Week 14: The Public History Internship Experience

Prior to joining the Public History Central team in the summer, networking and developing the necessary skills for the field were challenging without proper support. Staying under the umbrella of the Public History Central internship, working with the other teams has proven beneficial and enjoyable, as I have collaborated with my fellow teammates and gained a deeper insight into the work they’ve accomplished this semester. Earlier in the digitization process, I worked with Mission Memory, which refined my skills in working faster on metadata sheets while scanning in person.

Michael Hanen hand-picked these two especially for digitization

UCF Department of History Outreach Table

Michael Hanen Commendation Medal

Veterans brought in photos and objects to share, and we took time to scan as many as we could..

Photos from Michael Hanen's photo album

Last Saturday, I joined some of the members of the Veterans History Project team for the VHP Story Day Event. This was an opportunity to conduct oral histories and promote the department’s programs. Our tables at previous outreach events appeared to be effective, as it seemed that those who attended had heard of us from someone else. I was the interviewer for the first oral history, and it was also my first time asking the questions. It was nerve-wracking, and I inevitably stumbled over some words. Plus, I tried to stay as close to the script as possible, as I need more practice in interviewing and knowing where and how to ask follow-up questions that can elicit more information from the interviewee. Not to mention that I don’t have much experience interacting with veterans, so I didn’t want to risk asking about an uncomfortable or sensitive topic.

Second interview I was present for, working with the camera.

I mention this in my presentation, but I believe that conducting oral histories will only continue to gain popularity in the field, especially as technology advances. This opportunity allowed me to venture far outside my comfort zone, and now, at least, I can say I did it. Hopefully, I will get to do more down the line. I found having the experience behind me was very important, as I’ve already seen a few places have that skill as a preference for those they want to bring on. The day was great for my future, but also provided the chance to communicate with veterans and hear their side of the story, potentially processing some of these difficult memories as they shared their experiences.

As the internship comes to a close, there is much to reflect on with my experiences, challenges, and how I navigated my way through metadata and working with others. At the moment, there is no definite internship lined up for me for the spring semester, but I’m waiting to hear back from some people. Even if I could continue working on spreadsheets in the spring, I would absolutely take that because, as I’ve described here, it goes beyond making the edits. Regardless, this time I’ve already been given has been invaluable.