This winter, get to know the staff responsible for keeping the Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums running. Today’s feature: Dr. Sue Vazakas!
Who are you and what do you do? Tell us a little about your background.
I wrote about these four years ago in a similar series. (I hope you read mine; it’s informative as well as amusing [in my humble opinion].)
What is something people might be surprised to know about you?
Last year I was on a science fiction podcast! I commented on Twitter (I’ll never call it “X”) on a podcast episode about post-apocalyptic stories, and mentioned some older titles that their audience may not have known about. The host then invited me to be a guest on his ‘cast! One of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life.
What’s the best part about working at the Sheridan Libraries and Museums?
I never stop being amazed at how many materials of all kinds that we have access to; the sheer variety and volume is stunning (popular American sheet music, a 3D anatomy tool, tons of streaming videos, and countless other incredible things. And my colleagues – who use and teach about all of this information — are extraordinary; I constantly learn new things from them.
What is your favorite hobby?
It’s still playing tenor sax in a swing band (as I mentioned in the earlier post), but I’ve also become more involved with podcasts. I currently listen to ~45, mostly about books and sci-fi/fantasy, but also about AI, philosophy, and, of course, Star Trek. I often comment on FB or Twitter about their episodes, and some of the hosts read my remarks during their episodes. (COOL!)
If you could travel in time, what event/time period would you visit?
A time when there’s anesthesia and antibiotics. And Baskin Robbins.
What shows have you binge-watched recently?
Lucifer, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Blue Ribbon Baking Championship.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever seen? What made it special?
A PDQ Bach performance in Philadelphia. Thanks to Peter Schickele, an accomplished musician with a degree in composition from Juilliard, the world knows about (the fictitious) PDQ Bach, an often soused and notably poor composer of pieces such as Echo Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments; Pervertimento for Bicycle, Bagpipes, and Balloons; and Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion. I own Schickele’s book The Definitive Biography of PDQ, Bach and several of his albums and had been a fan for a long time, so it was a huge thrill to see him in person.
If you could be a background character in a book/film/show/game, what book/film/show/game would it be? Why?
Boring answer, but I’d like to be an information specialist in a book or a show because they find the info that solves or contributes to solving the big problems. Some of my faves are Barbara Gordon (Batgirl!), who was a librarian and the brains behind many of Batman and Robin’s successes; and the librarians and archivists in The Book of Common Dread (which took place at Princeton University) and in The Historian (E. Kostova), who could find and/or translate obscure info to foil the vampires; and of course any of the background colleagues of those awesome librarians in The Librarians series.
—PLEASE NOTE: I’m only volunteering if “background” = “not injured (or even inconvenienced) in any way.” (I’m NOT there to be a Red Shirt.)
Imagine you are a ghost. What 3 objects would someone need to conjure you? Why?
Wait, what? I don’t want to be a ghost! What kind of a question is that?? Who ARE you people???