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

Comparing Descriptions of Collections from Major Archives

     A Register for a collection is basically a very detailed description about all aspects of the collection. It is also interchangeably called an Inventory.  It took me forever to figure out what a Register/Inventory was. I was unfamiliar with the terminology, and I'm the type of learner who needs to see an example of something to understand it. After looking at the different styles of collection descriptions from major archives, I understand a lot better what I need to do when creating my own Register for the Sanford High School Collection. I looked at descriptions from The UCF Special Collections, The Smithsonian, The National Archives, The Florida Historical Society, and The Florida Archives.
      In my opinion, the UCF Special Collections has easy to understand collection descriptions. The organization is also visually pleasing. I read each section of the Register, and compared what I saw with the definitions I had for each section. The example I used was the Carey Hand Funeral Home Records, 1891-1955, and you can view them too here http://library.ucf.edu/SpecialCollections/FindingAids/CareyHand.xml#IDAJRELB. It includes important summary information, such as the creator, title of the collection, dates, extent (size of the collection in linear feet), abstract (a brief summary of what is included in the collection), language, accession number, and the repository that it is located in. The next section is the historical note, which gives background information about the collection and/or creating institution. In this case, the background information is about Carey Hand and his funeral home. The scope and content section start with a brief description of what is in the collection and what it is useful for, such as genealogy. It then goes into detail at the series level. For my collection, a series would probably be each folder. Each series is described with what is in it, how many, the time period, arrangement, strengths and weaknesses, and what kind of information can be obtained from the series. Next, the restrictions section has a copyright statement stating who owns the copyrights of the collection. The selected subjects and access points section lists subjects and key words that pertain to the collection. Administrative information has the preferred citation (for the use of researchers), how the archive acquired the collection, and how accessible the collection is. Lastly, the description has a contents list. This lists each series and every item within the series. Each item is named (many times with the dates) and the location (volume/box number) is listed. UCF Special Collections is a prime example of what a collection description should look like, and it will help me in creating my Register.
      The Smithsonian was the next archive that I searched. I found the website to be confusing to navigate, but once I found a collection to use as an example, I was happy. I like the way that the Smithsonian organizes their collection descriptions. In my opinion, it is superior to UCF Special Collections, though UCF comes in a close second. The collection example that I used is The Singer Industrial Design Collection, which I think is rather interesting since I own a sewing machine. You can check out this collection description here http://amhistory.si.edu/archives/AC0169.html#ref9. It has a lot of the same administrative and summary information that UCF includes. The Biographical/Historical note gives background information about the Singer Company. The scope and content note is detailed. It illustrates what the bulk of the collection is made up of. It then lists each series and describes what is in them and how it is arranged (usually alphabetically). This particular collection has a lot of subseries. After the scope and content note is an arrangement note, which just lists the order of each series and subseries with their name and dates, like a scope and content note but without any detail. It has a related materials section, so researchers can find other collections that may pertain to their research. Controlled access headings is similar to a keyword section, and it includes corporate names, genres, personal names, and subjects. A bibliography section is included, which is not included in the UCF Special Collections. This lists the way the archivist obtained their information for sections such as Biographical/Historical note, and scope and content note. Lastly, the collection inventory is like UCF's contents list, but better. Even though it takes up a lot of room, it is very clear and easy to read. It lists each series and subseries, and each item is listed with the date, medium (photos/mixed materials), and box/folder number. Overall, the Smithsonian had the best collection description style, and I will definitely be using it as an example for my collection Register.
     The rest of the archives that I looked at were not nearly as impressive as UCF Special Collections and The Smithsonian. The collection descriptions of The National Archive are very brief. Here you can find the example that I used, http://aad.archives.gov/aad/series-description.jsp?s=4432&cat=all&bc=sl, which is about Germans to American Passenger Data Files. It includes the title, the creator, type of archival material (such as data files, textual records), level of description (in this case it's at the series level, from a larger collection), other titles, and the location. Next it lists inclusive dates and coverage dates, with a date note about coverage dates being the dates of passenger arrivals, and what collection this series is part of. Next, function and use describes briefly why the series was created and for what, as well as where the information was extracted from. Scope and content note has detail about what is included in the series, what countries these passengers came from, what the bulk of the records are about, and what information may be included about each passenger. The access restrictions tells us if the collection is totally, partially, or not accessible. Finding aid type brings you to another window entirely, giving different information to help researchers when using this collection, such as country code numbers. The finding aid source lists where the information from the finding aid type came from. Extent lists the size of the collection, in both number of files and linear inches. Lastly, index terms lists subjects that are common throughout the collection. Over all, this description lacks the detail that the first two had, and I would not use it in creating my register. However, I can cut it some slack, since it only describes a series, and not an entire collection.
     The Florida Historical Society has the bare minimum amount of information in their descriptions, which is disappointing. The example I used is an album of photographs from Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee, and you can find it here http://myfloridahistory.pastperfect-online.com/37030cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=42091630-8A02-4E63-AB0B-054918208410;type=301. Collection lists the name of the collection. It includes the catalog number, object name (print, photographic), physical characteristics (how many pages), and who it's cataloged by. Scope and content lists what is included in the collection and dates, from where, and features on the collection (such as handwritten notes). And that's it. I would not use this archive to assist me in creating my register.
     The Florida Archives has a better Collection description, but it still lacks compared to UCF and The Smithsonian. My chief complaint is the format. It can be confusing to read, because of the categories and sentences run together. I chose to use the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women for my example, which is located here http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/barm/rediscovery/default.asp?IDCFile=/fsa/detailss.idc,SPECIFIC=4,DATABASE=SERIES. The description lists the record group number and the series/collection number. The creator, title, and date all run together in the same sentence. It also includes the amount (in cubic feet), the medium included, the organization/arrangement, the restriction and terms governing use (though these are left blank for this particular description). Biographical/historical gives a history on the Commission on the Status of Women, starting with the first by J.F.K., and ending with Florida's own CSW. Summary lists what kinds of items are included in the collection, and the topics covered. Finding aids points out where file folder and box listing can be found for the collection. Some categories are there but left blank, such as additional physical form, reproduction note, location of originals/duplicates, language notes, ownership/custodial history, publication note, general note, and electronic records access. Associated materials names collections similar to the collection you are looking at. Lastly, subject field entry lists subjects related to the collection. I would use this archive for help with my own register, but it would not be my primary model.
     Now, I can prepare my register/inventory with these five examples in mind. Until next time,
                                                                                                                                                   Samantha

