Farewell To The PHC, For Now!!

     The interns presented their internships on Friday, April 18th, at the Public History Center. I presented everything that I did this semester. I organized the Sanford High School Collection, scanned it into the computer, submitted every item into Riches M.I., accessioned the collection into PastPerfect, and created a collection Register. I also kept this blog through it all.
     I had such a great experience interning at the PHC! It was such a pleasure working with the wonderful people there. A special thanks to Professor Sample and Shirley in archives who guided me and taught me throughout the semester! I have learned so much about archiving, and now I am confident that I could do it again.
     Though the internship is over, I will be returning to the PHC to volunteer in the archives again. They have a doll collection there that needs attention, which I have a passion for. They have American Girl Dolls, and as a child, they were my favorite toy.
     Until then, I bid adieu to the PHC. Until next time, Samantha

The Sanford High School Collection: SM-13-1720

(Note: The following Register includes all components, except the container list.) 

Preface: The Sanford High School Collection is open for research. The copyrights to the items belong to the Student Museum, owned by Seminole County Public Schools. The UCF Public History Center in Sanford, Florida, owns the digital copyrights to the items. Scanning and copying services are available upon request. 

Introduction: The Sanford High School Collection consists of materials relating to the creating institution, Sanford High School. Included in the collection are photos of students and class photos; photos of both Sanford High School building locations; a report card from the school year 1914-1915; student homework and examinations from the years 1905-1909; commencement and Class Day programs; baccalaureate service articles; a newspaper article; material relating to a manuscript written on the experiences of a student who attended S.H.S; Salmagundi yearbooks; and diplomas. The Salmagundi yearbooks are a particularly strong research source in the collection, because of their inclusion of both photos and written works of students in turn-of-the-century Central Florida. 

Biographical/Historical Note: In 1898, the overcrowding of Sanford’s school became an issue, and the need for a high school was recognized. In January of 1901, six lots were purchased for the new school location, and construction on the project commenced in March of 1902. The school (located at 301 W. 7^th St., Sanford, FL, 32771) was completed in time for classes to begin in September of 1902. The new school was named Sanford High School, though it housed grades one through twelve. The first senior class to graduate from the new school was in 1907; four women, Alberta Hill Howard, Peacha Leffler Wiggins, Clara Millen (principal of Sanford Grammar School 1919-1926), and Mabel Bowler Bram. The first Salmagundi yearbook (“Salmagundi” is an old Indian word meaning a “general mixture”) was published in May of 1910, and cost 15¢. An ever increasing student population caused the need for a new high school to be built. In January 1911, the second Sanford High School was opened at 9^th St. & Palmetto Ave. in Sanford, Florida, and the old school became Sanford Grammar School. During the use of this school, Salmagundis were published every year, with the exception of 1918. In 1918, the first and only “Pandora” was published, a pamphlet, in order to save materials for the World War I war effort. This new location was used until 1926, when a third high school was built and renamed Seminole High School. 

Scope and Content Note: The Sanford High School Collection is organized topically (then chronologically at item level), and consists of student photographs, school photographs, report cards, student work from the years 1905-1909, commencement programs, newspaper articles, Salmagundi yearbooks, and diplomas. All of the included items were either created by or related to Sanford High School, years active being 1902-1926. The bulk of the collection is made up of photographs and yearbooks (Salmagundis), and most of the collection dates 1905-1911, though many materials exist for the years 1912-1926. The extent of the collection is five boxes: 27 folders, three over-sized items, and approximately 1.83 cubic feet. This collection is useful for the research of Sanford history, turn-of-the-century youth in Central Florida, ancestry, and issues pertinent to students during the time period. 

Series 1, Photographs, 1904-1925 and Undated, is divided into two subseries; Subseries 1, Sanford High School Students, Subseries 2, Sanford High School Buildings. This series is located in Archival Box #3A, and has twenty-nine items. 

Subseries 1, Sanford High School Students, 1907-1925 and Undated, this subseries contains eighteen items: photos of Sanford High School Students. This subseries is useful for the research of Sanford history, turn-of-the-century dress, Florida students, sports, and the first graduates of Sanford High School.

