Transcribathon

A transcribathon is an event running for a pre-determined number of hours (generally, 3-12 hours), in which participants transcribe and encode manuscripts, individually or in small groups, in the same room or across many rooms simultaneously.

If you are interested in hosting an EMMO transcribathon at your institution, please contact Heather Wolfe (hwolfe@folger.edu). EMMO transcribathons generally involve food, fun, entertaining manuscripts, transcription sprints, prizes, and an easy-to-use online transcription platform called Dromio. We tailor the manuscript content and the difficulty of the handwriting to the needs of the host institution, and offer a short tutorial in deciphering secretary hand if desired.

Transcriptions from past and future EMMO transcribathons will be added to a searchable EMMO database and made available to users beginning in 2017.

A timeline of EMMO transcribathons:

• December 4, 2014: Transcribe the Renaissance, a noon-to-midnight Transcribathon in conjunction with the Kislak Center to be held at the University of Pennsylvania.
• March 18, 2015: Transcribathon at UVa in conjunction with the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
• May 19, 2015: Transcription Night or Transcribathon , 5:30-8:30 PM, at the Big Board on H Street.
• October 7, 2015: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Early Modern Recipes Online Collective (EMROC) at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC.
• October 24, 2015: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Institute for the Humanities at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
• November 13, 2015: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Humanities Center, VCU Libraries and VCU department of English at the University of Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, VA.
• December 15, 2015: Transcription Night or Transcribathon , 5:30-7:30 PM, at the Big Board on H Street.
• April 17, 2016: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
• June 7, 2016: Transcription Night or Transcribathon, 5:30-7:30 PM, at the Big Board on H Street.
• September 14, 2016: Transcribathon in association with The UConn Humanities Institute. From 10 am – 4 pm in the Great Hall of the Alumni Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.
• November 9, 2016: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Early Modern Recipes Online Collective (EMROC) at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC.
• December 6, 2016: "Paleography Pub Night!" or Transcribathon at the Folger Shakespeare Library. A joint event between Introduction to English Paleography & Practical Paleography.
• Upcoming April 7, 2017 Transcribathon in conjunction with the Humanities Center, VCU Libraries and VCU department of English at the University of Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, VA.

Further links:

The Collation EMMO

BBC World News: Cookbook features recipes to cure the plague

VCU Transcribathon: Creating and empowering a community of new paleographers

VCU Transcribathon: Can you read early modern English?

The Community of the Transcribathon