librarians are now internet managers?

[silvercruiser]

What has anyone experienced so far in having the librarians doing double duty as internet managers? Are they using tech experts and having them also do library work or is it the other way around? I've seen some really good internet managers who do a wonderful job of helping people who are having problems and hope this will continue.

I'm boarding the Amsterdam in three weeks and think that part of the problems reported are from those who want to download 20 or so pictures every day to their blogs. I found that adding even one picture to an email takes up too much time and seldom even try until I get to a free Wifi in port. However, Stein Kruse just gave all the current Amsterdam passengers a 50% refund on what they've spent on the internet, so I guess the new system that's been installed still has a way to go.

 

776 days at sea....39 ships.....7 continents

Princess ELITE Hal 4*

[CruiserBruce]

On the Noordam recently, the positions were separate. The Internet Manager was a male, the Library manager a female.

 

The Internet on the Noordam for 21 days was fine- fairly quick, wireless coverage pretty good. I check my e mail once a day, download an electronic version of a local paper I subscribe to, and very little else. We didn't come close to using 280 minutes in 21 days.

Edited April 6, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[Shmoo here]

Not real recent, but on our Oct cruise on the Veendam, they were different people. Internet manager a male, and librarian a female.

[serendipity1499]

What has anyone experienced so far in having the librarians doing double duty as internet managers? Are they using tech experts and having them also do library work or is it the other way around? I've seen some really good internet managers who do a wonderful job of helping people who are having problems and hope this will continue.

I'm boarding the Amsterdam in three weeks and think that part of the problems reported are from those who want to download 20 or so pictures every day to their blogs. I found that adding even one picture to an email takes up too much time and seldom even try until I get to a free Wifi in port. However, Stein Kruse just gave all the current Amsterdam passengers a 50% refund on what they've spent on the internet, so I guess the new system that's been installed still has a way to go.

 

776 days at sea....39 ships.....7 continents

Princess ELITE Hal 4*

 

Please tell us where you got this info from? On our Prinsendam cruise a year ago they were two different positions.. The Librarians were female & the Internet Mgr. was Male..

[CowPrincess]

On my most recent cruise the internet manager and the librarian were two different people.

[silvercruiser]

I gather it's something new and gradually being introduced. The Amsterdam, which is presently on its World Cruise, has just the librarian doing the internet work. I read four different blogs of this cruise, so that's how I learned. Perhaps it has something to do with the new internet system they installed on the ship just prior to the start of the World Cruise. I know the new system is on one other ship too, but can't remember which one. The changeover to the new 'improved' system will take awhile I guess.

The old system worked just fine on my cruises in the past year and yes, there were two people doing the two separate jobs.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We were on the Amsterdam In December right after the drydock and the installation of the new Internet system which is not working well on the current World Cruise and did not work well in December either. The Librarian does now double as the Internet Manager. I was told this will occur on all ships as they get the new system.

 

An aside and please don't flame me, but as a former female working librarian, I have encountered both excellent female technical support persons and excellent male librarians.

[whogo]

An aside and please don't flame me, but as a former female working librarian, I have encountered both excellent female technical support persons and excellent male librarians.

I was surprised that the gender of the staff members was mentioned.

[Linda&Vern]

On Zuiderdam cruise in Feb/March one person was Librarian and Internet Mgr. Of course there was also the Tech person teaching the Microsoft classes.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Linda&Vern

[JennysUncle]

On the Zaandam in Feb 2014 the positions were separate. It seemed to me that the librarian was a HAL staffer, while the internet manager was employed by the internet company. HAL house rules indicate that the 'internet manager' is a 'corporate partner' like the salon manager, the casino manager, the art auctioneer, etc. In other words, the internet service is a concession.

 

MTN, the company that provides satellite internet to cruise ships, has been implementing new equipment with higher capacity. Perhaps HAL is rolling this out during refits. If the system is easier to support, maybe they are taking over the business in-house.

[Bluwater7]

On the Maasdam we had both an internet Manager and a Librarian until three weeks before the cruise ended when the Librarian became both ... Still had a wonderful Microsoft tech. The librarian did not seem to mind having both responsibilities. She was always very helpful and pleasant. Very knowledgeable individual.

 

We sailed from the 17 Jan to Mar 28. 2014.

