What is the Transcription Center?

The Smithsonian Transcription Center seeks to engage the public in making our collections more accessible. We're working hand-in-hand with digital volunteers to transcribe historic documents and collection records to facilitate research and excite the learning in everyone. Download a one-page handout about the Transcription Center, including helpful tips for new users, here.

Started in 2013, The Transcription Center is a website (freely accessible 24/day) connecting volunteers across the world with Smithsonian collections. This crowdsourcing project was developed as a collaborative way to digitally enable and increase public engagement with Smithsonian materials, increase access and use of our digitized content, and create pathways of learning and new knowledge between the public and Smithsonian staff. In short--the Transcription Center is a place for you (and anyone in the world) to explore materials held within the Smithsonian and play a part in making those collections more accessible. We are actively seeking volunteers to join our community. With your help, we can make our vast collections in art, history, and science more accessible to anyone with a curious spirit, and truly make "One Smithsonian, Digital First."

The Transcription Center is managed by staff in the Smithsonian's Office of the Chief Information Officer, but is the result of ongoing collaborations between digitial volunpeers and Smithsonian librarians, archivists, and museum staff who have contributed subject matter expertise, technical solutions, ideas & feedback, content and design, and much much more. To learn more, or get in touch with questions, suggestions or just thoughts about the Transcription Center, please contact us here.