[Libs-Or] At home transcribing projects: National Archives

[James Carmin]

Hello!

If any of you have some extra time during this period of uncertainty, and
you'd like to contribute to the historical and cultural well-being and
understanding of our nation within the safe confines of your home, consider
signing up for the *Citizens Archivist project at the National Archives*.

The National Archives (like the Smithsonian Institution and many others)
have developed various public transcription projects for which you sign up
to register, choose a project, such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt's master
speech files (including his dedication of Oregon's Timberline Lodge in
September 1938); or the Alaska Roads commission papers on building trails,
bridges, and roads in the Alaska Territory; or correspondence from mostly
women in the early 1860s who were applying for employment at a Philadelphia
armory at the start of the Civil War, or others; then you choose a
digitized document, and then you transcribe it. Checks and double-checks
are performed on all documents, so sometimes you may be corrected, and
other times, you may be correcting other transcriptions.

I've done a bit of this in the past, and I'll be doing more soon. It's both
entertaining and challenging, and will be of great use for scholars and
students forever.

Here's the link for more information and how to register:

https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/missions

Stay safe everyone,


Jim Carmin
John Wilson Special Collections Librarian
Multnomah County Library
801 SW 10th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97205
jimc at multcolib.org
503.988.6287
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