The University Archives & Special Collections of the Florida Gulf Coast University Wilson G. Bradshaw Library advances research by acquiring, preserving, and providing public access to original primary source materials. The team includes the University Archivist, Archives Coordinator, Special Collections Librarian, Archival Assistants, Archives Interns, and Archives Fellows.
The Florida Gulf Coast University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) internship program is designed to introduce undergraduate and graduate students to the fields of archives and librarianship while supporting their academic and career development. Interns will gain hands-on experience in the day-to-day operations of UASC, including collection management, preservation, outreach, and reference services.
Students will learn behind-the-scenes work of archives, libraries, and cultural heritage organizations, including aspects of preservation, collection management, digital archiving, and outreach. Specific duties and responsibilities include: arrangement, description, and rehousing of archival materials; creating and improving metadata for digital materials; and updating and revising existing collection finding aids. Interns will be embedded in the work of UASC and expected to follow procedures and participate in team meetings and other activities.
Internships are typically completed over 16 weeks during the Fall and Spring semesters, or over a shorter period during the Summer C semester, in conjunction with a credit-based internship course. Students are expected to work a minimum of 10 hours per week, totaling approximately 135 hours over the semester, aligning with the requirements of a three-credit internship course.
Program Dates:
Now accepting applications for:
Learning Objectives:
Application Requirements: Applicants are required to submit a resume and a statement of interest.
Eligibility: Archives internships are open to individuals currently enrolled in an FGCU undergraduate or graduate program. Interns are not required to have archival experience beyond their coursework.
Apply: Email Archives Coordinator, Emily Murray (eamurray@fgcu.edu)
The America in the Depression Years Collection was processed by a student intern in Fall 2024.
The Great Depression lasted from the 1920s and through part of the 1940s. During this time, millions of Americans became unemployed, were evicted from their homes, and relied on what little assistance the United States government could provide. It was not until Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal that things began to look up. The New Deal introduced many agencies, each with a job to help bolster the economy and aid the American people. Consisting of 450 photo slides, the images in the collection were chosen from more than 80,000 file prints in the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information Collections in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Photographed between 1935 and 1943, the original educational slide set was produced in 1979. Photographers include Arthur Rothstein, Dorothea Lange, Roy Stryker, Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, Theodor Jung, John Vachon, Carl Mydans, Russell Lee, Marion Post Wolcott, Jack Delano, and many more.
Finding Aid and Digital Collection
Doug MacGregor's Southwest Florida Cartoon Collection was digitized by student interns in Spring 2023.
Doug MacGregor has been an artist, illustrator, and cartoonist for over 45 years, working for newspapers and print publications across the United States. He got his professional start drawing editorial cartoons for the Norwich Bulletin in eastern Connecticut in 1980. He moved to Florida in 1988 and drew cartoons for The News-Press in Fort Myers until June of 2011. He currently draws weekly editorial cartoons for The Naples Press. The collection contains sketches spanning MacGregor's career with the Fort Myers News-Press.
Finding Aid and Digital Collection
The Mainsail Video Productions, Inc. Collection was processed by a student intern in Fall 2024.
Mainsail Video Productions is an Emmy Award-winning TV production company based in Southwest Florida. Main Sail focuses on broadcast documentaries and designs digital art and motion graphics for the television industry. The collection contains VHS tapes pertaining to the Mainsail Video Productions Company based out of Southwest Florida and includes tapes involving the Southwest Florida Water Management District in the Everglades, the Edison Home Collection, Travel and Tourism segments, Hurricanes, and Florida's Golf culture.
