Episode Transcript: Aired May 21, 2025
Host Dr. Karlos L. Marshall, Dayton Metro Library
Guest: Bradley Kuykendall, Dayton Metro Library
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Greetings friends, family, and library community. My name is Dr. Karlos L. Marshall, here with the Dayton Metro Library to bring you the first episode of Cataloging The Culture, a monthly podcast focused on highlighting the unique experiences, journeys as well as trials and tribulations of black men in libraries across the country. Each month we'll feature a new guest and we'll delve into their stories, as well as their experiences, and how they navigate a professional field and where they remain highly underrepresented. And my first guest is the first black man that I ever met who had a Master's in Library and Science degree. The one, the only, none other than Bradley Kuykendall, floating branch manager here at the Dayton Metro Library. How you feeling this morning, brother?
Bradley Kuykendall: Man, that was a beautiful introduction. Thank you so much, man. How's it going with you?
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: It's going well, man. Looking forward to this interview and kicking this off. I appreciate you.
So let's begin by cataloging your story, just with your origin story. Just kind of tell us a little bit about your background and where you're from, and a little bit about your upbringing.
Bradley Kuykendall: So again, my name is Bradley. I'm a military kid. I was born in Anchorage, Alaska. Father was in the Air Force, moved all across the country, lived in Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, a lot of other different places, never went overseas.
So when I graduated from high school, I went to Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri where I focused on a business degree.
While there, I was a student government treasurer and I kind of got an understanding of where the finances went because I was a liaison to the budget committee for the university. But regardless of that I started working at the library at our institution. Never had any intentions of going any further than just doing a work study job, but it was kind of unique in how I got started.
So, my first year there, I didn't have enough money for my school books so I went to the library to see if they had anything to help out in regards to getting the textbooks that I needed
for school, and a gentleman by the name of Mark Schler, introduced me to interlibrary loan and so I was able to get like all of my books that first semester for free and so I was just like word.
And then me being the social activist that I was at the time, I sat in front of the bookstore at our institution with a sign like how to get free books. And so, that wasn't well received
with administration, more so with the library director, so I was called into the office and I was given a light gentle slap on the hand, as far as like, I made the shipping and handling go up for the institution about 400%, because I was making sure I got the ROTC and the football players together and things of that nature.
But nonetheless, that was my first glimpse into the library world, was interlibrary loan, and from there, a lot of things just kept moving a little faster.
So after getting that job and handling the interlibrary loans and then realizing like how tedious that process was, I started to get some internships and things of that nature, and then one thing led to another, I decided "hey, I want to be a librarian".
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Man, I love just hearing that story and just how your passion for helping others, as well as just kind of that entrepreneurial grit and hustle, really just found your way into the library profession. But also, talk a little bit more about where you were at during that time, during undergraduate and then what the process was like when you determined, when you had the awakening that you wanted to become a librarian and how you ended up going to study for your Master's in Library and Science degree and where you went and what that process was like.
Bradley Kuykendall: So, it was probably about my junior year where I decided, like, I think this is the career for me. So I had that work study job and then my institution at the time wanted to start a library science minor degree and so I joined that. And from there a gentleman named, at the time, Floyd Council, he was working at a public library in St Louis. He came down as a guest speaker, and he kind of gave us the ins and outs of the libraries and things of that nature and that's where I had my aha moment.
So after Floyd Council left, I went into my library director's job, I mean office, and I was just like "Hey I really want to get a library science degree, like how does that work?" and things of that nature.
So he sat down with me and we kind of talked through a few things and what ended up happening was I did a internship at the University of Pittsburgh, which was a year-long internship, and that just opened my eyes to all the different industries that you can go in, as far as being a librarian, because at the time the only thing I thought you could do was just work at a public library or academic library.
I didn't know that there was a whole breadth of different industries that you could go into, which I'll talk a little bit more further in depth. But from there towards my senior year I started looking at different schools. At the time the University of Illinois, my alma mater, was number one. Still is. Great institution if you're looking into joining the field. I highly encourage you to go there.
I applied to go to school there and I got in on my first application. That was like crazy, because I never would have thought that I would ever be able to go to, like, a major research institution like that coming from a H.B.C.U.
So that really, it really encouraged me, as far as, like, I could be in this field, and I can really do that.
I did do an internship at Washington University in St Louis that kind of helped get me over the hump as far as like transitioning from an H.B.C.U to a P.W.I. There was a bit of a culture shock, imposter syndrome, but that experience kind of helped me out a lot. While I was at the University of Illinois, that's when I got that experience as far as working in different industries. The entire time that I was there, I was a researcher for John Deere. And while I was a researcher for John Deere, I took a small two to three month sabbatical and I ended up working at the in National Institute of Health at the National Library of Medicine.
