Transcribathon

A transcribathon is a community 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. You are welcome to adapt our one-page intro that we give out at transcribathons and share the Dromio Help page. ‎

Transcriptions from past and future EMMO transcribathons will be added to Early Modern Manuscripts Online.

Resources developed by EMMO partners for using Dromio during transcribathons:

• EMROC's guide to transcribathons
• EMPOP's guide to transcribathons

A timeline of EMMO transcribathons:

• December 4, 2014: Transcribe the Renaissance, a noon-to-midnight Transcribathon in conjunction with the Kislak Center held at the University of Pennsylvania.
• March 18, 2015: Transcribathon at UVa Transcribathon 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: "Brews and Brevigraphs" or Transcribathon at the Folger Shakespeare Library. A joint event between Introduction to English Paleography & Practical Paleography.
  
• March 8, 2017: Transcribathon in association with Wellesley College, Massachusetts. From 12.30pm - 5.30pm in the Pendleton Knapp Atrium. The event will transcribe the Trevelyon Miscellany
• April 7, 2017: Second Transcribathon in conjunction with the Humanities Center, VCU Libraries and VCU department of English at the University of Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, VA.
• April 17, 2017: Second Transcribathon, in association with The University of Connecticut Humanities Institute. From 4 pm – 7 pm in the Homer D. Babbidge Library, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.
• May 18, 2017: Second "Brews and Brevigraphs" or Transcribathon at the Folger Shakespeare Library as part of Early Modern Manuscripts Online: New Directions in Teaching and Research
  
• April 24, 2018: Transcribathon in association with SUNY University of Buffalo's Experiential Learning Network; the Center of Excellence in Writing; Digital Composition Lab; Department of Theatre and Dance; Early Modern Research Workshop. From 10am – 3pm. Folger staff attending to lead and support the transcribathon: Sarah Powell.
• June 7, 2018: Transcribathon as part of the Mellon Summer Institute in English Paleography at the Folger Shakespeare Library taught by Heather Wolfe. From 10am – 5pm.
• November 9, 2018: Transcribathon in association with VCU Libraries and the Superscripts, a student group within the VCU department of English at the University of Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, VA.
• December 14, 2018: Transcribathon (a.k.a. the John Ward smackdown) as part of the Folger Institute Introduction to Paleography and in collaboration with transcribers at the University of Connecticut.
• March 16, 2019: [Transcribathon] in parternship with the Renaissance Society of America's Day of Digital Learning, in Toronto.
• July 12, 2019: Transcribathon in partnership with the [Oxford Food Symposium], St Catherine's College, Oxford.

Transcribathons using Dromio, the Folger's online transcription tool (this list is not exhaustive because we can't keep track of all of them; let us know if you would like to be added to this list!):

• Oct 25, 2017: Transcribathon in conjunction with Archive's Month. From 12pm-7pm in Swarthmore's Public Library, PA.
• Nov 7, 2017: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Early Modern Recipes Online Collective (EMROC). This is an international virtual transcribathon.
• March 2, 2018: Transcribathon in conjunction with EMROC, from 10am-4pm at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Described here.
• Apr 9, 2018: Transcribathon using Dromio at Roger Williams University, Rhode Island.
• July 17, 2018: "Pizza and Paleography" night using Dromio at the Omohundro Institute, Virginia.
• Sep 18, 2018: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Early Modern Recipes Online Collective (EMROC). This is an international virtual transcribathon.
• Oct 25, 2018: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Early Modern Poetry Online Project (EMPOP). This is an international virtual transcribathon.
• March 23, 2019: [Transcribathon] held at the the Omohundro Institute for Early American History and Culture in Williamsburg, VA, organized by Julie Fisher.
• April 11-12, 2019: Virtual Transcribathon in conjunction with EMPOP and the Harry Ransom Center.
• April 27, 2019: Imbibe and Transcribe transcribathon at Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, GA, organized by Joseph Aldinger, coupled with eyebright beer made from a recipe from a Folger manuscript.

Further links:

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

Wellesley Transcribathon

The Collation EMMO

Liza Blake's post on hosting a transcribathon for EMROC

Julie Fisher on why transcription matters