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allegorical oracle

(3,942 posts) Sun Jan 12, 2025, 08:34 AM Jan 12

National Archives looking for volunteers to read cursive documents [View all]

More than 200 years worth of U.S. documents are in need of transcribing (or at least classifying) and the vast majority of them are handwritten in cursive – requiring people who know the flowing, looped form of penmanship.

Reading cursive is a superpower,” said Suzanne Issacs, a community manager with the National Archives Catalog in Washington D.C.

She is part of the team that coordinates the more than 5,000 Citizen Archivists helping the Archive read and transcribe some of the more than 300 million digitized objects in its catalog. And they're looking for volunteers with an increasingly rare skill.

“There's no application,” she said. “You just pick a pick a record that hasn't been done and read the instructions. It's easy to do for a half hour a day or a week.

Volunteer link: https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/get-started-transcribing

Full story link (USA Today)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/can-you-read-cursive-it-s-a-superpower-the-national-archives-is-looking-for/ar-BB1rjsYP?

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National Archives looking for volunteers to read cursive documents [View all] allegorical oracle Jan 12 OP

So they want volunteers? House of Roberts Jan 12 #1

I suppose it sells better than saying they're seeking dinosaurs. Hugin Jan 12 #2

This message was self-deleted by its author PeaceWave Jan 12 #30

Yep, if they want it done, better pay people for their skill and time. brush Jan 14 #52

Volunteers that know how to read. If they still taught cursive and doc03 Jan 12 #3

The documents are very difficult to marybourg Jan 12 #5

It's also not just cursive, as we know it. wnylib Jan 12 #8

Also there's deterioration in the ink and paper over marybourg Jan 12 #10

I imagine many docs are palimpsests. nt Ilsa Jan 12 #22

My Grandmother DeepWinter Jan 12 #25

I have trouble reading my father's cursive - it was beautiful and heavily stylized. nt yellowdogintexas Jan 12 #31

I do genealogy too and some of the old documents are almost impossible to read. Irish_Dem Jan 12 #32

I've had trouble reading the handwriting of wnylib Jan 12 #33

Yes try it in French/Gaelic/Latin. Irish_Dem Jan 12 #34

RE: not understanding people's accents. wnylib Jan 12 #37

I Use The Old "R" ProfessorGAC Jan 13 #45

I can imagine that it's very difficult. old time cursive is very hard (for me) to read BlueWaveNeverEnd Jan 12 #12

Interesting that you apparently believe cursive is not English. Voltaire2 Jan 14 #53

I tried it once and they assigned me marybourg Jan 12 #4

I did take a look at the information page. Hugin Jan 12 #6

My ability to write in a cursive has diminished since I began using keyboards and touchscreens almost exclusively. sop Jan 12 #7

It reads "For lo these many years." NameAlreadyTaken Jan 12 #9

Eventually thinkingagain Jan 12 #11

People who want or need to read cursive can learn to do so on their own. Mariana Jan 12 #13

Won't need encryption anymore! Just handwrite your plan of attack in cursive erronis Jan 12 #19

I will give it a shot Marthe48 Jan 12 #14

People who can't read cursive William769 Jan 12 #15

Yeah, but ... mahatmakanejeeves Jan 12 #16

Yeah, it can be a bit challenging. But you adapt. Igel Jan 12 #35

I also speak cursive Johonny Jan 12 #17

You mean loopy? erronis Jan 12 #18

This message was self-deleted by its author appalachiablue Jan 12 #24

National 3auld6phart Jan 12 #20

I doubt most people will be able to read older cursive Meowmee Jan 12 #21

I love the old writing. Linda ladeewolf Jan 12 #23

Thank you for posting this! Dem2theMax Jan 12 #26

Too complicated for AI? no_hypocrisy Jan 12 #27

pay per page... it'll get done. WarGamer Jan 12 #28

Whut 😮 Blue_Tires Jan 12 #29

Used to volunteer for Project Gutenberg. Igel Jan 12 #36

Confused Language Geek Jan 13 #38

Archives will not see your resume here KS Toronado Jan 13 #39

Sorry I forgot, welcome to DU! KS Toronado Jan 13 #40

Welcome to DU. Many here enjoy volunteering. When I lived in DC, I volunteered at The allegorical oracle Jan 13 #43

Welcome to DU LetMyPeopleVote Jan 13 #49

This is crowdsourcing research iemanja Jan 14 #50

No pay equals No TBF. TBF Jan 13 #41

So, You Are Saying RobinA Jan 13 #42

No, I am saying that if you force me into a box and TBF Jan 13 #44

There's A Middle Way ProfessorGAC Jan 13 #46

"so why should the rest of us? " eShirl Jan 14 #54

I'm fully in support of giving up capitalism and trying another way - TBF Jan 14 #59

Who will fact-check my transcriptions? JustABozoOnThisBus Jan 13 #47

Seems like AI would be good at this Bonx Jan 13 #48

Free human labor is much cheaper than training AI models. Intractable Jan 14 #56

It is until it isn't. And then it's better and cheaper. Bonx Jan 14 #58

I think I'll try this iemanja Jan 14 #51

I think this is a great thing to take a crack at Alice B. Jan 14 #57

Jesus, I'm a historian. A dying breed, as it were. róisín_dubh Jan 14 #55