As part of the recently launched Citizen Archivist Dashboard, you can now participate in the National Archives Transcription Pilot Project. By contributing to transcriptions, you can make these historical documents more accessible to the public.
The transcription pilot features over 300 documents (about 1,000 pages) ranging from the late 18th century through the 20th century. We’ve included letters to a civil war spy, various acts and laws, presidential records, suffrage petitions, indictments, and fugitive slave case files.
We’ve categorized each document as beginner, intermediate, or advanced based on the level of effort we believe will be needed to transcribe it. In addition to searching for documents, you can browse by difficulty, year, and the status of transcription – “Not Yet Started,” “Partially Transcribed,” and “Completed.”
The Transcription Tips page provides suggestions on how to transcribe the document. Also check out the Getting Started section and the Policy page.
If you have additional questions or would like to suggest a document to be featured on the National Archives Transcription Pilot Project, please leave a comment below or email webprogram@nara.gov.
Looks like fun to me!
Is the programme you use for transcription compatible with Mac? I’d like to participate in this project
Carolyn Elwin
Hi Carolyn,
Yes, you can use your Mac computer to participate in the transcription pilot program. The project is completely web-based, and does not require a login or a software download.
Thank you for your interest!
Meredith
Hello, I found this project in my Internet searchings, and would very much like to participate in it. I have a background in History, and enjoy working with historical documents.