2020 Internship Blog Post #9

            This week, at the UCF Special Collections and University Archives, I finished up the current draft of the finding aid I had been working on. I had to add a few extra finishing touches that I thought were interesting that I didn’t know about before starting on the creation of the finding aid, and ultimately the public can see these additions to the finding aid. Specifically, I included information about how the collection was processed and what I did in processing the collection. For example, I discussed in this section of the finding aid how the collection looked when it was given to UCF Special Collections and University Archives, and how I rehoused the documents in acid free folder boxes and archival safe clear sleeves for photos and transparencies. I also discussed how I removed all of the staples, paperclips, and binder clips from the documents. This section is traditionally only a few sentences. However, when I first had written this section in the finding aid, it was quite lengthy. I did this because first and foremost, I wanted this section to be an in-depth and complete description of how I processed this collection. Once I completed it, I showed it to my supervisor. He asked me to change the language slightly since it all has to be in past tense because it will be posted on the library website. I also had to change those word that my supervisor suggested to be changed. Lastly, he strongly recommended that I shorten this section in the finding aid due to how lengthy I had made it. I tried my best to shorten it and cut out several sentences that may have not been as interesting to researchers interested in the processing of the collection. Overall, I really enjoyed working on this section of the finding aid. It gave me a chance to show potential researchers what my experience was in the way in which Special Collections and the University Archives processes collections. I did so without referencing myself directly.
            I submitted this draft of the finding aid to my supervisor, along with the previous draft of the finding aid (he had written some important notes on the previous draft). In last week’s blog, I believe I had mentioned my supervisor had given me five acid free half boxes which will be the boxes that will be the ultimate holding spot for the folders in this collection. This week, towards the end of my shift this Wednesday I began to put the some of the folders away in these half boxes. As I also recall my supervisor said this collection will be held in the UCF Library ARCH once it has been fully processed and completed. After Spring Break next week, I will continue to shift the folders around so they coincide with the order of the folders in the finding aid. Also, shortly I will begin putting the information from the finding aid I created from a Word document into a special program that will ultimately upload the finding aid to the library’s website. I will also label the individual folders and the half boxes. I am very excited for my final presentation regarding my experience working at the UCF Special Collections and University Archives. I am even more looking forward to my presentation so I can show my professor, Dr. French, the interesting and important photographs, manuscripts, and documents housed in this collection.

The University of Central Florida Special Collections and University Archives Website:

https://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/




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