Alan Inouye graduated from the School of Information with a Ph.D. in Information Science in 1997. He has spent over two decades in public policy, many of which were at the American Library Association. He currently runs his own consulting firm, The Policy Connection, which aims to research, brainstorm, analyze, strategize, write, publish, speak, advocate, and collaborate on ongoing technology issues.
When getting your Ph.D., you chose to attend UC Berkeley. How did your experience lead you to your career path and what would you say is the value of public institutions?
I came to South Hall with the goal of a second career in management consulting. My experience on campus gave me profound insight into public policy and the public interest, causing me to make a profound change in my career trajectory. I deeply appreciate the faculty, staff, and student colleagues at South Hall who encouraged and facilitated this evolution in my life.
Public universities are essential because they have the responsibility to support and advance the public interest regardless of economic or other societal forces. Indeed, most of the leading library or information science programs reside in public universities and very few in private ones.
You spent years in public policy, many of which were in the American Library Association. What is so important about libraries and what do you want people to know about the policy side of things?
Libraries provide access to technology and information for everyone without judgment. Libraries are not only key community resources for the digital age, but they also represent a core value of the nation. These resources and values are under political attack and must be defended by all. Encourage your public officials to provide financial support for libraries as well as a rigorous defense of the principle of access for all and the U.S Constitution.
Is there an achievement or project that you are most proud of?
I was the lead for the Policy Revolution initiative at the American Library Association (ALA). Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the mid-2010s, this multi-year effort focused on the fundamental evolution of library public policy to focus on digital technology and services. Print books and traditional services remain important for libraries, but the digital revolution has broadened the library domain drastically. Library advocacy is needed to make this evolution remain effective.
You currently run your own consulting firm to tackle new technology issues. What compels you to work in the field of consulting? What are you working on now?
I “retired” from full-time employment at ALA in May 2025. My firm houses my various interests going forward. My big project is writing a book on the future of public policy and lobbying in the public interest. I am a part-time consultant to ALA to advise on the unprecedented federal library policy environment and how to best advocate to defend libraries and their values. Thus far, I’ve also done a potpourri of activities such as being a speaker at the School’s 107th birthday event, moderating a panel at an information policy conference, and serving on a science policy advisory committee.
Can you share any thoughts on how your identity has shaped your path, contributing to challenges/opportunities and/or unique skills, strengths, or perspectives that you bring?
As I came to understand the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II — of which most of my family was relocated — I became more interested in how the U.S. government administers justice. My first career was in software engineering and information systems (before my South Hall years). It took a couple of decades for me to fuse these streams into what became my public policy career.
Do you have any advice for those interested in public interest tech or in tech policy?
Do it! This is an understaffed area, and the future of our economy and society depends on the public policy that is made (or not made) in the years to come.
