakfast, and going to work in my library, but now it's just plain annoying.  I console myself with the fact that her singing means she's in a good mood and flatmates in good spirits are always a blessing.  If I hear anything back from the cruise ship job, I'll make sure to update you all here!

Hope everyone has had a great start to 2013!

Second Interviews and Slow Days

As you might imagine, Ellis Library is as dull as a tomb right now.  Dull, dull, dull.  I've written two blogs for Scripta Manent (the first will be published on the 1st) and have done all I can to match call slips and look for missing books, but there's still four more hours of this work week left and nothing to do!  Doesn't anybody need help figuring out the microform machines?

Meanwhile, I just had my second interview with the cruise line.  Funny how I was far more nervous for this interview than the first one.  I feel that I kept tripping over words, not at all eloquent or poised.  I hope my enthusiasm for the position made up for it.  And I am enthused!  After talking to the interviewer, I feel a lot more confident that I can do this job.  I'm excited about helping with trivia nights and being responsible for daily quizzes, Sudoku puzzles, and crosswords.  My only worry is that I'll want to do the quizzes, Sudoku, and crosswords.  I wonder if I can set up some sort of lecture on just HOW to solve them.

Must make a mental note, should I get hired, to bring a bunch of crossword puzzles and Sudoku books on board with me.

If I heard correctly, the ship I would be hired for seems to make its way around South America, then Canada and the New England coast starting in May, and then through the Panama Canal to Hawaii during the last couple months of the year.  The position would not start until the beginning of February.  I think it would be a neat experience.  Plus, I found out that Debbie Reynolds christened the ship back in 1996.  Fun trivia fact: Debbie Reynolds and I share the same birthday.  Sign?  I sure hope so!

Top Ten Songs of 2012

So, I decided to do a Top Ten List of what I consider to be the best music of 2012. So many great songs and albums came out this year. In fact, I consider this year to be one of the best years of music in a long while. Video clips of my favorite songs can be found below. I used official videos for each song as much as possible, but there are a couple that I disliked, so I chose videos with lyrics for those songs.  So, starting with #10, I've picked a song that I just recently discovered a week ago while watching an episode of How I Met Your Mother.  I have a feeling that Fort Atlantic will be my favorite new artist of 2013.


#10: Let Your Heart Hold Fast - Fort Atlantic

 

#9: Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

                                    

 #8: Gangnam Style - PSY

#7: Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

#6: It's Time - Imagine Dragons

#5: Ho Hey - The Lumineers

#4: Somebody I Used to Know - Gotye

#3: Some Nights - fun

#2: Down in the Valley - The Head and the Heart

#1: I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons

Well, there you go.  Now you know my musical tastes.  As you can see, they generally go indie or more folk, with just a sprinkling of pop.  A few honorable mentions that did not make it into the list are "Blow Me One Last Kiss" by Pink and "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson.  I put Psy on the list because his song became such an overnight international sensation, now with more than a billion views on YouTube.  I left off "Call Me Maybe", because frankly, I haven't been a teenager in over a decade and I abhor the teen music.  You'll never find One Direction or Justin Bieber on my list.

Here's hoping that 2013 will rock as much as 2012 did.

North Carolina, Car Brakes, Cruise Ships, Mono, and GRADUATION!!!!!

So, it's been a month since I've updated this blog.  Actually, considering how horrible I am at keeping up personal blogs, that's pretty good! 

A whole month then, huh?  Since the last time I've posted, I developed mono for the second time in my life.  That's right folks, I belong to the special, unique 6% of those who have had mono once in their life, and then get it again at some point later.  For me, that would be a whole 15 years later.  On top of that, I also developed strep throat at the same time.  That would be nearly seven years since the last time I had strep.  All of this occurred, of course, during Thanksgiving break and the week after, right when a million projects and papers were due for class.  I did miss one evening class, but I had a doctor's excuse and my cataloging professor is the sweetest lady.  During this time, after I had been diagnosed with mono, but not diagnosed yet for strep, I wrote a ten page paper, a six page paper, and a three page paper, and worked on my part of a group project/presentation.  All in bed, all while nursing a horrible sore throat and the worst fatigue I have never felt in my life.  Just call me SuperWoman.  Go ahead.  I deserve it.

My best friend and I at Steak and Shake
We both have the same first name.  I'm on the left.

What's really amazing about the whole mess is that I got full points for these papers and I ended up graduating with a 4.0 GPA.  Not one "B" on my transcript as a graduate student.  I know, of course, that companies and libraries are looking for much more than just good grades, but shouldn't it count for something?  The graduation ceremony was a lot of fun, mainly because I got to eat out with my best friend, my boyfriend, and my parents, and sister.  My best friend couldn't make it to the ceremony, but everyone else was there and I was told that my sister screamed so loud when I walked across the stage to get my fake diploma, that she scared everyone around her.  I didn't hear a thing.  I never do.  I'm far too focused on making sure I walk up the steps, across the stage, and down the steps in one piece.  I did the same thing two years ago when I got my undergraduate degrees.  My graduation cap, with the LOC call number designating my graduation at my institution, along with the cutter for my last name is pictured below.

Speaking of jobs.  I was offered a position with a seminary in North Carolina.  It would have been a great job, but it was paraprofessional and paid exactly the same amount of money that I was earning twelve years ago as a brand new assistant manager at Denny's.  With student loan repayment looming, a twelve year old car that really needs to be replaced, and the cost of living in Charlotte, it just wasn't going to work. On the up side, I had a phone interview for an amazing opportunity.  I would be working on a cruise ship as its sole librarian.  This particular cruise goes back and forth between Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand.  It would be long hours, hardly any time off, and the pay is low, but I wouldn't have to worry about paying for rent, utilities, internet, car insurance, gas, food, and I would probably get an Australian pay-as-you-go phone.  Flights to and from Sydney are also paid by the company.  A lot of the money made could go towards paying off school loans and saving for the future.  I think it's a 10-month contract, but it would fulfill my lifelong wish to stand on every continent.  Who knows?  Maybe I'd stay for a few years if I really enjoyed it.  Plus, the library looks like this:

Gorgeous, right?

Yesterday, while driving to another interview, this one here at home working at a JoAnn Fabrics, I found that I could barely stop my car in time before rear-ending someone at a stoplight.  So, I took my car in to the mechanics' and will now be $300 poorer than before.  Did I mention my car is 12 years old?  It's really seeing its final days.  If I did get the cruise ship job, I would definitely be saving for a new car.  Meanwhile, I think I lost my chance with JoAnn Fabrics.  It's almost as if I'm not supposed to stay here, but where am I going?

In the end, at least I have a new Doctor Who episode to look forward to.  Now if only I can figure out how to watch it while I'm at my parents' house.  They're not Anglophiles like me.  By the way, if you feel that I'm horribly slow at updating this blog, never forget that I have my Tumblrs (libraryoasis.tumblr.com and mwam.tumblr.com) which I update with a bit more frequency than here.  I should go, but I leave you with this video and a fond farewell until next time.