H) Some interviews and outcome
[Note: This is one version of the query for information I sent out over the internet. Sometimes I personalize this with specific information. I found the people to ask through doing a WWW search for historical societies and other public history institutions, and then writing to people there who had email addresses.]
Dear Public Historian:
I am doing a project on public history and looking to interview people who are in the fields of public history. I have a few brief questions for you, if you would not mind answering them, or pass them on to others who will. Thank you!
- Please describe yourself briefly, including your age, sex, race, job title, and a list of your responsibilities in that position.
- What sort of preparation or training did you have before you became a public historian?
- Are there things you wish you had learned in school but didn't?
- Are there things that you learned in school that turned out to be misleading or unhelpful?
- What led you to choose a career in public history?
- What suggestions/advice would you give a student who hopes to become a public historian?
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. The information received will be really helpful for me in obtaining some information for my research project on the study of Public history in addition to allowing me and other people to understand what a future would be like in these fields or a like field. My goal will be to bring the popularity of public history closer into the mainstream popularity which will offer more opportunities and employment. It will give students focus and something to strive for. The Final outcome of this project will be a thesis paper, a web site and a possible booklet for people interested in this field, to use as a reference guide. Please be as honest as possible. I will not use any names in any of my work unless told otherwise. Please feel free to contact Yvonne with any question or any information you can offer me by E-mail at: Firstcorin@aol.com
Again I thank you for the information that you have provided me.
Prepared by Yvonne Tu, for HST 594--Independent Study--Public History, with assistance from Professor Catherine Lavender, Department of History, The College of Staten Island/CUNY. Last updated: Monday, 29 March 1999.