Subseries 2, Sanford High School Buildings, 1904-1919 and Undated, this subseries contains eleven items: photos of Sanford High School #1 (located at 301 W. 7^th St., Sanford, Florida, 32771) and Sanford High School #2 (located at 9^th St. & Palmetto Ave., Sanford, Florida, 32771). This subseries is useful for the research of Sanford history, turn-of –the-century architecture, and Florida schools. 

Series 2, Documents, 1905-1986 and Undated, is divided into nine subseries; Subseries 1: Report Cards, Subseries 2: Student Work 1905, Subseries 3: Student Work 1906, Subseries 4: Student Work 1907-1908, Subseries 5: Student Work 1909, Subseries 6: Commencement & Class Day Programs, Subseries 7: Baccalaureate Service, Subseries 8: Newspaper Article, and Subseries 9: Cornerstone 1926. This series is located in Archival Box #3A, and has forty-two items. 

Subseries 1, Report Cards, 1914-1915, this subseries contains one item: a report card from Sanford High School, belonging to student Frances Leavitt. This subseries is useful for the research of turn-of-the-century high school curriculum and grades. 

Subseries 2, Student Work 1905, 1905, this subseries contains five items: student work from Sanford High School in the year 1905. The subjects included are rhetoric, civil government, and Latin. This subseries is useful for the research of turn-of-the-century high school curriculum and homework. 

Subseries 3, Student Work 1906, 1906, this subseries contains five items: student work from Sanford High School in the year 1906. The subjects included are language, civil government, penmanship. The subseries also includes an eighty page packet of various student works. This subseries is useful for the research of turn-of-the-century high school curriculum, homework, and handwriting. 

Subseries 4, Student Work 1907-1908, 1907-1908 and Undated, this subseries contains six items: student work from Sanford High School in the years 1907-1908. The subjects included are English, algebra, arithmetic, as well as directions for a sophomore level English exam. This subseries is useful for the research of turn-of-the-century high school curriculum, homework, exams, and handwriting. 

Subseries 5, Student Work 1909, 1909 and Undated, this subseries contains ten items: student work from Sanford High School in the year 1909. The subjects included are geography, physical geography, grammar, and civil government. This subseries is useful for the research of turn-of-the-century high school curriculum, homework, and handwriting. 

Subseries 6, Commencement & Class Day Programs, 1911-1920, this subseries contains eight items: commencement and Class Day programs used for graduation ceremonies at Sanford High School. This subseries is useful for the research of Sanford history and turn-of-the-century high school graduations, ceremonies, and customs. 

Subseries 7, Baccalaureate Service, 1925, this subseries contains two items: photo-copies of a newspaper article describing the Sanford High School baccalaureate service of 1925. This subseries is useful for the research of Sanford history and Central Florida baccalaureate services. 

Subseries 8, Newspaper Article, Undated, this subseries contains one item: a newspaper article about the history of the Seminole County Public Schools, which includes information about Sanford High School. The publication date of the article is unknown. This subseries is useful for the research of Sanford history and Seminole County Public School history. 

Subseries 9, Cornerstone 1926, 1976-1986 and Undated, this subseries contains four items: a newspaper almanac clipping mentioning the birthday of a Sanford High School graduate, an announcement sent to the alumni of Sanford High School graduating class of 1926 of a manuscript being written by alumni Margaret Sprout Green, a list of 1926 graduates and their known addresses as of 1976, a written draft of a letter sent to 1926 graduates about the publication of the manuscript written by alumni Margaret Sprout Green, and a copy of the list of items placed in the cornerstone of Sanford High School on June 3^rd, 1926. This subseries is useful for the research of Sanford history and Sanford High School alumni. 

Series 3, Salmagundi Yearbooks, 1910-1926 and Undated, this series an explanation of the Sanford High School Salmagundis, the 1910 Salmagundi, an image from the 1912 Salmagundi, the 1914-1917 Salmagundis, the 1918 Pandora yearbook, and the 1919-1926 Salmagundis. This series is useful for the research of Sanford history, turn-of-the-century yearbooks, student writing, student art, issues pertinent to the time period (such as saving materials for the World War I war effort, and paying tribute  to fellow classmates enlisted in the military), and ancestry. This series is located in Archival Box #1, Archival Box #1A, and Archival Box #1B, and has twenty items (some Salmagundi issues have two copies). 

