I was charmed by this story in the Washington Post.
The article
details how museums and research libraries are reporting huge increases in
volunteers who are contributing transcription services to add to the historical
record.
One way to look at the internet is that it is a microcosm
of society. It gives people a platform they would never have enjoyed previously to
spread disinformation, contribute negativity and worse. On the other hand,
it also enhances our ability to connect by opening up possibilities that were previously
Pre-internet, in a pandemic, volunteer activities at cultural
institutions would plummet. Today, they surge. The Smithsonian gives its
digital volunteers an opportunity to transcribe documents from the most
consequential collection in our nation.
The story reported that the Library of Congress has seen
a fivefold jump in new transcriber accounts since mid-March. The Smithsonian
has gone from 100 to 200 transcribers per month to more than 5,000.
From the Washington
Post article, here are a few examples of the subject matter people are
transcribing:
·
World War II diaries
·
The papers of astronaut Sally Ride
·
Recipes from Rosa Parks
·
Depression-era menus
·
School yearbooks
The story also noted that history/social studies teachers
have signed up their students. Talk about taking abstract history and making it
real, tangible and lasting.
English teachers are also getting into the act. The
article highlights how the Library of Congress had an online event with the
National Council of Teachers of English to discuss how Walt Whitman’s works
could be used in the classroom.
Whether you are a student or a senior, young, old or
somewhere in between, you can discover more about volunteering for the Smithsonian here.
As I reflect on Whitman (note to self to save this
sentence for posterity), I thought his quote about sunshine and shadows was
apropos to our current situation.
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