[catl331]

On Zuiderdam cruise in Feb/March one person was Librarian and Internet Mgr.

Was this on the new Harris system, or MTN still?

 

MTN' date=' the company that provides satellite internet to cruise ships, has been implementing new equipment with higher capacity. Perhaps HAL is rolling this out during refits.[/quote']The Amsterdam GWV is the first to switch from MTN to Harris systems, but all will eventually change. Maybe Harris is not providing full-time support on board.

Edited April 6, 2014 by catl331

[JennysUncle]

Here is a link to the Harris press release. They have a five-year contract for all the Carnival Corp ships.

http://harris.com/view_pressrelease.asp?act=lookup&pr_id=3641

 

I hope someone can find out the schedule for implementation, or track it.

[Linda&Vern]

Was this on the new Harris system, or MTN still?

DH says it was the new Harris system. When DH asked if the new system was slow, she replied "you must read Cruise Critic." He got a laugh out of that!

[silvercruiser]

The best internet mgr. I've ever had was on VOV last year. She was just great. I'm sure many librarians are technically knowledgeable, but so am I and there were still a couple of times where I had to ask her something. That's what they're specifically trained for.

[RuthC]

It would seem to me that an Internet manager and a librarian are two very different skill sets, and it would be at best difficult to find a person to serve both roles competently (although I don't believe the HAL librarians necessarily have degrees in that area).

I've been pleased with the help I've gotten from the various Internet Managers. I do hope that if the positions are being combined, then some effort will be made to ensure that the librarians will also be well-versed in dealing with the computer problems that seem to crop up on every sailing.

[Typhoon1]

HAL needs to do a better job staffing the library. I know they are people taken from other departments, but many times when someone is scheduled to be there, you find no one.

[iflyrc5]

Last fall on our 42 day Atlantic Adventure on the Maasdam the Librarian had a Master's degree in Library Science.

[Linda&Vern]

Until the recent change to one person for both positions I always ASSUMED that the library expert was a college student doing an internship - therefore a "qualified" person. I could be wrong, of course! (FYI - In the mid '90's my DS was lucky enough to serve two different semesters on the QE2 as his required college internship. He has literally been around the world, in style.)

[sail7seas]

Oosterdam has the new internet system and it is reported by people we know to be very slow..... still.

 

[casamariposa]

I recently retired from a large library system after 10 years. Librarians are now tech experts. As many people come into libraries to use the computer as they do to borrow books. It's the librarians they go to for help in navigating on computers. That's just the way it is. Libraries are now media centers.

[JennysUncle]

This is an interesting article posted on Law360 behind a paywall so only the snippit is visible:

 

Law360, Miami (September 03, 2013, 6:44 PM ET) -- Carnival Corp. on Thursday sued the satellite communications company that provides Internet and phone service for its vessels, alleging the company slowed down service after Carnival said it would not renew their contract.

 

In a complaint filed in Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, Carnival said Maritime Telecommunications Network Inc. capped bandwidth on cruise ships after the cruise giant decided to contract with Harris Corp. once the MTN contract expires.

[Djptcp]

I am a master's degreed librarian (have been for 40+ years) and currently director of a public library system. Public libraries have embraced new computer technology since the 1970's and have worked it into our libraries as online card catalogs, automated checkout and checkin systems, computers for the public with Internet access and MS Office access, and we assist the public daily with their Internet needs, including applying for jobs and benefits (unemplyment, Social Security, Medicare, affordable health care,etc), along with their traditional library needs. As happens often, IT staff are not housed in the libraries and we have had to become computer troubleshooters, as well as librarians. I would hope that the librarians on the HAL ships are just as IT savvy as their counterparts on dry land.

[RuthC]

I would hope that the librarians on the HAL ships are just as IT savvy as their counterparts on dry land.

 

If that's true, then I would also expect that the HAL librarians would be competent to help with computer questions and problems.

But are the HAL "librarians" trained in that field? Or are they the assigned person from the Cruise Director's (entertainment) staff, with no special training in either field?

Edited April 7, 2014 by RuthC

[durangoscots]

I remember someone's recent blog talking about the fact that the Librarians were now doubling as the tech managers. Also, when I have had trouble with computers on the ship and the techie is not there, often it was the Librarian who assisted me.

 

Susan