Using Riches M.I.

      Riches Mosaic Interface is a wonderful tool. It can be used to find out what sort of archival collections and items exist in the area that you search.

      The first page you see has a map on it. It is there for people to search for items associated with an exact location. For example, I typed “Sanford” in the search text bar, and the result was a big red circle on the map over central Florida. The circle had the number “120” in it, meaning that my search resulted in 120 hits. As I zoomed in, the dots became more dispersed, and I was able to click on them. In addition to Riches showing the hits on the map, there is a side bar on the right side giving me the results from my search. You can also refine your search by limiting the years in which Riches will include. You can do this by adjusting the bar in the upper left that ranges from 1720-2013.

     If you have any questions or issues with using Riches, there is a FAQ/Tutorial link at the top of the screen. Next to this link is the link to Add Your Story, if you would like to submit archival documents or photos to Riches M.I. I will elaborate on the submission process more in a future blog.

     Listed next is The Archive. This will open a new page, where you can search some more for the subjects that you are looking for, or to browse the featured and other items in Riches.  To browse, you can do so by items or by exhibits. You can also select Collection Tree, to search for collections by category. For example, you can click on “Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection,” and browse the collections that we hold here at the PHC.

     Once you find the item or collection that you are looking for, or if you’re just interested in a certain item, select it. Each item will be accompanied by background information, size, creator, copyright holder, location, date, subjects, and so on. This information should give you an idea of whether or not it will help in your research, and if it does, you can see the item in person at the listed location. If your item is located at the PHC, you can come visit us!

     To experience Riches M.I. for yourself, go to https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/. Until next time, Samantha

 

 

 

