Better be quiet in the Library

[Pies4u]

Hopefully somebody told the old witch that her loud and rude complaining was making more noise in the library (with the lead pipe) than the frigging book signing.

 

 

And then just proceeded to ignore her and resume enjoying their voyage on the greatest ocean liner afloat

 

Talk abouta grinch

 

There speaks the voice of balance & reason!

 

Point, missed - well & truly.

 

As for Whitemarsh's comment, there is no reason to assume that the OP was inferring that the complainant was off hand and/or rude - at all. She only stated that the lady suggested, albeit loudly, that the group talking and getting "excited" were being rude!

 

Indeed, a number of assumptions seem to have been incorrectly made, including the rather offensive one quoted above. Perhaps other people are equally entitled to enjoy the ship as well, particularly in the designated peaceful areas, not just the loud or gossiping ones?

[Whitemarsh]

There speaks the voice of balance & reason!

 

Point, missed - well & truly.

 

As for Whitemarsh's comment, there is no reason to assume that the OP was inferring that the complainant was off hand and/or rude - at all. She only stated that the lady suggested, albeit loudly, that the group talking and getting "excited" were being rude!

 

Indeed, a number of assumptions seem to have been incorrectly made, including the rather offensive one quoted above. Perhaps other people are equally entitled to enjoy the ship as well, particularly in the designated peaceful areas, not just the loud or gossiping ones?

 

Perhaps, although I do think its a stretch to say that the OP was "slagging" the 'shush' lady off.

[Pies4u]

To be fair, I wasn't referring to the OP, who made a perfectly reasonable point and posed a seemingly rhetorical question. Have you read some of the posts on this thread? No need to insult someone who isn't here to defend themselves, surely?

 

That was my point, together with expecting peace & quiet in a library is not an unreasonable aspiration.

[Cruachan]

I'd say that is a valid point. Why use the library for the event in the first place? Peope using a library have a reasonable expectation that it will be quiet!

 

There is likely to be some "disturbance" at a book signing, a lot more folks about etc - seems daft holding it there if itis open to those wishing to have a quiet read tbh. There are other suitable venues available.

 

I have some sympathy for the passenger requesting some peace & quiet, they would be out of order if it were in one of the lounges but not in the library for Gawd's sake! That's the whole point, surely?

 

Rather than slag off a passenger making a reasonable request, I would have thought some folks ought to be questioning the logic of organising a public event in an open library.

 

So, I wonder what exactly she was doing that required such intense concentration that she could not bear to have it compromised for more than a few seconds. Do you suppose she was developing some new cosmological unified field theory. Mayhap she was a mathematician on the verge of proving Polignac's conjecture. Or do you suppose she was just reading the latest sequel to 50 Shades of Grey?

 

The library belongs to the ship not to the users, and as such there is no reason whatsoever not tot hold a book signing in the library. My guess is that the book signing event had been clearly publicised in the daily programme so she should not have been unaware of it. If she wanted a quiet place to read her little book then she could have borrowed it from the library (that, after all is what libraries are for) and read it in her cabin.

 

J

[Norfolk Brit]

So, I wonder what exactly she was doing that required such intense concentration that she could not bear to have it compromised for more than a few seconds. Do you suppose she was developing some new cosmological unified field theory. Mayhap she was a mathematician on the verge of proving Polignac's conjecture. J

 

Mr Cruachan, let us not complicate matters unnecessarily. Experience of the library tells me that she was asleep, mouth wide open, noise similar to Empress of Blandings troughing a doughnut.

 

Sir Martin

[Cruachan]

Mr Cruachan, let us not complicate matters unnecessarily. Experience of the library tells me that she was asleep, mouth wide open, noise similar to Empress of Blandings troughing a doughnut.

 

Sir Martin

 

Sir M, you are very observant (for a dead cat)!

 

J

[bazzaw]

 

That was my point, together with expecting peace & quiet in a library is not an unreasonable aspiration.

