Librarianship Lives On!
31 July 2015 | Erie Pensylvania
Pamela/high winds, storm threating
When we arrive at a new port. I am eager to get off the boat and explore our new home. Sure, I have read the Dozier’s Waterway Guide to the Great Lakes describing our destination a bigiliion times, willing it to reveal a town’s charms, but alas, I just have to see it for myself. This works out great because the first thing you have to do when you arrive in port is to check in at the marina office or gas dock.
The office/gas dock is where you can learn a lot about your new home. Flyers in the window, posters on the wall, and if you are very lucky, a cheap map with bubbly cartoon characters indicating local attractions, is laying on the counter. An observant look around at all the artifacts can give you great ideas about stuff to do in town from farmers’ markets to live music and free beer. (ok, well we haven’t had free beer…yet!)
I usually take two bags to carry with me since I never really know what I’ll find in town. Could be a terrific micro brew in hard to find cans, self-lighting charcoal or homegrown tomatoes. I also carry, a headlamp, pocket knife, cell phone, a sharpie and a book. Anything can happen when you go ashore.
But a really funny thing happens every time I walk into town. Any town. Within ten minutes someone will stop and ask me for directions. Remember, many of the places we go have a lot of tourists. Why they pick me to ask, I have no idea. Sometimes two or three people will stop me before I get to the grocery store. Most people would politely smile and admit they aren’t from around here
Not me. I do admit I’m not from around here, but I am certainly willing to look up the directions on my phone. When I look in their eyes, I see a look of desperation. Sometimes it’s a family looking for a place to eat and everyone in the car looks at me like, “you are our last hope.” Sometimes it’s someone coming to visit their friend at a boat. They have an address and they know the name is “Bay Something.” All of the marinas are called “Bay Something.” How could I NOT help!
If I have a little map, I circle their destination with my sharpie and give it to them to keep. If its directions from my iPhone I ask if they know how to use a phone like this, if they do, I give it to them to look at. If they don’t know how to use it, I hold the phone and give them turn by turn directions to write down with the sharpie on the back of my receipt from the farms market. And the cost to them? They have to make small talk with me about who is reading what, and what is good. Takes about 5 minutes. Ten if someone really wants to talk about books.
I really miss my work in the library and every day I think my students and their teachers. Most of all, I miss being able to help people. Lucky for me, even strangers in a strange town can pick me out of a crowd as someone who wants to help and has some skills. Knowledge is free, just bring your own container.