Get to Know Those in the Know (1st in a Series)

I call librarians Masters of the Know, because information is their commodity, "and they sure know how to use it," to borrow a lyric from Hoyt Axton.  It occurred to moi that you should get to know those in the know at my Library.

Let's begin with the MPL Circulation Department.  Here are two from our Team Circ crew:

• Queen Settler, and
• Fancy Nancy, whom I'll call the Hamburglar, for reasons that should momentarily become apparent.

Hamburglar (left) and Queen Settler (right)

breaking things in the MPL Staff Room

(?something about breaks?)

Queen Settler was born in Warsaw, Indiana, at about the same time that the MPL Carnegie Library completed its renovations under then-new director Bonita Marley.  Her family moved to Mooresville in 1972.  Her favorite library memory as a child was the day (probably in fourth or fifth grade) when she was visiting the MPL Carnegie Library and made a life-altering decision.  Queen Settler had gone downstairs to the Children's collections, as she routinely did, but she immediately returned to the first floor and the adult collections.  She had decided that children's books were "too baby" for her.  She was old enough for grown-up fare.  Queen Settler, then, had a maturity moment, or "coming of age" instant, on that library visit.

Speaking of favorites, Queen Settler's favorite color is red, and her favorite band is Van Halen.  She has worked at the Library for "something like four years; maybe five," she recollected.  Her favorite part of working here is customer service.  Queen Settler is all about patrons, especially kids, and she loves to welcome them to MPL.  Her customer service skills are textbook quality--she ought to be giving guest lectures to business school classes on the subject--and patrons love her.  That would have made Bonita Marley truly proud.  Mrs. Marley, too, was all about making the Library a warm, inviting institution.

What does Queen Settler geek?

Queen Settler Could Whup Your You-Know-What

Why do I call her Queen Settler?  Glad you asked.

Hamburglar (formerly known as Fancy Nancy) was born in Michigan but spent most of her formative years in Speedway, Indiana.  She has resided in Mooresville since 1987.  Her favorite color is burgundy, and her favorite musician is Jackson Browne.

Why do I call her the Hamburglar?

Fancy Nancy = Hamburglar:  'Nuff Said

Why does she geek hamburgers?  Her father was a big-cheese for the Burger Chef Corporation, which was headquartered in Indianapolis back in the 1960s and 1970s.  There's an entire book devoted to its history, and my Library has it in the Evergreen Indiana online catalog.

What was Hamburglar's favorite library memory when she was a youngster?  The Speedway Public Library constructed a new facility while she was in junior high (i.e., middle) school, and she remembers visiting there (and the Speedway High School library) to research school term papers.

Hamburglar started working at MPL in June 2009.  What does she like best about working at MPL?  Same as Queen Settler:  the patrons.  "I love the people who come to the library," Hamburglar explained.  "It is a pleasure to serve them."  We all feel that way, which is why this is such a great place to work.

Great Team Circ Staff--Yep, We've Got 'Em Here,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Staff News Beat

P.S.  Let's hear one of Hamburglar's favorite Jackson Browne tunes:  "That Girl Could Sing," from the album Hold Out (1980).

P.P.S.  "Jamie's Cryin'," from Van Halen's debut self-titled LP (1978), is one of Queen Settler's favorite Van Halen songs.  We already used "Eruption" for a blog posting last week.