 

It is not an unreasonable aspiration - but is probably an unreasonable demand!! Libraries have been in the past commonly thought of as "quiet places" - however they do sometime shave other uses. I have noticed that my local public library (a very good one in regard to its resources and equipment) is now often used for all kinds of small community "events".

 

I may be distracted, perhaps even annoyed by some loud event happening in the QM2 library, but I would not dare to make a fuss about it, much less demand anything. I would simply either put up with it -- or leave.

 

Barry

[Cruachan]

...Libraries have been in the past commonly thought of as "quiet places" - however they do sometime shave other uses. I have noticed that my local public library (a very good one in regard to its resources and equipment) is now often used for all kinds of small community "events"...

 

Most public libraries in UK, particularly the smaller ones, now resemble a cross between a children's playgroup, an internet cafe, and a coffee shop. Quietness is not on the agenda and books are hard to find!

 

J

[Pies4u]

Most public libraries in UK, particularly the smaller ones, now resemble a cross between a children's playgroup, an internet cafe, and a coffee shop. Quietness is not on the agenda and books are hard to find!

 

J

 

Really?

 

You've been in most public libraries in the UK? :)

 

The problem still remains with Cunard IMO, not the lady expecting quietness. It is intriguing to me that so many folks support people annoying others without any hesitation or consideration of the alternative viewpoint & without knowing the full facts and circumstances.

 

I'll leave it there because we are simply never going to agree on this.

[brigittetom]

 

I have some sympathy for the passenger requesting some peace & quiet, they would be out of order if it were in one of the lounges but not in the library for Gawd's sake! .

 

Am I the only one who notices that all of the beautiful lounges during the day are used primarily for reading and snoozing? I have been well trained by Cunarders to always talk to the bartenders in a very low voice so not to disturb the peace and quiet of the room......or be prepared to receive "THE LOOK". If it weren't for the Friends Of Dorothy meetings in the afternoon and a few tastings, the Commodore Club would remain a reading/dozing zone until pre dinner. My point is simply.....those who want a nice quiet room have plenty to choose from.

 

I find it rather odd to have one person feel that their rights are more important than those of a larger pre planned group but that's our world today. Possibly....the woman was simply reacting to noise and didn't realize that it was an actual function. :)

[lannp]

There are a lot of passengers who do not read the Daily Programme and have no clue what is happening. Perhaps you woke her up? I've given up trying to find a seat to peruse a book or magazine because they are full of napping passengers.

I guess this woman has never been in the Commodore Club when the CC members hold a Meet and Greet.:eek:

[glojo]

None of us were there and in life I have found that EVERY coin has two sides just like most stories have two versions. Clearly there was a book signing in the ship's library and the lady making the complaint should have been aware of that BUT....

 

Should the book signing have taken place in the library and why not in a shop or other venue where the author can shoot the breeze with his or her fans and likewise those fans can shoot the breeze with the author?

 

I am DEFINITELY not going to lambast this unknown lady that complained about excessive noise as I personally was not there. yes I have read the complaint and yes I can see both sides but I personally blame those that decided the library was the ideal location to hold this meet and greet because that is what it was.

 

If folks want me to believe everyone was speaking in a quiet, polite, manner showing due regard to the area they were in, then that is their right but if I were speaking to the author of any of my books I would love to ask them a whole host of questions and I am guessing whispering to each other would be probably soon die a death... (My son and daughter think I am a deaf old coot)

 

Respect to everyone and treat others how you would like to be treated, manners maketh man

[Thaxted]

Since this has turned into quite a little tempest in a teapot, I'll try to stir as gently as possible. Andiamo is the only one who was there, so what do the rest of us know?

 

1. There was a book signing in the library. Because the library is joined to the bookstore, and bookstores are where book signings are usually held, this seems to have been an entirely reasonable thing to do.

 

2. A woman in the library was annoyed by the noise and complained rather sharply about it.

 

3. Why was she so irritated? Some of us jumped to the conclusion that she must be a nasty witch. But apart from this little incident, we know nothing about her.

