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Hello, everyone! My name is Emily English, and I’m a junior at the University of Central Florida pursuing my BA in History. This Spring 2025 semester, I was granted the opportunity to work as a Processing Intern with UCF’s Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA).

My work primarily consisted of processing an addition to the Lou Frey papers, which included a wide array of materials ranging from photographs and audiovisual recordings to campaign donation records. Louis “Lou” Frey, Jr. was a Florida Congressman often known for his role in establishing the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. He founded the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government here at UCF, which provides “civic education programs that encourage thoughtful debate and discussion about current policy issues.”

In 2023, Marcia Frey, Lou’s wife, donated the portion of the collection that I processed. I began with roughly 30 full-sized boxes of unsorted materials, which is a pretty large addition. When I finished processing the materials, 49 half boxes and two flat files were added to the collection. Over the course of the semester, I followed a processing checklist to make sure I completed each step along the way. I began by surveying my collection, taking in-depth notes of the contents of each box. Once I finished my survey, I drafted a processing plan to propose the new physical arrangement of the materials, which impacts how well future researchers can navigate the collection.

Once my supervisor, Arielle, approved my drafted processing plan, I began rehousing the materials a few weeks into the semester—the rehousing process ended up taking up the bulk of my time. It consisted of taking materials out of binders and plastic sleeves and placing them into legal-sized acid-free folders to ensure that they are preserved for as long as possible. During the last 2 weeks of my internship, I worked on creating a finding aid for the collection, which is an online tool that assists researchers in discovering and accessing the Lou Frey papers. It also provides a list of the contents in the collection.

In addition to processing Congressman Frey’s personal papers, Arielle tasked me with developing an outreach project for the department to better inform the UCF community about what materials are housed in the Special Collections & University Archives department. I chose to complete three coloring pages that can be used in future events held by the library—one of homecoming ducks, one of a Pegasus yearbook cover, and one of patches from space missions. I hope my drawings pique the interest of students and faculty so that they come to visit the archives!

I really enjoyed my time being part of the SCUA team this spring semester! I was able to learn a lot about the archives and what archival work looks like day-to-day, processing materials to be preserved for years to come. I visited the Winter Park Museum’s archives with Arielle, where I got to see how another archive operates and how they serve their local community. It felt extremely gratifying to be able to contribute to the UCF community and work with historical materials firsthand. I hope that my addition to the Lou Frey papers will be useful to researchers in the future. Although it was a bit daunting to process so many materials and balance my internship with my classes, I gained a lot from this experience. I strengthened my time management skills and developed a sharper eye for detail, which I’m certain will be invaluable in my future career plans. Overall, I had an amazing time working as a Processing Intern, and I valued the opportunity that I was given to learn and grow in the SCUA department.

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