Series 4, Miscellaneous, 1912-1916, this series is made up of oversized items; a 1912 diploma, a 1916 diploma, and an enlarged photo of the class of 1916 (originally in the 1916 Salmagundi). This series is useful for the research of Sanford history, high school diplomas, and the Sanford High School class of 1916. This series is located in Archival Box #3C, and has three items.

Series Description: The collection is divided into four series. 

Series 1, Photographs, 1904-1925 and Undated, 29 Items

Subseries 1, Sanford High School Students, 1907-1925 and Undated, 18 Items

Subseries 2, Sanford High School Buildings, 1904-1919 and Undated, 11 Items

Series 2, Documents, 1905-1986 and Undated, 42 Items

Subseries 1, Report Cards, 1914-1915, 1 Item

Subseries 2, Student Work 1905, 1905, 5 Items

Subseries 3, Student Work 1906, 1906, 5 Items

Subseries 4, Student Work 1907-1908, 1907-1908 and Undated, 6 Items

Subseries 5, Student Work 1909, 1909 and Undated, 10 Items

Subseries 6, Commencement & Class Day Programs, 1911-1920, 8 Items

Subseries 7, Baccalaureate Service, 1925, 2 Items

Subseries 8, Newspaper Article, Undated, 1 Item

Subseries 9, Cornerstone 1926, 1976-1986 and Undated, 4 Items

Series 3, Salmagundi Yearbooks, 1910-1926 and Undated, 20 Items

Series 4, Miscellaneous, 1912-1916, 3 Items 

Collection Registers/Finding Aids

     In my internship, I have to produce three end products; submit the collection to Riches M.I., accession the collection into PastPerfect, and create a finding aid for the collection. I have already outlined how to contribute to Riches M.I. and PastPerfect in previous blogs, and now I will outline how to create a collection register. I used the information I found while comparing collection descriptions of major archives to create my register.

     First of all, a Register is a detailed description of a collection. You may also hear the word “finding aid” when discussing Registers, and to my understanding the words are interchangeable. The purpose of the Register/finding aid is to give the institution intellectual control over the collection, meaning the institution and researchers can know every aspect of the collection just by looking at the Register. This gives researchers the ability to quickly determine if what they need exists in a collection. This may seem confusing to you, and it took me awhile to fully understand the terms. Since I am a hands-on learner who learns by examples, it was difficult for me to create my register without an exact layout to go by. Now that I have finished it, I’m proud that I created it without the use of an example.

     Some Registers will be different from others, as each collection is different and requires different things. The components of my Register consist of a preface, and introduction, a biographical/historical note, a scope and content note, a series description, and a container list. I will explain each of them.

     Preface: This begins the Register by stating any restrictions on the collection. For example, the Sanford High School Collection is open for research. The preface also states who owns the copyrights to the collection. My Register additionally mentions that scanning and copying services are available upon request.

     Introduction: This section is a summary of what the collection consists of, and what the strengths and weaknesses of the collection are.

     Biographical/Historical Note: This is where the background information of the creating institution is stated. In the case of my Register, it gives the background information of Sanford High School.

     Scope and Content Note: This section divides the collection into series, by related objects. The series in the Sanford High School Collection are photographs, documents Salmagundi yearbooks, and miscellaneous. These series are then divided into subseries of related materials. The scope and content note describes what each series and subseries consists of, relevant dates, and what kind of research the series/subseries would be good for.

     Series Description: This section is just like the scope and content note, but without all of the detail. It lays out the series and subseries.

     Container List: This section is a detailed table of contents. It lays out every box, folder, and item in the collection. In my Register, I included the title, date (if known), and item number, and amount of pages for every item in the collection.

     This is the format of my Register. As I said, some Registers will be different depending on the institution and the needs of the collection. Next, I will post the Sanford High School Collection Register.