 

4. Some of us, who still regard libraries as temples of silence, jumped to the conclusion that the OP and those who sympathize with him are obtuse boors.

 

5. Our friend mallorcasaint, impatient with the time we've devoted to this story, jumped to the conclusion that we're a bunch of whingers and decided to jump ship altogether!

 

Now could it be that an otherwise nice passenger, for reasons we don't know, worked herself into a snit? Could it also be that Andiamo had good reason to recount his unpleasant encounter with her? If the answer to these questions is yes, might it then also be true that the lesson to be learned is that a little mutual forbearance goes a long way? It seems to me that one of the joys of sailing on Cunard and of sailing through these boards is that just about everyone learned that lesson long ago. We make a splendid group and I, for one, am delighted to be a part of this gracious company.

[bazzaw]

I have been well trained by Cunarders to always talk to the bartenders in a very low voice so not to disturb the peace and quiet of the room......or be prepared to receive "THE LOOK".

 

Ah yes-- "THE LOOK" .

 

Quite commonly found in the QV and QE Commodore Club during the daylight hours of a quiet sea day.

 

 

 

Barry

[Austcruiser84]

On the recent QM2 Christmas voyage Bill Miller was holding a book signing in the Library. He had just gotten underway and I was next after two gentlemen who were very excited, having just purchased the last book in stock, title of which I have forgotten.

 

As soon as the chatting commenced a woman popped out from around the bend and made it quite clear we were all rude and that there should be no talking in the Library. Not only was this event publicized, but the location is exactly where Commodore Bernard Warner has held his book signings. Do you suppose she would have shooshed (sp?) the Commodore?

 

I'm still scratching my head.

 

Jeanne

 

I'm surprised you didn't mention the guy who showed up to the CC meet looking for "free" stuff.

 

Now that's one for the books!

[eatsallinsects]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the guy who showed up to the CC meet looking for "free" stuff.

 

Now that's one for the books!

*************************************

I missed this thread. Can you give us a link, please?

[Andiamo]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the guy who showed up to the CC meet looking for "free" stuff.

 

Now that's one for the books!

 

That was funny Ben. Just another amusing story we go away with.

 

BTW, I wrote you back on the Roll Call today and it went to Never, Never Land. Will try again tomorrow.

 

Jeanne

[stowaway2k]

So, I wonder what exactly she was doing that required such intense concentration that she could not bear to have it compromised for more than a few seconds. Do you suppose she was developing some new cosmological unified field theory. Mayhap she was a mathematician on the verge of proving Polignac's conjecture. Or do you suppose she was just reading the latest sequel to 50 Shades of Grey?

J

 

Exactly... QM2 is a holiday destination. The library, though with books on shelves and a librarian, isn't exactly the reading room at the Library of Congress. I'm sure those attending the book signing weren't behaving as a bunch of college kids on spring-break, nor is the QM2 library a place of somber, serious academic study.

Sure, go ahead and complete your masters thesis or use it as a floating Oxford University, just remember that everyone there is there on holiday, and that the quietest place aboard is your cabin.

 

I took the op as an amusing anecdote. If it's not of interest, don't feel forced to sit there reading every word of every post. Do you throw the TV out the window because you came across a program you don't care for? Or do you move on to another channel?

 

The real tempest-in-a-teapot threads were those classic QE2 laundrette threads! :eek:

ahhh... good times... ;)

[Thaxted]

Exactly... QM2 is a holiday destination. The library, though with books on shelves and a librarian, isn't exactly the reading room at the Library of Congress. I'm sure those attending the book signing weren't behaving as a bunch of college kids on spring-break, nor is the QM2 library a place of somber, serious academic study.

Sure, go ahead and complete your masters thesis or use it as a floating Oxford University, just remember that everyone there is there on holiday, and that the quietest place aboard is your cabin.

