By Emily Murray, Archives Coordinator

During the Fall semester, the University Archives and Special Collections hosted four incredible student interns - Isabella Elg, Presley Long, Sierra Smith, and Zephyr Wolfe. The internship program is designed to broadly introduce students to the fields of archives and librarianship as they pursue their academic and career interests. Students experience the day-to-day operations, including collection management, preservation, outreach, and reference work. As a final task, students must complete a cumulative project that showcases their work, in any format, throughout the semester.  

Isabella Elg

 

 

 

 

As a freshman pursuing a double major in English and Communications with a concentration in Public Relations, Isabella contributed her skills to the America in the Depression Years Collection, President’s Collection, University Marketing and Communications, and the Kevin Erwin Environmental Collection. 

For the final project, Isabella presented a poster at the Symposium of Undergraduate Research and Internships (SURI) that reflected her internship experience.

 

 

 

Presley Long

 

 

 

 

Presley, a sophomore studying English with a minor in Creative Writing, immersed herself in the Mainsail Video Productions Inc. Collection, President’s Collection, and the Floridiana Collection throughout the semester.

For the final project, Presley wrote a Case Study regarding the digitization, metadata, and the use of ArchivesSpace with the postcards from the Floridiana Collection.

 

 

 

 

Sierra Smith

 

 

 

 

As a senior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Gender Studies, Sierra furthered the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Collection and the Porecki Orchid Collection. 

For the final project, Sierra created a digital humanities project that maps orchid stamps from around the globe from the Porecki Orchid Collection. 

 

 

 

 

Zephyr Wolfe  

 

 

 

 

Zephyr is a senior majoring in History and dedicated their time to the FGCU Athletics Collection, Oral History Collection, and the Sanibel Island Collection. For the final project, Zephyr designed a zine that reflected their internship experience. 

 

 

 

 

 

As the semester comes to a close, the University Archives and Special Collections want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Isabella, Presley, Sierra, and Zephyr for their incredible contributions. Each student brought unique skills, perspectives, and dedication to their work, leaving a lasting impact on these collections.  

We are so proud of all that you have accomplished and wish each of you all the best in your future endeavors—you will always have a place in the archives community! ❤️ 

For more information about University Archives and Special Collections internships, please contact Emily Murray (eamurray@fgcu.edu).