Update on Koningsdam Library

[cruisemom42]

Not if your DH -- mine -- has Parkinson's, had a heart attack and a stroke -- takes many medications which make him fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

The Nook or Kindle would drop to the floor and be broken. He has dropped many books.

Library is good for him. Books can be replaced more easily than a Nook or a Kindle.

 

With a protective case (many available), it's very unlikely that a Kindle would break just from being dropped on the floor from lap or bed height. I've dropped mine several times. :o

[pumpkinpatch4]

I agree, my paperwhite kindle is very hardy, hasn't broken despite being dropped (and no protective case). The screen is quite different from a smartphone or tablet. Check them out, you can use a kindle safely and rather economically. I've read over 100 books on my kindle the last couple of years and only purchased one. The rest were all FREE library loans.

 

I'm boarding the Koningsdam tomorrow and will update if the library appears bigger.

Edited January 15, 2017 by pumpkinpatch4

[albingirl]

well, I think a fully loaded kindle is the way to travel. I can't trust that any library will have what I want to read anyway. And a small selection of travel books or whatever else is barely worth mentioning when I want to read a real novel. I can't imagine being on a long cruise with bare offerings of books.

[colonialinnkeeper]

Kindle reading is not for everyone for many reasons.

[Lady Arwen]

Kindle reading is not for everyone for many reasons.

 

Thank you for saying this....agree 100%.

[Frank5]

The Captain of the Koningsdam said during a Q & A on a pre-Christmas cruise that the traditional library will be replaced with an electronic library with the introduction of their next ship and that the Koningsdam will be retrofitted with this feature because all of the electronics are already in place.

[Tampa Girl]

The Captain of the Koningsdam said during a Q & A on a pre-Christmas cruise that the traditional library will be replaced with an electronic library with the introduction of their next ship and that the Koningsdam will be retrofitted with this feature because all of the electronics are already in place.

 

I am so sorry to hear this. This is making HAL, for me at least, less and less attractive I don't think Ashford fully comprehends what a library is all about, and Kindles don't meet that need for me, my ebook not withstanding.

[Tampa Girl]

well, I think a fully loaded kindle is the way to travel. I can't trust that any library will have what I want to read anyway. And a small selection of travel books or whatever else is barely worth mentioning when I want to read a real novel. I can't imagine being on a long cruise with bare offerings of books.

 

We have been on 28-day cruises with a good library. It was not a case of "bare offerings" of books. It was a case of being able to explore different authors and different titles without having to first buy the book and download it to an e-book. This is what a library is all about - exploration.

[kazu]

The Captain of the Koningsdam said during a Q & A on a pre-Christmas cruise that the traditional library will be replaced with an electronic library with the introduction of their next ship and that the Koningsdam will be retrofitted with this feature because all of the electronics are already in place.

 

Really? Hopefully the internet to download will be free and they will have the speed necessary to do so.

 

The library better be prepared to lend out Kindles too ;). Not everyone has one and it should not be a requirement to go buy one to sail HAL :(

[RuthC]

The library better be prepared to lend out Kindles too ;). Not everyone has one and it should not be a requirement to go buy one to sail HAL :(

That's it! That's it exactly!

 

Even if they have one, not everyone would want to add it to the rest of the packing. One can only carry so much.

[Lady Arwen]

I am so sorry to hear this. This is making HAL, for me at least, less and less attractive I don't think Ashford fully comprehends what a library is all about, and Kindles don't meet that need for me, my ebook not withstanding.

 

You took the words out of my mouth, Tampa Girl! I'm happy that someone else gets it. Kindles are fine, but they are not books and an e-library is not a real library.

[cbr663]

The Captain of the Koningsdam said during a Q & A on a pre-Christmas cruise that the traditional library will be replaced with an electronic library with the introduction of their next ship and that the Koningsdam will be retrofitted with this feature because all of the electronics are already in place.

 

Very interesting. Thanks for the update. So it seems that HAL has plans to offer more and more on its ships' intranet.

[dockman]

thanks for the guest relations contact info...

 

takes a few seconds to express your opinion...IF IF IF they get thousands of emails expressing displeasure with the elimination of traditional libraries they MIGHT actually listen.......or not.

[bennybear]

You took the words out of my mouth, Tampa Girl! I'm happy that someone else gets it. Kindles are fine, but they are not books and an e-library is not a real library.

 

Me too, like my kindle but give me a real book that I haven't discovered and I am very happy. So enjoyed reading the miniaturist on the Queen Victoria which has a great library. So many kindred spirits! Hope HAL reconsiders.

[Frank5]

The Koningsdam Captain said in this Q & A that HAL's new ship networks would become increasingly sophisticated with new apps added over time - not just an electronic library. I liked it very much. It was easy to access with my IPad to obtain a variety of different cruise information including daily charges to my account as well as making and canceling dining reservations. This is the wave of the future and I think HAL is wise to make this type of investment in its new ships. Times are changing...

[Hlitner]

We remember when cars replaced horses (a bit of an exaggeration) and many whined about not being able to find a place to tie-up their horses. When airplanes replaced Ocean Liners...many complained about flying. And now, many libraries (especially on cruise ships) are going the way of horses :(. It is just the way it is. Libraries are difficult to maintain on cruise ships...and expensive. Kindles (and their many competitors) are replacing (in many places) real books. We used to take at least 20 pounds of books on long cruises and supplement them with more books from the library. Now we carry our very lightweight Kindles which we generally keep loaded with over 100 books (a Kindle can hold several thousand books). For those that want to resist this trend...they are going to just have to deal with current reality.

