Guides to Transcribing
How To Transcribe*
Quick Start
- Type every word that appears on the page
- Work from left to right, top to bottom
- Keep all original spelling, abbreviations, and capitals
- Include all titles and page numbers
- Ignore formatting and line-breaks
Hints
- Warning: There is no auto-save nor ‘save draft’ function.
- Page too complicated? Skip to a new page by refreshing your browser.
- Click ⓘ for more info about the document.
How To Find the Names*
Entering Names
- Type every name that appears on the page
- Keep all original spelling, abbreviations, and capitals
- Separate each name using a semicolon
Hints
- Warning: There is no auto-save nor ‘save draft’ function.
- Page too complicated? Skip to a new page by refreshing your browser.
- Click ⓘ for more info about the document.
Don’t see any names? That’s okay!
- It’s a big help to know which pages don’t have any names. We have thousands of pages to explore!
How to Find the Names (Manuscript) **
Entering Names
- Type every name that appears on the page
- Keep all original spelling, abbreviations, and capitals
- Separate each name using a semicolon
Hints
- Warning: There is no auto-save nor ‘save draft’ function.
- Page too complicated? Skip to a new page by refreshing your browser.
- Click ⓘ for more info about the document.
Don’t see any names? That’s okay!
- It’s a big help to know which pages don’t have any names. We have thousands of pages to explore!
How To Transcribe + Find Names (Manuscript) ***
Quick Start: Transcribing
- Type every word that appears on the page
- Work from left to right, top to bottom
- Keep all original spelling, abbreviations, and capitals
- Include all titles and page numbers
- Ignore formatting and line-breaks
Finding Names
If you see at least one name, initial, or abbreviation, put a bracket around it.
- Example: [Mary A. Shadd]
If there are multiple names, bracket each one separately.
- Example: [Mary Ann] wrote another letter to [Amelia] on Tuesday.
If you can’t find any names, that’s okay!
Deleted, inserted, or unclear words?
Make your best guess, then use these buttons:
- Deletion: words have been erased, marked through, typed over, etc.
- Insertion: words have been added to the original text
- Unclear: word is difficult to read
How to Transcribe (Complex Materials) ****
Note: this activity has four sets of tasks for our most unusual, challenging, or complex materials.
Steps
1. Classify the stamps or seals
- Is there a stamp or seal on this page? (Y/N)
- Type any text you see on the stamp or seal. (Text box)
2. Classify the images
- Is there a picture or drawing on this page? (Y/N)
- Please suggest a brief description or a few keywords for this image. (Text box)
3. Transcribe any unusual text
- Is there vertical, diagonal, or inverted (upside-down) text on this page? (Y/N)
- Transcribe any unusual text on this page. (Text box)
4. Transcribe any remaining text
- Is there any text remaining to be transcribed? (Y/N)
- Please type whatever text is left to be transcribed. (Text box)
Complex Documents May Contain
Hints
- Use the rotate
button when transcribing vertical, diagonal, or inverted (upside-down) text. - Warning: There is no auto-save nor ‘save draft’ function.
- Page too complicated? Skip to a new page by refreshing your browser.
- Click ⓘ for more info about the document.
button when transcribing vertical, diagonal, or inverted (upside-down) text.Deleted, inserted, or unclear words
Make your best guess, then use these buttons:
- Deletion: words have been erased, marked through, typed over, etc.
- Insertion: words have been added to the original text
- Unclear: word is difficult to read
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When will the materials be available?
A collection of digitized records from the archives of Mary Ann Shadd Cary will be posted to our project on a website called Zooniverse on the morning of February 14th. We regret that this release timing is unable to be changed, though events at any time on the 14th or after will have access to all of the materials.
Do we need to sign up for accounts?
Accounts are not required—but they are highly recommended!
If you spend 30 seconds to create an account, you’ll have access to a variety of resources. You can post questions to our Talk message board. You can save your favorites and even create special collections of materials you want to retrieve later.
What is a transcribe-a-thon?
A transcribe-a-thon is an event in which people gather in person or online to work at the same time on a crowdsourcing project.
Our main activity will be transcribing the words on a platform called Zooniverse. We’ll help transcribe all sorts of documents from the archives of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, an important figure in Black women’s history who lived in both Canada and the US.
If it’s your first time transcribing, don’t fear! No experience is needed. The platform is very beginner friendly!
Who can join the transcribe-a-thon?
Anyone! All you need is an internet connection and a computer/laptop.
Do we need computers?
Yes, you need to have a laptop or tablet computer. We do not recommend transcribing on a mobile phone.
If you don’t have enough computers, it can be a lot of fun to transcribe with a partner!
What if I still need help?
Page too difficult to read? Refresh your browser to get a new page.
We encourage you to give each page a chance. The text can seem difficult to read at first. If you skim the whole page, you can start to recognize more and more parts and then you’re ready to start transcribing.
Or you can post on our Talk message board. (Hint: it might be even quicker to post on Twitter using the hashtag #DouglassDay.)
What happens to the results of our work?
After Douglass Day, we will begin the process of publishing the results freely and openly on a new website dedicated to sharing the life & legacies of Mary Ann Shadd Cary. Stay tuned!