Libraries onboard

[Jadn13]

2 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

The Sky has a few shelves in the Internet Cafe area.  It’s donation only but right now there are at least 30 books. 

There is also a scheduled book exchange in the patter

Dropped off a magazine in the Library area on the Sky this morning and there are about 100 book's. Not awful for a ship w/o a library 

[LibrarianMonroe]

19 minutes ago, Teechur said:

I agree. I have always enjoyed reading but it's tough getting the younger generation to read anything. They are always on their phones watching Tik Toks and other short-attention-span "crack".

I'm a librarian, and I figure I'll just post this here in response.

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/gen-z-and-millennials-visit-libraries-at-higher-rates-than-older-generations-199820869874

[mtnesterz]

9 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

We were on Grand Princess and there is no "season" for Noro Virus. It is a "***** to mouth" disease. It is spread by people who don't practice good hygiene.

I wasn't going to post on your first comment on this, but this is not wholly correct.

There is a season of sorts for Noro. It peaks in cold weather as people congregate indoors. In Australia, it's summer, but on a cruise ship, people are always in closer proximity than usual by design.

Good hygiene is what we can all do, true, but Noro can also be brought onboard by contaminated bivalves. Clams, mussles, eating raw oysters especially.

[Teechur]

1 hour ago, LibrarianMonroe said:

I'm a librarian, and I figure I'll just post this here in response.

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/gen-z-and-millennials-visit-libraries-at-higher-rates-than-older-generations-199820869874

I watched this video and hope it's true. OTH, I am in my 42nd year as a high school teacher and virtually NEVER see a kid reading for pleasure. They are virtually all on phones.

 

I have noticed that the ever-increasing homeless population uses the libraries for internet. 🤔

[daydreamer16]

On the Coral during a Panama canal cruise in 2018 there was a book discussion & they gave out about 20-25 copies of a book & picked a day to meet & discuss the book. It was a great idea & was well attended! 

[Honolulu Blue]

24 minutes ago, Teechur said:

I am in my 42nd year as a high school teacher and virtually NEVER see a kid reading for pleasure. They are virtually all on phones.

 

I have noticed that the ever-increasing homeless population uses the libraries for internet. 🤔

It is possible to read for pleasure on a phone.  I do it sometimes (though I prefer my tablet).  BTW, I'm not a kid - despite the way that I act and talk sometimes. 🙃

 

As for the homeless on the Internet, that's been a trend for a long time around here at least.  The library nearest me was one of the first places with public Internet terminals for free.

[Russell in MD]

My cruise wouldnt be complete if I didnt spend some time on the balcony with a bucket of beer and a book on a sea day.

 

I like books.  No electricity needed.  I spend way too many hours a week looking at a monitor. In my neck of the woods we have Ollies Outlet stores and they have a huge selection of hardback and paperback books cheap, like $6 for a hardback.  They are the ones that were front of the shelf at the usual bookstores and they needed to move them to make room.  Most everyone has a sharpy mark from culling.  I may snag one or two for later donation on the next cruise.

 

I take and cut off the corner of an envelope and that makes an awesome bookmark.  A little sharpy action on the edge to give it some color if white.

 

I really need to find time to read more.

 

R

[stoneharborlady]

18 hours ago, Outerdog said:

 

Nah, false.

 

 

False?  Looking at the photo provided it does not look like an abundance of books on the shelves.  

[Thrak]

7 hours ago, Teechur said:

I agree. I have always enjoyed reading but it's tough getting the younger generation to read anything. They are always on their phones watching Tik Toks and other short-attention-span "crack". I have read most of the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box, and all of the books by Daniel Silva, as well as many others.

Yesterday, six of us booked an Alaska cruise for September. Can't wait! 🙃

 

My wife enjoys C. J. Box but his protagonist annoys me. Like you, I've read the Gabriel Allon series and about a bazillion other books. I would be very hard pressed to come up with a list of books I've read as there are so very many stretching back to when I was very young. Of course there are some I've read more than once and a few I've read three times. I have discovered though that, once in a while, if I re-read a book I liked 30 or 40 years ago I find that I don't feel the same way about it anymore. Attitudes change and (some) people grow up.

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, stoneharborlady said:

False?  Looking at the photo provided it does not look like an abundance of books on the shelves.  

 

I agree although we were surprised by the number of books on Grand Princess. (Not a vast amount but more than we expected post Covid.) I also agree about reading for pleasure on a phone or tablet. These days I read almost exclusively on one or the other. I prefer my tablet but I use the phone onboard unless I'm in my cabin. I can adjust the screen to suit how my eyes are working at the moment - they don't always behave the same way - and I don't need an independent light source. I also don't have to hold a heavy book in my hands that don't work so swell anymore and sometimes give me pain. Yes, there is something special about a "real" book but I currently have over 40 books on my tablet (and also on my phone) and I can carry that number with a great deal of ease. When I was young we used to take the toy wagon to the library because we hauled so many books back and forth. These days I don't have to haul around a lot of extra weight. (We do still support the local Friends of the Library with donations, etc. If I ever win the lottery that will be a place I donate a good sum of money for their use.)