 

Hank

Edited January 15, 2017 by Hlitner

[wonderwunderer]

First reports were that the library was not well stocked with materials. Could recent cruisers report on the library as it is now? Thanks. Lauri

 

two shelves with magizines do not make a library bring you own I just got off of it the rest of ship is most excellent and up to par or beyond so have a great time without their books

[2ptu/000]

Not if your DH -- mine -- has Parkinson's, had a heart attack and a stroke -- takes many medications which make him fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

 

The Nook or Kindle would drop to the floor and be broken. He has dropped many books.

 

Library is good for him. Books can be replaced more easily than a Nook or a Kindle.

 

My husband would fall asleep reading his Kindle. It was in a case that opened like a book. I tied a ribbon around the "spine" of the Kindle and made a loop on the other end that could go around his head. You could use a piece of string around the Kindle and a lanyard too. Just hook the lanyard on whatever you tie on the Kindle.

 

A Kindle is wonderful to read on. You can make the words as large as you wish to accommodate you vision. It also holds you place. You can travel with as many books as you wish. A nice case even gives you the feel of a book. If you have physical problems, it is very easy to turn the page.

[cruisemom42]

As a 'centrist' (I like both Kindles and books), I think some of the rhetoric is a little heated -- reminds me of the old smoking threads in terms of hyperbole. ;) And that reminds me, HAL "moving into the 21st century" as regards smoking areas means HAL is likely moving into the 21st century in other areas too. Some changes we will like and others not so much. That's the nature of change.

 

A Kindle takes up virtually no room if one wants to travel with one. I almost never go anywhere without slipping mine into my purse in case I get stuck somewhere and have a few minutes to read. It is smaller than your average magazine and thinner than most books.

 

And as to the poster who said an e-Library is not a library, I beg to differ. As the manager of our scientific library resources at work, I can tell you that over the past 10 years we have moved from being a primarily physical library to a primarily electronic one. Virtually any new resource we purchase, we get electronically. We're not getting rid of our physical copies necessarily (but sometimes we do if we have it also electronically). And I know from attending professional meetings that what we are doing is the norm (if not even somewhat behind the curve....)

Edited January 15, 2017 by cruisemom42

[Tampa Girl]

 

And as to the poster who said an e-Library is not a library, I beg to differ. As the manager of our scientific library resources at work, I can tell you that over the past 10 years we have moved from being a primarily physical library to a primarily electronic one. Virtually any new resource we purchase, we get electronically. We're not getting rid of our physical copies necessarily (but sometimes we do if we have it also electronically). And I know from attending professional meetings that what we are doing is the norm (if not even somewhat behind the curve....)

 

While I said that, for me, a digital library is not the same as a traditional library, the feeling that a digital library does not provide me with the same pleasure and comfort pertains only to me. I am certainly not arguing that a digital library is not a library.

 

Secondly, yes, I agree that libraries are become more digitalized. As an attorney, whose livelihood depends on research, our digitalized law library is a Godsend! It is wonderful and it means that I can work 24-7 from anywhere. However, using a professional research library is entirely different from using a library for entertainment purposes.

 

While, as one person has commented, digital is now the reality, it does not mean that digital is or should be the only reality. As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. According to one of the officers aboard the recent Oosterdam TA, there is some indication that HAL has heard this squeaky wheel and had ordered new books. So . . . we shall see.

 

I also agree that e-books are wonderful, and, I, too, take mine almost everywhere. Unfortunately, for me, it does not replace HAL's former libraries. It is good that some people are content with only their Kindles for reading, but please do not try to convince others that we should be similarly satisfied. To those of us who are not, the efforts to retain or bring back the libraries is worth the effort Each to his/her own.

[albingirl]

Really? Hopefully the internet to download will be free and they will have the speed necessary to do so.

 

The library better be prepared to lend out Kindles too ;). Not everyone has one and it should not be a requirement to go buy one to sail HAL :(

 

Yes, agree. My public library lends out ipads for all. For free. It works well with some people.

[cruisemom42]

I thought of this thread this morning when I was watching a Rick Steves episode on Prague. He visits a monastery library there, and he prefaces his description of it by saying, "Libraries were the Google of their day." :eek:

[Karen604]

Just a note that OTTO a Colorado company makes great cases that will save your electronics. Take it from Miss Butterfingers!

[sammiedawg]

Who wants to use a borrowed Kindle handled previously by others, just think of the germs.

Kindles are cheap as are the books to be downloaded. Many titles are free or almost free.

If I’m on a cruise line with a library I still take the Kindle and browse the library for quick reads.

Carry a Kindle, carry a book or look elsewhere for your getaways.

[Sea42]

Who wants to use a borrowed Kindle handled previously by others, just think of the germs.

Kindles are cheap as are the books to be downloaded. Many titles are free or almost free.

If I’m on a cruise line with a library I still take the Kindle and browse the library for quick reads.

Carry a Kindle, carry a book or look elsewhere for your getaways.

Haven't the books in a ship's library been handled previously by others and have just as many germs?

 

On our last cruise the ship's library was closed due to norovirus. I wouldn't want to depend on the ship providing for my reading needs.