School of Information Management & Systems.   Fall 2003.
142   Access to American Cultural Heritages.   M. Buckland.

Assignment 11:   Interview. Due Nov 17

Talk with someone active in relation to access to cultural heritage: Librarian, museum manager, cultural attache, cultural or historical society official, preservation activist, documentary movie maker, teacher,...

These people are typically very pleased to be interviewed. They work with dedication and like it when someone shows an interest in what they are doing and why. Find out about that individual's values, motivation, priorities, and sense of the political and economic issues being faced.

It makes sense to talk to some person who would be a useful source of information about the topic of your portfolio, but that is not a requirement.

The benefit derived from an interview is greatly increased if you are well prepared. The more you know about the topic of the interview the better. Also the more you know about the background of the person interviewed the better, although that may not be feasible. In addition, interviews should not be hurried. Allow two hours and/or a repeat meeting. The key is to listen carefully, which can be hard work. With older people and busy professionals one usually has to schedule an appointment well in advance. In the past this assignment has worked out consistently better than I had originally expected.

Send an e-mail note to the rest of the class with two paragraphs -- one about the person you talked with and the other a brief summary of what you learned -- to is142@sims.berkeley.edu   Also a written summary (approx. 2 pages single-spaced) to me. Feel free to add your own comments to your account of the interview.