Michael Bradford
Library System Cataloging Librarian
Wayne State University
What are you currently reading?
I listen to audiobooks on my daily commute, I am currently reading "Arc of Justice: A saga of race, civil rights, and murder in the Jazz Age" by Kevin Boyle.
What are your research interests?
I am interested in critical cataloging, sometimes known as "radical cataloging", "critcat", or "reparative descriptions". I am also interested in linked library metadata and increasing access to the specialized field of what was traditionally known as name authority work, but can stand under the umbrella of identity management.
Do you have hobbies or interests outside of the library?
I spend a lot of money filling and refilling my various bird feeders around the yard. I also have been doing family genealogy research since I was in middle school (I received a blue ribbon at the Cass County Fair for my genealogy project when I was 12!). My wife and I love going antiquing and to estate sales.
What drew you to the library profession?
I worked as a library page for the Lilly Library at Indiana University as an undergraduate. It was the mid-late 90s and I wore a beeper! Working in the rare book library and being introduced to the different types of materials a library holds and how they are presented to researchers and patrons keyed me in where I went for a support staff temp position after graduation and the rest is history.
What do you value about MiALA?
I value the the community of the Interest Groups immensely. If you have an interest, you're probably going to find that interest represented in a MiALA IG. And if not, you just need five folks to start a new group!
