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This website is an informal communication forum for staff members of the University of Oregon Library Staff Association. Contents and opinions expressed herein or on linked personal or external pages are those of individual authors and do not represent official statements, policies, or positions of the Library, the University of Oregon, Oregon University System, or State of Oregon.

The event was my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It was my sister's idea, but my brother and I went along with it. "Tell us how you'd like to celebrate," we said to our parents, "and we'll make it happen." The result? A four-day cruise, from New York to Halifax.

Taking a cruise is quite a bit like staying in a luxury hotel in Las Vegas, with the exception that the hotel is moving really fast. The movement is very evident even on the world's largest cruise ship, which I and my family had the pleasure of being on. And for those of you who are wondering: yes, you can get seasick on a ship that large (I am living testimony to this).

Anyway, if you've ever wondered what there is to do on a cruise, it basically boils down to consuming things and being entertained in various ways. First of all there's the eating: food 24-hours a day, including a breakfast buffet, brunch buffet, lunch buffet, dinner buffet, late buffet, midnight buffet, formal dining room serving three meals a day at scheduled times, all-day deli, 24-hour pizza, and 24-hour room service. Did I mention that it's all free food?

Next come the two activities that make the most money for the cruise line: drinking and gambling. Passengers paid extra for these "perks" (along with soda and "specialty" coffee drinks like espresso and latte). Alcohol was allowed everywhere on the ship at all hours and was sold in at least a dozen places. For the gamblers, there was a large casino, plus several bingo games throughout the day. I never quite figured out how they decided which places children would have to stay out of, but if you had one tagging along you could probably find at least one place where you could drink and gamble with them by your side.

For other entertainment, there was a different Las Vegas-type show every night and something like six to eight lounges/bars with live music in a variety of styles. We also had a nightclub with DJ for the younger crowd. Several events were scheduled throughout the day as well, including trivia contests, deck games (shuffleboard, that is), classical music concerts, and things for children of various ages. And, of course, there were the pools, hot tub, exercise room and spa, and plenty of deck chairs with a fantastic ocean view.

A couple of words of warning for anyone who's thinking about going on a cruise for the first time: If you have an addictive personality and problems related to drinking or gambling, be careful. Since this cruise line (and presumably others as well) makes most of their money from the alcohol and casino, the ship was set up so that you had to go through the casino and bars in order to get anywhere. The second warning is about the smoke. While smoking was supposedly allowed only in certain designated areas, security did not even try to enforce this policy and there was smoking absolutely everywhere.

Taking a cruise was an eye-opening experience for me in more ways than one. I learned, for instance, about the wages and working conditions of the staff. There are no U.S. citizens working on the ship. The waiters, busboys, and cabin stewards do not get a salary. They get free room and board on the boat, free medical care, and whatever they get in tips. The waiters and busboys get half a day off every third port (that's about every 10 days).

On other days the busboys work from morning through the late buffet. The waiters spend their days in the dining room, working all six shifts each day. They work these schedules for eight months and then have two months off, during which they pay to get themselves home and back. I don't know the details of the cabin stewards schedules and wages but assume they are similar. (of course they also learn valuable job skills, like how to fold bath towels into animal figures)

One positive thing about this type of work is that anyone who joins has an equal opportunity of rising to the highest rank on the ship. In fact, the Captain of the ship we were on began with the cruise line as a cabin steward and made it all the way up the ladder--and he didn't seem that close to retirement age. Also, the money that the crew makes in tips is pretty much tax-free and goes much further in their countries than it would here. Combine this with having practically no free time and nothing to spend money on, and they probably end up being financially well off when they return to their home countries.

Even so, the attitude of the crew working under those conditions was amazing to me. They were for the most part very friendly, and welcomed the chance to talk with the passengers. Of course they were trying their best to get good tips, but they really did an excellent job and most seemed to enjoy what they were doing. While some were obviously homesick, they were also grateful for the employment and trying their best to advance rather than simply doing the least they could to keep their jobs and get the standard tips recommended by the cruise line.

Unexpectedly, my family and I got to be a part of history on this cruise. The ship (currently the largest cruise ship in the world) was full to the brim with people and this particular run is going into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most passengers (about 3,480) ever on a cruise ship. There were also around 1100 crew members, another record I believe.

Even with all of the people on board, it was possible to find a nice quiet corner and relax. We found the least crowded deck of the ship and I spent a lot of time sitting there watching the ocean go by, reading, doing cross-stitch, and meditating. I also had the pleasure of taking my 17-year old nephew for his first nightclub dancing experience--which we both enjoyed immensely.

If you've always thought it would be great to go on a cruise, I say go for it. It's definitely an experience you will remember for a long time to come!

--Mary Grenci

On September 8, OPEU and OUS announced a tentative agreement, ending over eight months of contract talks and averting a possible strike just before the beginning of fall term. Both faculty and staff were no doubt very relieved to see an end to the conflict that did not involve picket lines, loss of wages, and major service disruptions. Union members voted on the new contract via a mail ballot, and results were expected to be announced by September 30th.