Scanning

     An important part of my project is scanning. I need to scan the images and documents from my collection into the computer for a couple different reason. First, I took the photos on display off the walls and scanned them in order to print a copy to hang back up, and to keep the original safe in folders and archival boxes. After that was complete, and I had my entire collection all in one place, I began to scan the rest of my collection. This is a process that I'm still working on.
     Unfortunately, the scanner in the Collections Room at the Public History Center has been giving us a lot of problems. It's really temperamental, and for a few weeks I had to go back and forth between the library and the collections room to scan photos. Fortunately, UCF's tech support guy has been helping us with the scanner, and for the past two weeks it has been cooperating.
     Now, I can get my work done. The reason why I am scanning my entire collection into the computer is so the PHC has the archival items stored digitally as well as physically. Also, I will be posting each item's scan on Riches M.I. as I make contributions to the site. The digital copyrights of all the items that I scan belong to the Public History Center.
     How to Scan: for each item that I scan, I set it to TIFF with 800dpi. I click Preview, and adjust the selection to only scan the document (or else it would scan the blank spaces as well, and it would take more time for me to crop each item in Photoshop). I then click scan, and make sure that the item is going into the appropriate folder with the appropriate name. Then I wait for the scanning to be complete, which takes approximately 2-3 minutes. During this time, I multitask by preparing the next item to be scanned, submitting items to Riches, or working on my blog.
     This size image takes up a lot of room, so to be able to post it on Riches, I transfer the items by folder into JPEGs, through Photoshop. This format is much more space and internet friendly.
     Coming into this internship, I already knew a lot about scanning and JPEGs from my high school days. During my sophomore, junior, and senior years I took Photography as a class. This also equipped me with Photoshop knowledge, which has come in handy many times during my internship.
     The Salmagundis are going to take a long time to scan into the computer, because of their size. I have to scan each individual page. I have already completed scanning the 1919 Salmagundi, with the help of Professor Sample here at the PHC. She was asked by the UCF tech support guy to try to scan things into the computer, so he could diagnose the problem with the scanner. Of course, since someone was there to fix it, the scanner was working just fine, and she ended up scanning around half of the 1919 Salmagundi for me. Thanks Professor Sample! With that one done, I have 14 more to scan. Each one will take approximately a full day to scan. With the Spring semester already half over, I hope I have time to finish them. Right now, I'm getting the other parts of my project scanned, and if time permits I will scan the Salmagundis.
Until next time, Samantha

The Salmagundis

     The Sanford High School Collection has the school yearbooks from 1910, 1912, and 1914-1926. All of these yearbooks, with the exception of the 1918 yearbook, were named and referred to as "Salmagundis." The word Salmagundi is an old Indian word meaning, "a general mixture," and since the yearbooks were a general mixture of things pertaining to the school and the student's lives, the name stuck and the tradition began.
      As the years went on, the Salmagundis became larger, as did each class. The first Salmagundi (1910) is 42 pages long, and cost only 15 cents. They are similar to yearbooks that we have in modern times. They have a senior section in the front of the yearbook, picturing each senior individually and listing their names. Next, they have a section about the juniors, sophomores, then freshman, and each class shows a picture of all the students together. They also include sports, superlatives, and writings from the students.
      And then there are things that we don’t see in our yearbooks. The 1919 Salmagundi features a tribute to a student, Arthur Lossing, who died in battle in France, during World War I. It talks about a memorial service that the school held in his honor. The next page is a drawing of a flag with 24 stars (representing the classmates who are in active service or training), and a 25^th gold star on the border of the flag, representing Arthur Lossing. A third page features a poem dedicated to their “gold star,” Arthur Lossing.
      Another sign of the war is the entire 1918 Sanford High School yearbook. That year, the yearbook committee broke tradition and named the yearbook “Pandora,” for only one year. The historical significance of this yearbook is that it was shortened into a pamphlet, in order to save materials for the war effort. It is so interesting to see evidence of such a big, international, historical event in the yearbooks of a school in the middle of Florida.
     There are things that I wish were not a part of history that can be seen in these yearbooks. There is some unfortunate evidence of racist attitudes to be found in the 1934 Salmagundi. In the Salmagundi, there is a pullout map of Sanford that was hand-drawn (most likely by a student). Toward the bottom of the map is an arrow pointing in the direction of Goldsborough, a historically black neighborhood. A comment written by the arrow reads, “Blacksborough, better known as Goldsborough, they mixed their colors up.” This may be an example of the attitude of white people toward black people during this time period. It’s a shame that this was the way of thinking for many people. I don’t understand how some communities could co-exist with ease, while others could not. 1934 was in the middle of the Great Depression, and tensions could have risen between the groups due to competition for the same jobs. It also occurred to me that Sanford High School was an all-white school. It’s not something that we think about now, since we have been desegregated for over 50 years.
      It does, however, show how far we have come. Until next time,
                                                                                                       Samantha

