Joining the National Park Service Archives Staff

When I told my friends and family I had taken an archives technician position at the South Florida Collections Management Center (SFCMC) in Everglades National Park, I was often asked what an archivist does inside a national park.

The short answer is a lot. The SFCMC staff is responsible for the care and organization of over seven million individual objects associated with Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas National Parks, Big Cypress National Preserve, and De Soto National Memorial. The SFCMC has biological specimens (things that were once alive inside the park units) and historical collections that must be organized so they can be easily found as well as protected for future use. This means we have to keep the collections storage rooms at cool, dry temperatures, as well as keeping the rooms clean and protected against any pests (south Florida has so many bugs!).

The biggest part of working in a park archive or museum is making our collections available to the public. Most often, we do this by loaning material to organizations wanting to display an item, or to scientists who need specimens for their research. A new way we are making the collections available, and one of my tasks as an archives technician, is to bring attention to our collections on the internet.

I am very excited to be working in the National Park Service. I feel that I am preserving our nation’s history in some small way. And since I haven’t been able to tell you everything an archivist does, I highly recommend exploring our subject site and Facebook page to learn more.

Alexis Van Pool

Archives Technician