07 Jun California to Florida – South Florida Collections Management

A few weeks ago, I embarked on a road trip from Southern California to Florida.  Growing up during the winter breaks my dad would drive the family from California to Mexico.  Familiar with road trips I set forward on this trip.  Thankfully I wasn’t alone, my partner, Tony joined me.  I am currently a graduate student at Cal State University, Fullerton focusing on public history.  Leaving one week before finals was not easy.  While on the road I finished writing one final paper.  Pulling over at a McDonald’s on the outskirts of Florida to charge my computer and submit my final paper. While on the road I was pulled over twice because of my California license plate. :0  Regardless of these inconveniences I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to travel the south.  The road trip was planned in a way that we had some days to explore certain major cities. This summer I will be working at the South Florida Collections Management Center (SFCMC) in Everglades National Park.  Since this is my first week I was introduced to the Everglades National Park team.  I am excited to learn from them and develop a comprehensive understanding on cultural, historical, and nature resource management.  This week my task was to check-in large scale documents that were loan to Technical Information Center (TIC).[1]  I have enjoyed this task because it has allowed me to explore maps and drawings from Biscayne National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Everglades National Park.  I have learned a lot of the parks through these documents.  I look forward to growing as a historian through this internship and assisting Jim William, a museum curator with developing the context for SFCMC website. [1] Technical Information Center (TIC) “is the central servicewide information management system for all NPS-generated planning, design, and construction drawings and related technical documents.”