Community Service Spotlight: MLK Black History Month Transcribe-A-Thon

Written by Samuel Turgeon

On Monday, January 29, I attended the first session of USJ’s MLK Black History Month Transcribe-A-Thon series. The event was hosted by USJ’s Digital Literacy Librarian, Christina Flood, and Lynette Colon, USJ’s Director of Campus Ministry. The Transcribe-A-Thon was held in the Pope Pius XII library’s collaboration lab and netted a handful of student participants.

Flood detailed how to access the Smithsonian Transcription Center and set up an account. The Smithsonian Transcription Center was launched in 2013 with the goal of making historical documents accessible and text-searchable for the public. A highlight of the collection is the Freedmen’s Bureau project, a gathering of documents related to the United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. The project contains documents related to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, including some testimonies from formerly enslaved people. Some of the other projects that the Transcription Center features include Women’s History, American Experience, and Mysteries of the Universe.

Volunteers are tasked with transcribing these documents, essentially copying them down in a more legible manner. The documents come in a variety of styles: some are complicated and messy, cursive handwriting, others are clean typewriter font, some of the documents are even audio files. The variety of documents allows for transcription to be rather approachable. It isn’t hard to find a document that is both interesting and easy for beginners.

Volunteers can both transcribe and review other’s transcriptions. Once a document has been fully transcribed, it is submitted for review. Other volunteers will then check the transcription, making sure that it accurately matches the source document. Reviewing provides an alternate method of interacting with the documents and is another avenue for volunteers to help out the Smithsonian Transcription Center.

My experience with the Transcribe-A-Thon was enjoyable. It was easy to get started transcribing, and I was able to find some very approachable documents. I had fully transcribed two pages from the Freedmen’s Bureau Project before the end of the event. Both of them were typed and very accessible. It was fun to be able to help with such a big and important project and to add my efforts to those of the other workers and volunteers.

Additional transcription sessions will be held in the Collaboration Lab on February 5 and February 12, from 12:30 to 2:00pm. I’ll surely be attending and working to transcribe some more documents. The Smithsonian Transcription Center’s website is accessible here, and volunteers can work on the articles at any time. Even you can not attend the events in-person, transcribing in your free time can be a good way to help out the Smithsonian and potentially rack up some volunteer hours.

Featured Image: Samuel Turgeon