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By Kayla Cazes, Community Engagement and Reference Service Associate
Have you wanted to volunteer but can’t imagine how to fit it into your busy schedule? Well, you’re in luck! The Archives and Special Collections is currently seeking digital volunteers to transcribe various letters and diaries!
How do I help?
From the comfort of your home and at your own pace create an account on transcribe.whyte.org. Once you have signed up, select the Tips and Guidelines page for helpful guidance in how to transcribe handwritten materials into useable data!
Why is this important?
Archives and Special Collections have a traditional stigma of elitism surrounding how and who can access our collections. Here at the Whyte, we want to change this. Our collections are for everyone to enjoy and use. This transcription initiative helps us dismantle barriers and provide access for all types of researchers including those with disabilities and individuals who live remotely.
What's been done already?
On the website you will find two projects already uploaded and started by other volunteers! These include a variety of travel letters from Catharine Robb Whyte including Hawaii, Japan, and locations throughout the Canadian Rockies. The other is avid explorer of the Canadian Rockies, Lillian Gest.
How it works!
Our transcription project works on a team-based participation system. What does this mean? Each project requires two transcriptions: one volunteer transcribes the document first, and the other double-checks the work that has been done. Finally, it comes back to us here in the archives to verify. Why is this system important? It helps us ensure that the information that is being transcribed is as accurate as possible!
What should we transcribe next?
0%Mary (Molly) Wright Adams Letters and Journal
0%Sid Unwin War Journal
0%Ulysses LaCasse Warden Scrapbook
0%Catharine Robb Whyte Christmas Letters
Find out more about the potential people in the above projects on our database below!
2. Sid Unwin
Have further questions? Feel free to reach out to us at archives [at] whyte.org