So it was just amazing to have all of those different experiences underneath my belt, as far as, like, understanding like, libraries are everywhere. They've been around for thousands of years and, you know, they're pretty much in every walk of your life. You just got to look at the differences, you know, similarities, and it's pretty much just there.
So from there, I graduated from the University of Illinois, and I had an opportunity to go back to my alma mater to be an academic librarian at Lincoln University. And so from there I worked there, gave back.
It was a lot of great experiences, as far as helping other people understand the significance of, like, libraries.
I even was able to participate in teaching a little bit for our Library Science minor, which was very enriching and enlightening because I also was able to get other people encouraged to get into a library field. Some other friends of mine that is in the library field that came from my alma mater is Billy Allen. If you haven't heard about him in Las Vegas, their public library, he's doing a lot of great things. And a couple other people that doesn't necessarily go into library industry, but they went and got their library school degrees and they're doing big things in where they are at in their life, so.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Thank you so much for sharing that information. I think I did, we've had previous conversations about the different industries but hearing you talk about that again in a little bit more detail is just the the breadth of your experiences and industry types, even within the library profession, is is really remarkable. I'm wondering if you can also just talk about your current role here at the Dayton Metro Library as the, as a floating manager. And what does a typical day look like, if there is one? And, you know, just kind of tell us a little bit more about your role here.
Bradley Kuykendall: So I'm a floating branch manager here and no day is the same. So essentially what I do is I have a department of eight staff and we are charged with making sure that departments or libraries that are understaffed are staffed fully. That could be for an extended time, it could be for just a few hours, or it could be for, you know, a couple of days.
My role, my role in particular, is unique as well too because I can also step in and take over a branch for an extended time or a department for extended time as well if they are seeking managerial assistance or they don't have any managers at all.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Yep, absolutely, thank you so much for sharing that. And you know being in this role, you know, how do you see your work impacting the library here at DML, as well as patrons in your broader community? Not just specifically to your role here, but also other roles that you've had as well.
Bradley Kuykendall: So Dayton Metro Library, we serve Montgomery County and in my role I have the opportunity to go throughout all the county to see all the different cities and communities that we impact. It gives me an idea of who we really serve here.
We serve a diverse group of patrons, different backgrounds, ages, races, educational backgrounds, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
So it's very unique to see and meet all the different people that Montgomery County has to offer.
But with that being said, it gives me an opportunity to also bring those different skills and things that I learned at the different branches to other parts of the community that never really saw or thought about different things. So I have an opportunity to be a spokesperson for Montgomery County in relation to all the different and unique things that we provide to each other.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Absolutely, thank you so much for just talking about how you got into the profession and your journey and your background. Now I want to turn the page and also catalog your experiences at the intersection of being both black, as well as being a man, in the library profession.
As we know, less than 1% of Master's in Library Science degrees are obtained by black men, so truly you are a unicorn in that sense. So I just want you to talk a little bit more about your experience being a black man within the library profession.
Bradley Kuykendall: So, it's all about self-care. As I alluded to earlier in the conversation, going from a H.B.C.U. to a P.W.I. big- time culture shock. Even when I was at the University of Illinois, it was just me and one other person that I could think of that were black that were going through the program. So there was not a lot of people like me coming up. And even now to this day, as far as in the profession, one of the things that I have tended to do is focus on like, self-care and building relationships.
A couple of different organizations and a couple of things that I do personally, one of the organizations that I belong to is BCLA. It's the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. I'm heavily active and heavily involved in that org. It gives me a space to where there's other colleagues with my background, across many different industries, that are experiencing the same challenges and also positive things that we do experience in the library profession. And then also through mentorship and then finding people such as yourself Karlos. It's been a blessing working here at DML and working with you as a colleague but also working on our friendship.
Those are the things that I kind of focus on, as far as like, you know, self-care and then self-awareness within the profession.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Absolutely and, and definitely likewise. Definitely appreciate the brotherhood. As I, as I alluded to at the opening, just meeting you and being the first black man that held an MILS degree was awe inspiring to me, so definitely appreciate everything that you do.
But I also want to ask you to to speak a little bit more about the various things that you're involved in at the national level. You talked about your engagement with the Black Caucus, but I know that you also hold a number of prominent roles on various different committees across the profession, both past and present.
Bradley Kuykendall: So some of the roles that I'm currently active in is - I'm an ALA counselor-at-large. This is my first full year in that. There's a lot of things been going on politically with, not only in the USA, but in the world as far as like librarianships and funding.
I'm also a mentor in the BCLA Level Up mentor, mentorship program. That's been unique and rewarding because that's one of the things that helped me as I was going through the library science program.
I'm also the chair of the membership committee for the OLC, the Ohio Libraries Commission. That's been very rewarding as far as seeing the different things and the members that's coming in through Ohio and better serving them.