The Sanford High School Collection

     The collection that I have been assigned to is the Sanford High School Collection. Sanford High School was built in 1902, at 301 W. 7th St., and is currently the Public History Center. The name of the first Sanford High School changed to Sanford Grammar School when the new high school was built in 1911 at 9th St. & Palmetto. This new building served as the high school until 1926 when a third high school was built and renamed Seminole High School. My project covers Sanford High School from 1902-1926.
     When I began my internship, the collection was already compiled and organized in a couple boxes. This is the first part of archiving a collection. Before the internet age, putting together and organizing the collection would have been the end of the project, aside from creating a register/inventory. Now with the internet age, historians have the ability to make collections more accessible to the public. This is done through entering the collections into PastPerfect and Riches M.I. This is a time consuming task, because of the amount of detail that has to be entered for each item in the collection. I will explain more about these two programs in future entries.
     First, I acquainted myself with the collection, to become familiar with what I would be working with. The collection is made up of photos, documents, and yearbooks. The photos are of the students and the two school buildings. There is a photo of the first graduating class of Sanford High School, which was in 1907. There were only four graduates that year, all ladies, Alberta Hill Howard, Peacha Leffler Wiggins, Clara Millen, and Mabel Bowler Bram.  There are more photos of graduating classes from later years, and miscellaneous student pictures. The weird thing about looking at these old photos is that, at the time the photo was taken, the people in the picture had no idea what was going to occur in the twentieth century. Some of these photos were taken before the Titanic even sank. Some were taken before Women's Suffrage, World War I & II, and the Civil Rights Movement. We are able to look at the twentieth century in hindsight, but right now, we are practically in the same position that they were. It is currently 2014, and we are oblivious as to what conflicts, advances, and changes this century will bring. Food for thought...
     There are many items in my collection that are on display throughout the Public History Center. It was a long process to take them down, scan them, and hang the copies back up on the walls. The process was a lot longer than it should have been due to an uncooperative scanner. There were a lot of original photos on display. I replaced these with copies, so we could keep the originals in a safe, dark and dry archival box. I was disappointed to see that many of the original photos had been "damaged" by poor knowledge on how to treat archival items. Almost every photo on display has a typed caption glued to it. Now, the caption cannot be removed without causing some damage to the photos. If you are ever dealing with important documents or treasured photographs, never tape, staple, or glue anything to them.
     The Sanford High School Collection also has some student exams and homework assignments saved from the years 1905-1908. These made me realize that I need to improve my cursive reading skills. They consist of various subjects, like Latin, English, Geography, etc. The collection also has one report card.
     The collection has yearbooks from 1910, 1912, and 1914-1926. These books were called Salmagundis, and they are a wealth of information about Sanford High School, and the city in general. I have a lot to get done in order to complete this collection by the end of the semester. Until next time, Samantha

   

Introduction and The Public History Center

     Hello all! It has been a few weeks since I started my internship at the Public History Center in Sanford, Florida. Let me tell you more about myself and how I got to this point. I am currently a junior at the University of Central Florida, but I hail from Palm City, Florida. I decided to major in History over a year ago, and added a minor in Anthropology (with a concentration in Archaeology) last semester. I have always had a love for history as a child, and I came to the conclusion that I would be happy pursuing a career involving history. I am interested in museum work, particularly incorporating Native American artifacts. This led me to seek out an internship in a museum, since I don't have any of the skills required for museum work, and I wanted to develop them.
     This search led me to the Public History Center. The PHC is located in Sanford, Florida, and is about thirty minutes away from UCF. The building that is the Public History Center was built in 1902, as Sanford High School. This was the building's function until 1911, when the new Sanford High School was built, and the current school was converted into Sanford Grammar School. It remained this way until 1984, when it became the Student Museum. The University of Central Florida leased the museum in 2012, and it officially became the Public History Center.
     I was able to get an internship in Archival Administration at the PHC, and I started this semester (Spring 2014). I didn't really know what to expect for my internship. I did know that I would be processing a collection of documents and photographs to be submitted to PastPerfect and Riches MI. In the past, archiving ended with the organization of items into a complete collection. Now, because of the ever growing digital world, archival collections have to be entered into these computer programs in great detail. The reason for this is public access. Researchers, and people with an interest in a particular collection, can consult these programs to determine whether or not the collection has what they are looking for. This is a revolutionary way to bring history to the public.
     And this will be my project for the semester. I will be organizing the collection that I have been assigned to (The Sanford High School Collection), and submitting it to PastPerfect and Riches MI. I have yet to work with these programs, so this will very much be a learning process. I am, however, very excited to become familiar with them and to finish this collection!
     Until next time,
                      Samantha