Get to Know ... Biker Babe & Scowl-Face (G.T.K. MPL Staff Series)

MPL Staffers Biker Babe and Scowl-Face answered our questionnaire awhile back, so let's get to know them better.

Why I call her Biker Babe

Minions, cue the Steppenwolf.

"Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf (1968), used in the

soundtrack to the movie Easy Rider (1969).

Actually, "Born to be Wild" is not about bikers per se; rather, it is about hot rods (automobiles, for anyone under age 20) street-racing.  After Easy Rider, however, the song became synonymous with motorcycling.

Want to hear a cool biker ballad from Easy Rider?  We've got time.

"Ballad of Easy Rider," by the Byrds (1969)

from the album by the same title

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds wrote "Ballad of Easy Rider," but purportedly Bob Dylan was co-composer, although he was not officially credited on the single or album.

Biker Babe is one of our all-purpose staffers.  She works in practically every patron service department.  She may be found working on the circulation team; as an adult or youth services reference librarian; adding or deleting items from the catalog; and arranging displays in the public glass display cases.  You name it; she does it.  In public libraries of our size, an employee needs to be well-rounded.  Biker Babe covers the spectrum of library services quite effectively.  She has worked at MPL for nearly nine years.

Scowl-Face from his college professorship days

(23 years ago, in this photo)

Long-time readers know Scowl-Face as my comic foil.  By comparison, he makes moi look truly magnificent.  His title is somewhat in flux at the moment, but he has historically (no pun intended) been known as the MPL Indiana Room historian.  (He used to be called the Indiana Room librarian, but that was changed last year, if memory serves.  No clue why.)  He was also called the reference coordinator for awhile, but that title seems to have gone by the wayside.  Ol' Scowlly has worked at the Library for almost five years.

Biker Babe's favorite childhood library memory was "the quiet atmosphere."  She grew up in a household with six kids, so peace and quiet was at a premium.  Scowl-Face chose to share a college memory as his favorite "childhood" library recollection.  If you read his treasure trove blog, you may have already seen it.  If not, then you should click here.

For Biker Babe, what makes working at MPL fun is that "no day is the same."  That's understandable when you're working practically everywhere at any time.  For Scowl-Face, it's a combination of local history and social media.  He uses both extensively in his library work.

Favorite colors (lavender for Biker Babe; blue for 'Ol Scowlly) is straightforward enough.  What about favorite music?  Biker Babe votes for "Nothing But Strings," which we presume refers to Nuttin But Stringz.

Nuttin But Stringz performing live on the

TV show Americas Got Talent (2008)

Scowl-Face's favorite musician/composer is The Music Man, who is the Library's composer.  If you've watched any videos from the MPL YouTube Channel, then you've heard his original music.  But he is also a stellar guitarist and plays excellent piano.  He also has his own YouTube channel.

Danny Buckley playing classical guitar at

Thursday Night Recital, Millikin University

(Oct. 15, 2009)

Dream Big, Little Pig, by Kristi Yamaguchi

(Book trailer by Janet E. Buckley;

music soundtrack by Daniel E. Buckley)

Biker Babe moved to Monrovia, Indiana 24 years ago, so she is just a few miles west of MPL.  Scowl-Face moved to Mooresville in 1995 but has been occasionally hanging around the town since 1977.  Neither was born in town--Biker Babe was born in Beech Grove at the now-defunct St. Francis branch hospital, and Scowl-Face was born in Lafayette--but we won't hold that against them.

As we have gotten to know the MPL staff, the one common denominator has been their earnest desire to provide quality patron services and their commitment to doing the best job possible.  That may sound like a cliche, but, here, it is actually true.

Take Moi For a Ride, Biker Babe,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

MPL Staff News Beat

P.S.  The Millikin University student composers' forum III performed "Starmap to Orion" (2009), by Danny Buckley, on February 18, 2010, at Kaeuper Hall in the MU School of Music.

 

P.P.S.  On February 23, 2014, the Millikin University Percussion Ensemble (directed by Brian Justison).performed several original compositions from Danny Buckley's The Persistence of Memory (2011).