Daniel Ziblatt is an assistant professor of government and social studies at Harvard. His main fields of research and teaching are comparative politics, Germany, European political development, and contemporary European politics. He has received fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies and was recently a fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, Germany.

What was the first archive you ever went to and what happened?

The first archive I ever went to was not in Berlin, but in Munich, at the Bavarian State Archive. It is in a beautiful part of the city. I was staying basically right next door so spent all my time in a lively three-block area of Munich. It was a great time. I was in the beginning stages of dissertation research, a bit intimidated, not exactly sure what I was looking for, but really enjoyed myself. I collected more material than I thought I would ever be able to use, focusing on how the Bavarian government in the nineteenth century dealt with and negotiated with Bismarck's Prussia. It was definitely on a smaller scale than some of the libraries and archives in Berlin and so was a good introduction to life as an archival scholar.

You have done research in different countries and cities. Do you have a favorite place to do research?

I have done research mostly in Germany and Italy but some in Britain (Scotland). My research has involved interviews with political elites and in places as diverse as Naples, Italy--where the food was particularly good, but research was more difficult--to Dusseldorf, Germany, where the situation was pretty much the reverse. When doing research in Germany, it depends on what I am looking for: in Cologne, I have used an outstanding press archive at the university. Munich always is fun and archival work there always gives one an alternative take on things that differ from the Prussian-centered perspective that emerges if one only stays in Berlin. But, I still have to say that Berlin is always the most reliable center for nearly everything I need.

Researchers used to take notes in pencil, then they xeroxed everything, and now they fly in for a week and photograph thousands of pages of documents with digital cameras to read at another time. Do you think this is progress?

No opinion, really. I think it is. Soaking in the material is always good, but efficiency is good too.

Would you advise students to make the most of their research time in the archives, or to soak up Berlin, high and low culture, and take weekend trips to Florence and Alsace? Is there a cut-off point when spending too much time in the archives can deaden the brain, and not enough can be fatal?

Who can argue against spending the weekend in Florence?! But really, it is nice to take breaks but if one's time is limited to a brief intense research trip, this is usually tough to do. What is nice is if one is doing a comparative project this "requires" travelling to new destinations where hard work can be coupled with a day off, here and there.

Did you make friends in the archives or libraries where you have worked? Did you socialize outside of the archive? I once encountered a group of graduate students, historians, from American universities who hardly knew one another's last names, but every night they went for dinner and beer and watched reality TV. But the group was only male and there was a lot of bonding. Do you think this is typical?

It is interesting, as a political scientist who does historical work I often find myself "in the field" working with historians. I particularly enjoy this. In my "real" life back in Cambridge, MA, this is of course not as common. So, I get to spend time talking to historians--eating lunches, taking coffee breaks, and get to hear what historians talk about. I pick up tips on how to do things, get to hear what the big debates are about and so on. As a relative "outsider." I find I learn alot. Unfortunately not alot of political scientists have a chance to do this. This is one of the best parts of being "in the field"--is talking to people that one otherwise would not.

Do you feel different about going into an archive or research library now that you are faculty?

A bit more confident that things will turn out ok. Finishing a book and starting a second one is difficult but one can remind oneself that, 'well, I did it once, I can do it again.'

Do you dream about having a fleet of students to do research for you, or do you really enjoy touching the documents, diaries, and histories which make up your topic?

Not really..maybe to help me. But it is the best part of research, I think. It gives one a feel for what one is studying to spend time absorbing and struggling with the research materials. I definitely would not give it up.

Again as faculty, when you go to Berlin or Cologne or other cities to do research, there are many claims on your time--you are asked to give talks, to consult with German colleagues, to go to dinners. Do you ever wish that you could go to archives and sink into research rather than fulfilling the expectations of your status? And it will get worse. How do you protect yourself and find time to write that next book?

It isn't bad--I think giving talks, consulting with others, all of these types of activities help push me along.