Thanks to all library staff and faculty who participated in the bake sales, carwashes and other fundraisers. Food collected during the food drive was donated to Food for Lane County.

--submitted by Lisa Sieracki

On Wednesday, September 15, 1999, an informal get together was held in the Browsing room. Faculty and staff members gathered around tea and cookies to celebrate the accomplishments and bid farewell to three distinguished colleagues as they head off for new adventures. George Shipman took the opportunity to briefly touch upon the achievements of the departing librarians, Kaia Stavig Essau, Sheila Klos, and Peter Stark as well as introduce incoming librarian, Cara List. Cara has been appointed temporary AAA Reference Librarian through middle March, 2000. Cara will be assisting with reference in the AAA Library while a national recruitment is conducted for Sheila Klos's and Kaia Esau's positions.

Kaia Stavig Essau has elected to leave the library this fall. She is moving to Portland, Or. where her husband has recently taken a position with an architectural firm. In Portland, Kaia will continue to work on the novel that she began last year, while she was in New Zealand, as she continues with her search for a publisher. She has written 4 novels thus far, and we wish her much success in developing her writing career as well as all of her future professional endeavors. It may seem as though she'd just gotten here (it certainly did to me, anyway) yet Kaia has been with the University since August of 1995.

As if Kaia's departure wouldn't be enough to set the AAA library reeling, Sheila Klos has also elected to leave the university. She has flown the coop and is presently winging her way towards Washington, D.C. Sheila is leaving us in order to take up a newly created position at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library. The library at Dumbarton Oaks is affiliated with Harvard and George Washington universities and specializes in Pre-Columbian and Byzantine Art. This position represents a unique, challenging and irresistable opportunity for Sheila and we wish her much success in her new duties. Please check out these links to learn more about Sheila's beautiful new home.

http://www.doaks.org/
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~jrromero/oak.htm

And Peter Stark is also saying farewell to the university library system. Peter has been with us since February, 1983. During his tenure he oversaw tremendous growth in his area of expertise and has seen the Map Library collection increase both in size and importance. He recently and successfully shepherded the migration of many new materials onto the GIS format. We feel confident that Peter will be able to find a suitable position for his considerable expertise and talents as he joins Sheila in our nation's capitol.

--submitted by Ben Farrell

In what has become an annual event in the Knight Library, twenty friends of literature gathered at noon, September 28th, in the Browsing room to hear selections read from their favorite banned, challenged or restricted works.

The Banned Books Week observance included readings of works banned or challenged by communities, courts, schools and other organizations for many reasons: for celebrating human sexuality, for flouting established behavioral norms, even for being "anti-meat"!

Banned Books Week celebrates our First Amendment rights and honors intellectual freedom. For more information, see the ALA's Banned Books Week page.

Banned Books Week runs through October 2nd, so you still have time to pick up your favorite banned book and read!

The readers and selections:
Jean Murphy: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Rose Thomas: In The Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
Lonni Sexton: Tropic of Capricorn, by Henry Miller
Duffy Knaus: Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Robin Paynter: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Richard Bear: Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman
Charlotte Conlin: The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
Barbara Jenkins: Am I Blue, from Alice Walker Banned, by Alice Walker
David Landazuri: Nana, by Emile Zola

Been to an interesting conference? Send us a brief report for publication in the next newsletter. Thanks!

Kudos

Congratulations to the following staff on their promotions!

Sharla Davis -- Library Technician 2 to Library Technician 3
Will Harmon -- Library Technician 2 to Computer Support Technician
Duffy Knaus -- Library Technician 2 to Library Technician 3
Susan Stumpf -- AV Technician 1 to Library Technician 2

October staff profiles:

David Landazuri, Database Specialist, Catalog Dept.

Jim Galbraith, Business Librarian, Government and Business Information Service

Classified Ads

Postings can be made or viewed at any time by clicking on the Classified Ads link on the sidebar or within each month's Classified Ads section. Ads will appear in the first issue of the newsletter published after posting and will continue to be available via the Classified Ads page for six months. If you wish to have the ad removed before then, please contact the editors. If you'd like your ad to appear in the newsletter more than once, simply re-submit it each month you want it to appear.

For Sale: Girl's clothes size 0-2T, High Chair, Booster seat, playpen, stroller, black wire file organizer, 19" TV. Susan Stumpf, Media Services, home: 726-5639, work: 346-1957

For Sale: Wild animals in cross stitch! Get a finished coaster with a brown bear, sea otter, tiger or bald eagle--$5 each; or choose a magnet with a wolf or red fox--$4 each. Small but very detailed and lifelike! A few other magnets are also available, $2.00-3.50 each. Call me at 6-5607, or drop by my cubby and take a look. Mary Grenci, Catalog Dept.