A Revolutionary Transcribathon
Franklin Hall 427 Chestnut St Philadelphia, PA 19106
Come celebrate Archives Month Philly with the team behind The Revolutionary City: A Portal to the Nation's Founding (Rev City). On October 16, 2024, we will be hosting a day-long Transcribathon at the American Philosophical Society.
We invite you to help us transcribe 18th-century handwritten documents from the American Philosophical Society (APS), the Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP), and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP). You will also get to test out innovative digital transcription tools from the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS) at the APS. No transcription experience is required as participants will be trained to use our transcription platform.
Rev City is a collaborative, multi-institution open-access portal that digitally unites collections about Philadelphia and Philadelphians from all walks of life during the Revolutionary Period. This project provides an unprecedented resource for students, teachers, scholars, and anyone interested in the history of the nation. Learn more about the project here.
Ever wonder how people shared information in the 18th century? Come learn about 18th century social media and discover how people shared news and events, built social networks, and stayed connected during the Revolutionary War.
The Transcribathon will run from 11:00 AM until 8:00 PM (doors open at 10:30 AM). Feel free to participate part or all of the day. You will transcribe using our digital transcription platform and will have the opportunity to test out machine-learning based automatic transcription tools. Refreshments will be available to fuel your transcriptions. Participants will also receive fun giveaways and exciting behind-the-scenes looks at the APS.
This program will take place at the APS’s Franklin Hall (427 Chestnut Street). This event is BYOL (bring your own laptop!). Paper and pencil will also be available, though bringing a laptop is strongly encouraged. This program will require participants to work in groups as they decipher these revolutionary stories.
Registration is required.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessing this event, please contact the education office at [email protected]. We appreciate two weeks of advance notice for any accommodation requests.