Orange County Regional History Center Week #1

Dear YAP Familia,

This week I finally started my internship in Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando, Florida. My supervisor introduced me to the staff I would be working with during my four week internship, the Collections Department. I was initially two projects/assignments: “citrus labels” inventory and design a sinkhole exhibit. As the week went on, not only did I gain new skills and knowledge while working on my assignments, but I started to learn more about the historic artifacts and the story conveyed by them.

The first project I was assigned upon arrival was the citrus label inventory. The museum had received a large donation of citrus labels from different local companies. The staff decided to keep one or two of each, but many of them had extras. So, my job was to run inventory with an Excel worksheet of the extras. Surprisingly, some surpassed five hundred labels or in two cases one thousand! In addition, I got the chance to go offsite and see the vast collection of objects, paintings, and documents. At offsite, I ran inventory of government records from the 1800s, and cataloged some objects with little history. With these projects, I learned more about the procedures with handling historic documents and artifacts and the importance of maintaining the information up to date and having every single object accounted for. It’s very hard especially when people do not take the proper precautions when bringing them to the museum or leave the objects with very few information. The Collections staff must not only do their best to find the story behind the objects or documents but also try as much as possible to conserve them so they can eventually use them to tell them a story of the Central Florida community.

*Ben Franklin Citrus Label from Seminole County. Citrus labels like this had elaborate designs for box labels of the citrus companies. This one design was one of the most numerous labels.

Besides running inventory and having the opportunity to catalog, I was also assigned a design project. The objective of this project is to design a temporary exhibit about sinkholes and Central Florida’s history with sinkholes. Since I was working with Collections, I was able to access books, old newspapers, and photographs of any topic regarding Central Florida, including sinkholes. I also accessed government websites and scholarly articles for research. However, as the week progressed, I started learning more about the considerations one must have when designing an exhibit. One must both address the audience’s needs (for example, displaying the information and graphics the necessary height so people in wheel chairs can enjoy the exhibit) and captivate the audience’s attention about subjects’ people might find very interesting or in some cases boring. Every single aspect of an exhibit, from the font’s colors to pictures dimensions, plays a vital role in the successful design of an exhibit.

In my first week, I learned about the natural disasters and events in Central Florida, from hurricanes to sinkholes, and the organization the staff must have when working with historic artifacts. From deciding when to use gloves to relying on reliable sources, it’s Collections work to preserve the artifacts and the stories behind the artifacts. For instance, in the offsite warehouse, every single Pulse Nightclub shooting is set apart and taken very well off since these objects communicate the night of one of the worst massacres in American history. In addition, the information displayed must have the correct terminology so it does not offend the museum’s audience. The whole process behind an exhibit is very complicated and elaborated, but the result of portraying the community’s history in the best and worst of times within a single wall or room is worth it.

*Small stuffed brown bear holding a red heart that says "I Love You." Wearing a small rainbow glittered cowboy hat. Part of the Lake Eola memorial in response to the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

Just in one week, I got to know the amazing people behind the scenes in the museum, just like in Washington Week and the importance of handling objects and documents with care. I was also able to see part of the Latino community’s influence in Orlando’s history. Just in one week, I already started polishing my research skills which will come in very handy during my time in the university and have learned more about what it means to collaborate with other people in the professional field and improve my communication skills. Just in one week, I have for the first time started gaining work experience. I have enjoyed my time so far in the museum, and I hope that in the remaining time I learn more about the Latino community’s role in Orlando, and about the value of a community’s history. 

Until next week,
Charmaine Nieves