And there's a multitude of different things that I'm involved in in Dayton. I'm now just a part of the Neighborhood Leadership Institute. I just finished up a couple of sessions with that. And so those are just a few of the different things that I'm in. I'm probably missing a couple, but I'm in a lot of stuff
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Absolutely, absolutely. We, we certainly appreciate your commitment to service. You know, we know, that that's the core tenet of the library profession. But, can you, can you think of any moment in, in which, you were felt extremely proud or affirmed in the library profession, specifically as it related to your identity as being a black man?
Bradley Kuykendall: Yeah, actually, this happened last year. Another org, or program, that I was in was the ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program. It's been in existence for like 25 years and it was the American Library Association's push into getting more diversity into that, into the field.
So it's been around for about 25 years. Lincoln University, which is near and dear to my heart, a lot of us actually went to go and get our library science degree program, so this past year, I had the honor and the privilege of introducing Kelvin Watson to get a premier award from the Spectrum Scholarship program. The reason why that was rewarding and a touching moment for me is he was one of my mentors that helped get me into the profession and also he's still mentoring me, encouraging me to this day.
But to have the opportunity to reward him, and others, for all of the time and, you know what I'm saying, resources that it provided to me - to have the opportunity to present him a reward was near and dear to my heart.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Absolutely, and that that's a perfect segue to continue to turn the page here in this conversation and also catalog, you know, just your legacy and culture and your inspiration. You touched a little bit about how a lot of men have impacted you, but how have you taken to that and begin to pass it forward to others? So how do you see yourself shaping the larger conversation around black men and libraries across the country and contributing to the profession at large?
Bradley Kuykendall: You know, that's still something that I'm working on, as far as like, my brand. But also, just giving back to people and I'm taking it a step by step. This is like my second or third time doing a podcast so I'm really trying to promote and then put myself out there to give other people you know a voice and a person to look at as far as like "hey, there's other black males out here doing that."
I've been heavily involved in trying to get into mentorship and just being active in the profession. I'm somewhat of an introvert extrovert so it's kind of stepping out of my comfort zone but you know this is just a day-by-day process and a good thing for me is I have some great mentors that are encouraging me as as far as friends and those are some of the things that I'm doing to try to give back. And I appreciate you giving me an opportunity to do that right now.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Absolutely. And for the people listening on this podcast, being the first one, as well as those that will continue to join in and engage as we continue to grow this platform of cataloging the culture, what advice would you give to other black men who are considering this profession, or maybe not even considering the profession, because we know that a lot of people kind of stumble into the profession, so whether they're already looking at it or if they're not even aware that this is a profession, what advice would you give them?
Bradley Kuykendall: You know, I would highly encourage you to visit different libraries and see like, kind of like, what it is that interests you about the library. And then also reach out through social media, to different platforms, and different groups of other African-American males if you're trying to get an understanding of what it's like and our experiences.
And then from there you know sit back and kind of gauge, as far as like, where do you see yourself at? It took me some time, even though I kind of browsed by, breezed by, as far as my experiences and things of that nature. But I did take a lot of time to reflect, spoke with family members, and things of that nature, before I made some of the, some of those high decisions.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Appreciate that. And, and, and now in in turning the page in an interview, kind of getting to the last chapters, what are you looking forward to in the next step of your professional journey? What does that look like for you?
Bradley Kuykendall: For me, right now I'm trying to focus on myself and sharpen up some of the tools in my tool bag. Hopefully, one of these days, I could be a, you know, a library director of some form or fashion. But right now, I'm just trying to give back, sharpen the tools in my tool bag, and you know, work on things such as this. I’m really promoting the profession and helping other people that come after me.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: You absolutely will become a library director one day. We're certainly going to speak that over you and of you brother. If you could catalog one lesson or one value or one story for the next generation, whether it's related to libraries or not, what would that be?
Bradley Kuykendall: You know, we all make mistakes but just keep your head up and keep focusing on manifestation, you know what I'm saying? Just take everything one day by at a time. I think that's what it is for me, you know, just one day at a time.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Absolutely. And you talked about growing your brand in the profession, how can listeners connect with you or follow your work?
Bradley Kuykendall: You can follow me on Instagram at pagemaster57. I'm on Facebook and things of that nature. That's one of the things I definitely got to work on is my social media. I'm also on LinkedIn and you can find me at any library conference or at Dayton Metro Library of course.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Absolutely. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Bradley Kuykendall: No, I just appreciate this time. It was great and I hope everybody has learned something from this experience and thank you for your time.
Dr. Karlos L. Marshall: Absolutely. We'll continue with this podcast on a monthly basis to share the powerful narratives, stories, and journeys, to bring visibility to the vital work that black men are contributing within the library profession through candid and courageous conversations. To continue to amplify and highlight the meaningful impact that black men, such as Bradley, are having within their communities, within their professional organizations as well as the profession at large.
So again, my name is Dr Karlos L. Marshall and this is, was the first episode for Cataloging The Culture. Thank you.