[Teechur]

3 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

My wife enjoys C. J. Box but his protagonist annoys me. Like you, I've read the Gabriel Allon series and about a bazillion other books. I would be very hard pressed to come up with a list of books I've read as there are so very many stretching back to when I was very young. Of course there are some I've read more than once and a few I've read three times. I have discovered though that, once in a while, if I re-read a book I liked 30 or 40 years ago I find that I don't feel the same way about it anymore. Attitudes change and (some) people grow up.

As I get older, I find that I can reread a book from 20-40 years ago, and almost like reading a new book. Sometimes I only recognize a few thi9ngs as I re-read. 🤪

 

With C.J. Box, the characters can be a bit too transparent. The "bad" people like Joe's MIL are excessively evil, as are some of the law enforcement people with whom he has to work.

[stoneharborlady]

27 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

I agree although we were surprised by the number of books on Grand Princess. (Not a vast amount but more than we expected post Covid.) I also agree about reading for pleasure on a phone or tablet. These days I read almost exclusively on one or the other. I prefer my tablet but I use the phone onboard unless I'm in my cabin. I can adjust the screen to suit how my eyes are working at the moment - they don't always behave the same way - and I don't need an independent light source. I also don't have to hold a heavy book in my hands that don't work so swell anymore and sometimes give me pain. Yes, there is something special about a "real" book but I currently have over 40 books on my tablet (and also on my phone) and I can carry that number with a great deal of ease. When I was young we used to take the toy wagon to the library because we hauled so many books back and forth. These days I don't have to haul around a lot of extra weight. (We do still support the local Friends of the Library with donations, etc. If I ever win the lottery that will be a place I donate a good sum of money for their use.)

I must agree with you.  I was so against buying a Kindle, always wanted a real book.  Then arthritis got so bad in my hands it was impossible to read for more than half an hour.  I guess I am like many others who have "seen the light".  I adore my Kindle, have nearly 100 books so far.  I love that I can have a book that I want within a few minutes.  I havent bought a real book in ages, and have been thinking of dragging the ones I do have to half price books.  I doubt I will ever give up the Kindle now.

[PurpleHays]

20 hours ago, mevs904 said:

We will be on the CB in March and would be delighted to find out that there is still a real library there.  Although we have sailed on Royal class ships for attractive itineraries our preference is for ships with a full promenade deck as well as libraries.

I think CB is Caribbean. If so, the library is still there, but not well stocked. There were some games and a few books, but not much else the first week of December.

[BamaVol]

28 minutes ago, PurpleHays said:

I think CB is Caribbean. If so, the library is still there, but not well stocked. There were some games and a few books, but not much else the first week of December.

That’s what I saw on CB in March - multiple copies of several games but few books.

 

Just to add to the chatter, I have used the kindle app on my iPad for over 10 years.  I still buy a book or two in paperback, but don’t lug them around with me when traveling.

 

if you spotted me in the waiting room at Pep Boys this morning looking at my phone, I was not playing games or surfing, I was reading Kurt V’s Breakfast of Champions for the umpteenth time.

[AZjohn]

2 hours ago, Teechur said:

As I get older, I find that I can reread a book from 20-40 years ago, and almost like reading a new book. Sometimes I only recognize a few thi9ngs as I re-read. 🤪

lol…. That has been me exactly recently. I’m finding rereading books I downloaded 10 years ago is like reading a book I never read before.

 

Kind of scary to be honest but, at lease it’s saving me some money🤪.

 

Cheers

[Teechur]

9 minutes ago, AZjohn said:

lol…. That has been me exactly recently. I’m finding rereading books I downloaded 10 years ago is like reading a book I never read before.

 

Kind of scary to be honest but, at lease it’s saving me some money🤪.

 

Cheers

LOL! That reminds me of a joke about a group of women who met up every 10 years for dinner. For the first few decades they chose the same restaurant for it's good drinks, then hot waiters, then good food, then senior specials. Finally at age 80, they chose it again because "none of them had ever been there before". 🤣

[sable1]

A question for those more tech knowledgeable than me.

Do you have to be connected to the internet to read books on a Kindle?

I was very disappointed to not see a Library on the Sun. Maybe I should get a Kindle.  Not sure it would work onboard without Internet service.

Appreciate all information.  Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleHays]

7 minutes ago, sable1 said:

A question for those more tech knowledgeable than me.

Do you have to be connected to the internet to read books on a Kindle?

I was very disappointed to not see a Library on the Sun. Maybe I should get a Kindle.  Not sure it would work onboard without Internet service.

Appreciate all information.  Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

I have a Samsung tablet with the Barnes and Noble app. I do not have to be connected to the internet to read anything I've downloaded as long as I make sure it's actually downloaded before I turn the wifi off.

[ldubs]

34 minutes ago, sable1 said:

A question for those more tech knowledgeable than me.

Do you have to be connected to the internet to read books on a Kindle?

I was very disappointed to not see a Library on the Sun. Maybe I should get a Kindle.  Not sure it would work onboard without Internet service.

