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The Lifecycle of an Archive Donation: An Intern’s Perspective

I chose to come to the Writers Guild Foundation Library and Archive to intern for two reasons. The first came from wanting to experience a hands-on internship in an archive setting. The other, perhaps more compelling reason is that I studied radio and television for my undergraduate degree and spent time in the animation production world here in Los Angeles prior to pursuing my master’s in library science and information science at San Jose State University. I strongly feel that through this internship, I also found a way to give back to the entertainment community that I have been fortunate to be a part of.

So, what happens when someone donates materials to become part of the Writers Guild Foundation Library and Archive? In my case, writer and producer Joseph Dougherty donated a wealth of materials he worked on for television series, television movies, and film.

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Donor Spotlight: Joseph Dougherty

Joseph Dougherty began his career on the television series, thirtysomething, for which he won several Emmys and a Humanitas prize; additionally, he has worked on Pretty Little Liars, Judging Amy, Saving Grace, Once and Again, Saved, and Presidio Med. He also wrote the HBO movies, Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, and Cast a Deadly Spell, as well as the latter’s sequel, Witch Hunt (which was nominated for a CableACE for Writing a Movie or Miniseries in 1995).

Dougherty donated scripts to the Writers Guild Foundation Library and Archive after assessing he had items in storage that could be of value to other writers, and graciously took the time to answer questions as to why donating these works was important.