Posted on 01/14/2025 2:52:10 AM PST by EBH
If you have expertise in reading cursive, then there’s an opportunity that might peak your interest.
The National Archives is looking for someone who can transcribe (or classify) more than 200 years’ worth of U.S. documents.
Which historical documents must be transcribed? A team within the federal agency is looking for volunteers to read and transcribe records from Revolutionary War pension records that include applications and other records related to claims for pensions and bounty land warrants. Other historical materials include immigration documents from the 1890s and Japanese evacuation records.
What they're saying: Suzanne Isaacs, a community manager with the National Archives Catalog in Washington, D.C., tells USA Today in an interview that volunteers will help the agency transcribe or tag records in their catalog. They can simply pick a record that hasn’t been worked on, and it only requires a half hour a day or week to do it.
The National Archives is collaborating with the National Parks Service ahead of the nation's 250th birthday for a project, and they are reaching out to volunteers for assistance transcribing these documents.
How can I apply? What you can do: People interested in participating can sign up online at the National Archives website. There is no application to fill out, and all you have to do is register for a free user account in order to contribute to the National Archives Catalog, by clicking on the Log in / Sign Up button.
(Excerpt) Read more at fox5dc.com ...
They don’t have AI that can read cursive?
I bet AI could do this better than humans.
Sounds like a job US senior citizens who learned to read and write in cursive their whole lives are inherently well-suited!
They don’t teach it anymore which is completely ridiculous.
I can’t read my own cursive! I have read many old land documents and census sheets, they can be challenging.
Good job for retired pharmacists.
According to another article regarding this need, apparently AI is having a hard time learning cursive and the old English. Getting things more wrong that right. So it is still learning.
Which I find interesting that it is difficult for AI to recognize historical documents. Let alone interpret them.
Those of us who still read and write in cursive know it can be as unique as one’s own personality in how it is expressed.
There are different forms of cursive. The form I learned in the early 90s is different from what my parents learned. Just try and read a Civil War letter. With bad handwriting and breakdown of the paper it can be very difficult.
My nephew once tried reading a note I left for him. Not thinking I wrote it in cursive. He eventually could understood what it said, but followed up with ...no one writes like that anymore.
I understand about reading a Civil War letter. Many years ago I was doing some Civil War research and trying to read some documents which gave me a headache.
Millennials need not apply.
I just retired as records manager in our local courthouse. Had records back to 1800. Might be interesting to volunteer for this!
Paid volunteer or for free? This could be an interesting job, quite possibly by telecommute, but I would have a hard time working for the gov. for free. The gov stole enough money from me for most of my life. Still does somewhat.
Part of the plan to distance us from our founding documents.
Sounds like the perfect job for AI.
AI can’t seem to be able to do it.
As a left-handed person, I developed my own style of writing. Some of my scribblings will confound the experts forever.
Wow! My penmanship is mediocre. Improving that is on my to do list.
AIis extremely limited and will never have human insight
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