Appreciate all information.  Thanks

 

 

 

To add to what @PurpleHays says, there is no need to be connected to read books on the Kindle.  The only time you need wifi is if you want to download a book. I load it up prior to leaving home.   Put it on airplane mode and read away!   Exactly the same as carrying around several hardcopy books.  

 

To further clarify, when you purchase an ebook it goes to your Kindle library.   It does not reside on the Kindle until you download it to your kindle device from your library.  I'm pretty sure you would need wifi to do that (there may be other ways to download to the device, but that is beyond my understanding). So for example, I might have 1,000 books in my Kindle library.  I might have 10 books download to my Kindle for the cruise.  I can read those 10 books without any connection.   

 

One further note.  it is very unlikely you would ever want to download more books than the device would hold.  I think we are talking thousands, but others might know better than me.   

Edited December 21, 2023 by ldubs

[Steelers36]

On 12/19/2023 at 10:13 PM, sunsetme said:

it was about touching stuff

Covid doesn't generally/mostly transmit via objects - that would be Noro that transmits via hand contact and from there to an oriface.

[AZjohn]

1 hour ago, sable1 said:

A question for those more tech knowledgeable than me.

Do you have to be connected to the internet to read books on a Kindle?

I was very disappointed to not see a Library on the Sun. Maybe I should get a Kindle.  Not sure it would work onboard without Internet service.

Appreciate all information.  Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

@ldubs did a great job answering your question.

 

I will add that once you go to a kindle (or tablet, iPad, etc.), after reading one ebook you will likely never go back to reading a paperback or hardback book again😊.

 

Cheers

[KKB]

On 12/19/2023 at 5:30 PM, sunsetme said:

Libraries onboard are diminished since Covid, what are you reading??

Actually, Princess libraries are some of the best at sea.

NCL's are pretty good too.

Celebrity Eclass dumped them. 

 

Since you NEVER know what will be in the library, I load my iPad with books.

Some purchased, some on Libby app (our local library uses this).

 

I subscribe to a daily newsletter called BookBub.

I mark my genre interests & they send me a daily email of free or discounted books.

I will snag a lot of the free ones if they even remotely interest me.

No guilt deleting if I find I don't like it.

 

But I usually still bring a paperback or 2 to read at the pool/beach--that iPad is not a fan of the hot sun.

 

 

[KKB]

23 hours ago, LibrarianMonroe said:

I'm a librarian, and I figure I'll just post this here in response.

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/gen-z-and-millennials-visit-libraries-at-higher-rates-than-older-generations-199820869874

Elementary Librarian here--retired last year (I'm 57).

There was a lot of push to use our funds for ebooks about 15-20 years ago.

So annually I did a survey.

Kids who are readers want BOOKS.

Kids who don't read THINK they want ebooks--but I later realized they just like to check them out, and rarely read them.

 

21 hours ago, Teechur said:

I watched this video and hope it's true. OTH, I am in my 42nd year as a high school teacher and virtually NEVER see a kid reading for pleasure. They are virtually all on phones.

 

I have noticed that the ever-increasing homeless population uses the libraries for internet. 🤔

Curious--what do you teach?

 

I think few high schoolers do read books much. (tho conceivably some of those kiddos COULD be reading a book...on their phone...)

I have been a voracious reader my whole life but read less in HS/college than any other time in my life-just too busy (and that was pre-iPhone days). DH (also school librarian) says the same thing.

 

Our 25YO DD is also a voracious reader (who wants physical books--tho she recognizes the value of her Kindle while traveling). She says she read fewer books in HS than at any other time in her life. Due to the plethora of activities she was in.

 

Even on vacation, I am more likely to be fussing on my phone unless I know I am going to have an uninterrupted decent stretch of time. So IN the airport--probably on my phone (also due to the fact I would have internet access at that time). ON the plane--most likely reading a books, tho probably on my iPad. I could certainly see people making the assumption that people don't read cuz they are on their phone (many people DO read books on their phone)

 

It's interesting that studies have shown we read differently on a device.

I agree when I am reading news articles & such. Much more scanning.

But when I read a book on my iPad it is no different than when I read a physical book.

So perhaps it isn't the device that is the difference, but the content.

 

And how great we have public libraries for internet access for those who many not have the means to afford it. 

Our libraries are busy places. Glad I live in a place that values them & funds them well.

Edited December 21, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

13 hours ago, sable1 said:

A question for those more tech knowledgeable than me.

Do you have to be connected to the internet to read books on a Kindle?

I was very disappointed to not see a Library on the Sun. Maybe I should get a Kindle.  Not sure it would work onboard without Internet service.

Appreciate all information.  Thanks

 

As long as you actually download a book (on any device: phone, tablet, laptop), you can read it offline.

Same with streaming. 

I love my iPad mini & it's primary use is to download books & movies for travel. 

[KKB]

11 hours ago, AZjohn said:

@ldubs did a great job answering your question.

 

I will add that once you go to a kindle (or tablet, iPad, etc.), after reading one ebook you will likely never go back to reading a paperback or hardback book again😊.

 

Cheers

I entirely disagree, as does our 25YO DD, both voracious readers.

We still MUCH prefer a physical book & when at home that is what we read.

Only read on my iPad when I travel (only at home to finish a book I might not have finished while traveling).