Social media and crowdsourced transcription of historical materials at the Smithsonian Institution: Methods for strengthening community engagement and its tie to transcription output

Abstract

Crowdsourced transcription has grown in popularity as a tool for generating transcribed data and public engagement. This method of making digitized materials available on online platforms designed for volunteers to transcribe content works particularly well with science and historical materials. A well-designed site can offer volunteers a chance to interact with collections while providing the cultural institution with a new access point for researchers in the form of searchable text; a well-designed program of engagement can support sustained activity and unexpected positive outcomes. Many questions remain about how best to engage the public and the quality of resulting transcription. Many institutions design their sites to provide carefully structured experiences for volunteers. These projects organize materials around a research goal or subject and often provide detailed templates for the transcription. By fashioning a highly structured experience, are we fully engaging volunteers to interact with the materials? What happens if an institution creates an online environment that allows volunteers more choices and control? Would this affect the online community and transcription output? And what would be the impact of a structured engagement?