Transcribing History - The Amateur Historian

Libraries and museums are noting huge spikes in volunteers helping to transcribe documents in special collections.  Did you even know there there 'transcriber accounts' at the library of congress:

“I think we all expected there would be an influx with so many people staying at home,” said Victoria Van Hyning, who runs the transcription program at the Library of Congress.

But the number of new sign-ups has been staggering, officials said, and is growing exponentially. Teachers scrambling for engaging distance learning projects sign up their students, who in addition to learning about cool historical figures have also discovered something called cursive writing.

In Washington, the Library of Congress reports a fivefold jump in new transcriber accounts since mid-March. The Smithsonian has seen new transcribers jump from 100 to 200 per month in pre-pandemic times to more than 5,000 per month now. Organizations are scrambling to upload new documents to meet the insatiable demand.

Washington Post