Criteria for The National Register of Historic Places

     The Public History Center building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was built in 1902 as Sanford High School. To be on the list, a location or building must meet certain criteria. The following requirements must be met:
- Has to be associated with events that made a significant contribution to history.
- Are associated with the lives of significant historic figures
- Embodies distinct characteristics of a certain time period
- Yields information important to history
     The PHC is a romanesque style building distinctive of the time period, and is an example of turn-of-the-century school buildings.
     It is important to protect places of historic significance. Much can be learned from the building style, reason for the use of the location, and contents found within it. The National Register of Historic Places protects the locations on the list, and those pending. Even though the future of the PHC is foggy, it cannot be harmed or destroyed. That being said, the museum needs to stay open in order to up-keep the property and take care of the items, documents, and photos inside. Without proper temperature control, and protection from the elements (like humidity), the items in the archives will deteriorate at a much faster pace. So come support the PHC!
     Until next time, Samantha

(Source:http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_2.htm)

PastPerfect

     PastPerfect is a program that small museums use to catalog their collections. For my internship, I had to accession the Sanford High School Collection into PastPerfect. Accessioning is to transfer the records for archival material into the cataloging system, in order to gain intellectual control over the holdings.
     To accession the collection into PastPerfect, I assigned the collection an I.D. number. At the PHC, the I.D. numbers start with the letters "SM," which stands for student museum. The Sanford High School Collection's I.D. number is SM-13-1720. After that was assigned, I added the collection to PastPerfect, entering information about the collection. It asks for information, such as the date range of the collection, type of items, description of the collection, condition, location, etc.. Then, under "list," I added every item from the collection. This is a lot quicker than how it was previously done. Before, each item in a collection was assigned its own I.D. number, which was very time consuming. Now, museums are moving toward the previously mentioned method.
     The process took me only one day at the PHC to complete. Now the Sanford High School Collection is properly accessioned into PastPerfect.
     Until next time, Samantha

Contributing to Riches Mosaic Interface

     Riches M.I. is a creation of UCF, and most of the material on there covers the Central Florida region, though some may be associated with places outside of the region. I have already introduced you to Riches in a previous blog, and showed you how to find material on the site. Now, I will explain how to add your own material to Riches.
     First, visit the Riches M.I. site at https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/. Then find "Add Your Story" at the top of the screen and click on it. This will take you to the contribute page. You will have to log in or create an account to submit materials to Riches, since it is an academic site. Once you are logged in, you will see the form used to contribute materials. First, you must decide what kind of item you are submitting. Choose from the following choices: a document, image, oral history, video, or website. For my example, I will be submitting an image of the Sanford High School Class of 1925. Riches M.I. asks many questions for submitting an image, and it is important to be as detailed and thorough as possible. The following are the questions asked by Riches when submitting an image:

• Title: In this example, the title is "Class of 1925."
• Historical Background Information: Here I give the following background of Sanford High School... "Sanford High School (located at 301 W. 7th St., Sanford, FL, 32771) was built in 1902.Though it was named Sanford High School, the school included grades one through twelve. An increasing student population caused the need for a new school to be built. In 1911, the name was changed to Sanford Grammar School, when the new Sanford High School was opened. The new school (located at 9th St. and Palmetto, Sanford, FL, 32771) ran until 1926, when the third high school was built and renamed Seminole High School. The class of 1925 graduated from the second Sanford High School, and this photo was taken on the front steps of the school."
• When was the item created?: In this example, the answer is "1925."
• What location does the item describe?: "Sanford High School #2," since it was at the second high school location.
• Please enter the address of the item: This is so submitted material can be pinned on the page with the map on it. The address for this photo is "9th St. & Palmetto Ave., Sanford, Florida, 32771."
• Who created the original item?: This is a difficult question for a lot of the images that I'm submitting, since I don't know who the photographer was. The answer here is "Unknown."
• What is the original format of the item?: They are looking for answers like photographic print, film negative, etc. with this question. The answer here is "Photographic Print."
• What are the dimensions of the item?: This is normally given in inches, and this photo is "7.5' x 10' Inches."
• Where is the original item located?: Here they are looking for the box number, folder number, image number, collection name, etc. This image is in "Archival Box #3A, Students Folder, SM-073-071, Sanford High School Collection." (Note- the SM # is the image number).
• Where is the original item housed?: This answer requires the institution housing the item, such as a repository, museum, etc. This image is housed at the "Public History Center, Archives."
• Who owns the copyright to the original item?: The answer is the "Public History Center." (The PHC especially owns the scans of all the items housed there, which was a term in UCF's contract when they leased the student museum).
• Transcript of text written on photo, or on mount: This is if anything was written on the image. Written on this particular image is "Sanford High School Class of 1925, Sanford, Fla. (SM-073-071)."
• List any books, articles, websites, etc. that you used as a source for your "Historical Background Information.": It's important to list your sources, not only for plagiarism reasons, but also so the researcher can utilize the sources that you used to further their research, if need be. The following source was used for this image...
       "'Sanford Grammar School 1902-1977,' pamphlet prepared by the Seminole County School Board in 1977."

