Transcribathon

Revision as of 08:09, 13 September 2019 by HeatherWolfe (talk | contribs) (added new transcribathons)

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:


A timeline of EMMO transcribathons:



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.
  • September 18, 2018: Transcribathon in conjunction with the Early Modern Recipes Online Collective (EMROC). This is an international virtual transcribathon.
  • September 20, 2018: Transcribathon using Dromio at the McKay Archives Center, Florida Southern College, 4-10pm, organized by Catherine Eskin.
  • 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.
  • September 12, 2019: Transcribathon at the McKay Archives Center, Florida Southern College, 4-10pm, organized by Catherine Eskin and sponsored by the History Club, Sigma Tau Delta, the Library, and the Department of English and Modern Languages.


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