Written by: Amanda Armstrong
“Remember to look up at the stars, not down at your feet” – Stephen Hawking
This quote, on the surface, doesn’t look like it would fit into the world of Archival, but it has a home within the tombs and pages of the archives. My name is Fox, and I was lucky enough to spend the Fall of 2025 Interning at the Archives of Rollins College. I’m currently a University of Alabama student working on my Masters of Library and Information Science and this internship was a wonderful experience that shifted my perspective on how I view the world.
I knew about Rollins as I’m a local Floridian, but this was the first time I’ve stepped foot on to the campus. I got the honor of working on the Bill Loving Jr. Collection of Rollins Photography.1 This collection was taken from the early 1970s to the 1980s, during his time as a Rollins employee.
Campus shots Amanda took during her walks to the Olin Library
My first task was Preservation. I spent my time organizing the slides and photos into sections. I took them out of their envelopes, cardboard boxes, and even plastic bags. They were put into polypropylene sleeves next. Doing this ensures that the chemical breakdown of things like rubber bands doesn’t damage the slides. They were then put into folders in order of the collection. An example is one box was labeled R-PL 102, once in the sleeves, each sheet was also Labeled, R-PL 102 – 1, R-PL 102 – 2. By the end of this process the collection was neatly sorted into three boxes.
Bill Loving Jr. Collection of Rollins Photography Boxes
The next few tasks were all about data entry and metadata. I created and logged the collection into ArchivesSpace. This makes it easier for patrons to locate a specific photo or slide. Using the example of R-PL 102, you can find it’s physical location which is Box 2, Folder 9. It might seem tedious, but I enjoy this type of work, knowing that I helped set up a collection that people will be able to use easily brings me joy.
Amanda looking through the slides and taking notes
The next task was the one that was tougher, but it’s where I learned the most. I’m talking about Metadata. I was given a small sample of about 549 photos that had been uploaded but not published to JSTOR. It was my job to find out when, where, and sometimes who were in the photos. I was scouring year books, college newspapers, public newspapers, photos that they had on hand, playbills, scrapbooks and even blueprints to help me identify everything. I started with the R-PL, which is Rollins Plays. I was able to identify over twenty-five plays, various Actors and got to see the amazing stage sets. During this part I learned about how students and faculty marched to downtown Winter Park, in protest, against the possible arrests if they proceeded with the performance of Equuis in 1980. I learned about Jason Opshal, who was in the 1981 Rollins cast of Pippin. He was the older brother to Bob Opshal, former news anchor for WFTV-Channel 9, who I had grown up watching on TV.
Bill Loving Jr. Collection of Rollins Photography JSTOR Page
The last part I worked on was photos of the Rollins Campus. Most people, me included, tend not to look at what’s around us, but have our eyes down on our phones. Those images showed how elegant and beautiful the campus was and still is to this day. It inspired me to take my own photos and to put away the phone and just enjoy my surroundings going to and from the Olin Library. Fun fact, did you know that the Archibald Granville Bush Science Center exterior is made from travertine marble from Pietrasanta, Italy? It’s always exciting for me to learn new and fun things about places around me.
I will be forever grateful to Rollins College, the Olin Library, Liriam Tobar, and Wenxian Zhang, for giving me this wonderful chance to learn and help identify Rollins history. I will take these lessons to heart and use them in my path forward. For everyone else, I hope you see the passion and joy that this collection exudes from not just the photographer but the subjects as well. I also hope that you put down the phone and take a moment to observe the wonderful campus that is Rollins College.