Well, the usual duties of a typical librarian, plus some. I
check out and return books. I shelve. Tidy up the room. Unlock the games
drawers. I also have to fold newspapers, put out daily quizzes and Sudokus,
lead book club, head Service meet-ups, check out art tours, help tendering at
ports that require it.
To describe a few of the last items:
Obviously there is no way for the ship to receive newspapers
at sea, but certainly passengers (and curious librarians) still want word of
the outside world, so the ship has a deal with the NY Times and the Canadian to
get newspaper digests. Every morning the ship prints out newspaper digest
(NYTimes’ is 8 pages; the Canadian, 4) on paper larger than legal size. I
arrive at the library at 7:45 to assemble these papers – folding them and
putting them out for the 8 am library opening. Usually papers disappear
entirely by 10 am. They can be found in a few more spots (Front Desk, Lido
Restaurant) but obviously the library is a hot spot for the news. Passengers
also have the option to read the NYTimes online for free – one of the few free
websites they can access.
Daily trivia quizzes and Sudokus are extremely popular. At 8
am on the dot I put them out. Those who complete the quizzes and submit them to
me by 3 pm have the possibility of winning a prize – a cruise line pin. The
Sudokus are simply out for fun. For those who wish for crossword puzzles need
to look in the NYTimes digest, or fill out our NYTimes crossword tables with a
magic marker.
For cruises 14 days or longer, the librarian leads a
bookclub. The book is chosen with the destination in mind. We are currently
reading “Honolulu” by Alan Brennert.
I have had a good fifteen attendees at the past discussions.
Service clubs, i.e. Elks, Lions, Rotary, etc. require that
their members attend weekly meetings and they can get in trouble if they miss
any. Since obviously service members tend to be older like our passengers, we
mark their attendance with a form that they can take back to their meetings as
proof that they ‘attended’ one despite their absence.
We also have a few iPods that guests can check out. The
cruise ship is decorated with rather lovely pieces of art, autographed guitars
and memorabilia, and the iPod has a narrated art tour. It also has a tour stored
on Glaciar Bay for the Alaskan cruise. Sadly a few iPods were apparently stolen
a few cruises ago so locked drawers are a must – which mean passengers can only
check them out when I am at the desk.
This last one I just experienced for the first time
yesterday. Most ports we can pull up straight to the dock. But today, because
of shallow waters, the cruise ship had to park offshore. “Tendering” is
basically a water shuttle from the ship to shore and back again. When you’re
unloading 1000+ people, that can get complicated. Guests are directed to
convene in a certain room. Those going on an excursion must meet as a specified
time, and are sent onshore appropriately. If they fail to show up on time, they
are likely to miss their tour. Those not going on an excursion but simply want
to head to land separately are given a number so we can stagger the lines.
Unfortunately this required me to be at a meeting at 6:30 am….and close the
library at 10 pm. Usually my schedule on port days are 7:45 am – 11:30 am and
then 7 pm – 10 pm. Sea days are rougher. 7:45 am – 11:30 am, 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm,
7 pm – 10 pm. And then so the day doesn’t feel like it was only work, I stay up
chatting (and drinking) with people until 1 or 2 in the morning. Naps are the
only way to survive, absolutely. But there is no commute and it is pretty
simple throwing on my orange polo and navy pants on the morning (afternoon and
evening guests see me with polished makeup. Morning guests are lucky to get me
with my eyes open, as I am still sipping tea to speed up the wakeup process.)
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