November 14, 2007

Myra Michele Brown: The work of a librarian at the Information Resource Center of the U.S. Embassy in Rome, November 14, 2007

What is your role in the events on occasion of the International Education Week?
I am a “political scientist”. My job, from 1962, is exactly to provide information. I am here for this reason, referred to the International Education Week too.

In the lecture at the Università degli Studi di Chieti-Pescara (Faculty of Language and Foreign Literature), I gave students information about the U.S. Presidential Election.

Which are the most frequent doubts of Italian people about elections in USA?
Italians are interested above all on the Primary elections, as a matter of fact they have been recently introduced also by Italian parties.

How many people in the United States are interested in the Primary Election?
We cannot say exactly how many people are interested in elections, because there is a cultural mix (whites, blacks, Hispanics, gay, etc.) that does not allow to do correct appraisals. Anyway, the percentage of interested people is decreasing.

Instead the number of celebrities involved in politics, especially encouraging citizens to vote, is increasing. By now there is no more clear division between the parties, a candidate wins thanks to few votes.

What is the issue that you prefer talking about when you meet students?
I love very much music, above all blues, because it joins people of every age and nationality; even if I prefer listening to music than playing it… I let play the others.