     Lastly, you upload the image if you have it scanned onto your computer. Then agree to the Riches M.I. terms and conditions, and click contribute. You will have successfully submitted an item to Riches Mosaic Interface!

     Contributing to Riches is pretty simple, though I have run into a few problems while submitting materials. Some of the ladies in the collections room and I couldn't find the address to the second Sanford High School, but eventually we got it. Also, Professor Sample received an email from Riches M.I. saying that when I submitted two of the images to Riches, I mixed up the two photos and put them with the wrong metadata (information). Oops! I just gave her the correct pictures, and she sent them to Riches to correct it. Problem solved! Other than that I've had no issues. All in all, Riches M.I. is a wonderful resource for the Central Florida region, and I'm happy that I have contributed to the historical collections that it holds. Until next time,  Samantha

What Will Happen To The PHC?

    
     The Student Museum became the Public History Center in 2012, when UCF leased it for two years. So technically, all of those employed at the PHC are UCF employees. Some are even professors at the university in addition to working at the PHC, such as Dr. Beiler and Professor Sample. However, UCF's lease will be ending in May 2014, and the fate of the PHC is unclear right now. The Seminole County Public School Board does not want to keep it open, for money reasons. Even though UCF pays the employees of the PHC, the SCPS board furnishes the funds for grounds-keeping and general upkeep of the museum. They are looking to sell it. Fortunately, they cannot demolish it, since it is on the list for the National Registry of Historic Places, though I don't think they would.
     The public should get together to ensure that the PHC stays open! This should include not just the Sanford community, but the UCF community as well. There are so many benefits to having the PHC stay open. Just as I type this, there are children doing a scavenger hunt around the building looking for historical things. Throughout my semester interning here, I have seen the PHC be utilized in many different ways. Every week, students on field trips visit the PHC to see the different rooms and learn about history. One girl loved it so much, that she had her mother take her back, and she walked around the museum saying to her mother, "I went in this room when I was here, and this room, and this room..." She was so excited about what she learned in her visits, and that is priceless. I've also seen many people come to the collections room to look at yearbooks or do research. One lady came in with some friends/family, to look at her high school yearbook. She was so excited and emotional from reminiscing about her high school friends and good times. A man visited the collections room to do research about girls’ soccer for a project that he's working on. He said that our yearbook collection is great for his research and much better than other archives he has visited.  Recently, a representative from the weather channel came in to get some pictures from Lake Monroe for a documentary. And these are just a small portion of who utilizes the PHC, since I'm only here around 10 hours a week, I don't get to see it all.
      What the Public History Center does and what it holds is invaluable to the community and beyond. It has to stay open to keep its valuable archival resources safe from decay and open to public use. Students would no longer go on fieldtrips here to learn about history and their town. Citizens would not be able to come here to look at their grandparents’ yearbook or old photos of their neighborhood. Without temperature regulation, the archival materials will decay, and we would lose the irreplaceable information that they hold. I hope things turn out well come May, and I hope it stays a much-used part of the community. If you want to know more about the Public History Center, here is a link http://www.publichistorycenter.cah.ucf.edu/. Until next time,     Samantha