 

I took the op as an amusing anecdote. If it's not of interest, don't feel forced to sit there reading every word of every post. Do you throw the TV out the window because you came across a program you don't care for? Or do you move on to another channel?

 

The real tempest-in-a-teapot threads were those classic QE2 laundrette threads! :eek:

 

ahhh... good times... ;)

 

Stowaway,

 

I didn't know that such threads existed. My interest piqued, I rummaged through the archives and, lo and behold, discovered two launderette stories that you yourself had contributed. They were so funny that I hope you won't mind that I've copied them here so that other newcomers can enjoy them. Those must have been the days indeed!

 

"Once, when I was in that dangerous place, there was a woman who had trouble operating the dryer.

A man, meaning to be helpful, stepped up and showed her what to do.

She screamed at him "I'm not stupid! I'm not American!"

And this was our first day out on a crossing.

 

Last year, during QE2's world cruise, I was reading a passenger's blog about the cruise.

Another woman had a dress taken from the laundry.

A few days later, she saw a woman wearing her dress. She approached the woman and explained that a mistake must have been made in the laundry, as it was her dress that this woman was wearing.

Woman no. 2 flipped out and denied it, security was called, woman no. 1 was somehow able to prove ownership, and woman no. 2 was put ashore at the next port.

 

Enter at your own risk."

[Cruachan]

Really?

 

You've been in most public libraries in the UK? :)

 

Oh, indulge me a little please. I was merely using a smidgin of hyperbole for rhetorical effect.

 

:D:D:D

 

J

[Cruachan]

...The real tempest-in-a-teapot threads were those classic QE2 laundrette threads! :eek:

ahhh... good times... ;)

 

Oh yes! What a laundrette that was - the present ones just can't compete. Too small for a good ole stand up, knock down, drag out bar room brawl and too many of them, so their utility for keeping up with the latest scuttlebutt is disseminated and diluted.

 

J

[Cruachan]

...Now could it be that an otherwise nice passenger, for reasons we don't know, worked herself into a snit? ...

 

Good point - but, personally, I'd go with the "nasty witch" theory! :D:D:D

 

Maybe, Sir M, that penetrating observer of the peccadilloes and foibles of human nature at its best and worst, would care to give us the benefit of his infinite wisdom on this point.

 

J

[warringtonian]

For gawdsake it was a BOOK signing blimey

 

In the LIBRARY which also doubles as a BOOKSTORE.

 

And my bet is the LOUD complaining about it made MORE NOISE than the event.

 

You've hit the nail on the head - the library is also a bookstore. Most of the background noise there comes from the transactions taking place at the book counter, even if everyone else is silent.

[glojo]

You've hit the nail on the head - the library is also a bookstore. Most of the background noise there comes from the transactions taking place at the book counter, even if everyone else is silent.

If books are sold in the ship's library then is it a library or is it a book store with a reading area?

 

Is a library a place we go to read and research. If we are researching we might need to concentrate and dissect whatever we are reading to the ninth degree?

 

I have no idea what folks are doing in the library and will not second guess them but ever since libraries were created there have usually been two golden rules.

 

No talking

No consuming food

 

I would suggest a 'book store' is really a book 'shop' and that is the place we hold book signings. It gives the author the oppurtunity to not just sell their latest creation, but all the other books they have wrote will usually be very convienantly close to hand??

Live and let live but respect the rights of others..

 

Should we now allow smoking in the library?

 

Or is it okay to ban smoking because that is the popular thing to do? (I am a non smoker and would NOT want smoking to take place)

[Cruachan]

You've hit the nail on the head - the library is also a bookstore. Most of the background noise there comes from the transactions taking place at the book counter, even if everyone else is silent.

 

So maybe that's one area where the Vista Sistas are ahead of QM2. On QV and QE the library and the bookshop are on opposite sides of the ship. Mind you, you couldn't swing a cat in the bookshop (sorry Sir M) never mind hold a book signing in there.

 

J