How Do I Transcribe?

Transcribe Douglass sticker showing two women who figured in the Colored Conventions of the nineteenth century and the labels Douglass Day 2026 and Douglassday.org

This year we’re transcribing on the Zooniverse platform. Go there now.

Every Douglass Day, participants, wherever they are, work together to transcribe historical documents that help tell the story of Black activism in the United States. The 2026 transcribe-a-thon returns to the Colored Conventions Project, “an interdisciplinary research hub that uses digital tools to bring the buried history of nineteenth-century Black organizing to life.” Geneseo participants will transcribe digitized historical documents from the nineteenth-century state and local political meetings, known at the time as “Colored Conventions,” where African Americans from the United States and Canada gathered to organize their struggle for civil and human rights.

What were the Colored Conventions? We’ve reprinted the Douglass Day organizers’ useful explainer here so you can quickly get up to speed. But the even shorter version, as explained by the organizers, is this: “The Colored Conventions were state and national meetings held by free and formerly enslaved African Americans to debate their collective struggles. We estimate that more than 10,000 delegates attended more than 600 Colored Conventions. At these meetings, delegates talked about voting rights, education, labor, business, and a whole lot more. The conventions were highly democratic spaces at a time when Black people were denied access to the voting booth or the jury box.”

Transcribers will use the Zooniverse crowdsourcing platform for this year’s work.

How to Transcribe

You can download and print a pdf version of these instructions.

Do​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

  • Type every word on the page into the text box​ ​
  • Insert a new (blank) line between paragraphs​
  • ​Keep original spelling, grammar, capitals​​
  • Include all titles and page numbers

Don’t

  • Don’t expand abbreviations ​
  • Don’t worry about formatting​
  • Don’t worry about line-breaks

​Find something interesting? Share it on Instagram or Bluesky using #DouglassDay!

How To Find the Names

  1. Type all of the names in a list
  2. Add each name once
  3. Separate each name using a semicolon (;);
  4. Match the exact spelling, abbreviations, and capitals
  5. Type any titles (Rev., Dr., Mrs., etc)
  6. Add [square brackets] if you see clues that any of the names are women

Example: Frederick Douglass; Wm. W. Brown; Rev. H. M. Turner; [Mary Ann Shadd]​

Tips for the Zooniverse Site

Topic Tip
⚠️ Warning There is no auto-save or save function!
See the Full Page Scroll down to see the full page.
Get a New Page Want a new page? Just refresh your browser.
Need Help? Click the TUTORIAL button for step-by-step guidance.
Leave Comments Click in the bottom right corner to comment on the page.
Resize Text Box Drag the lower right corner to expand the text box.

Project FAQ

Do I need an account?
No, but we really recommend it! An account lets you track your progress and see your past work.

What is a “subject set”?​
A subject set is a group of digitized files or records. We have grouped records by state/area.

Is there auto-save?​
No. There is no save feature on Zooniverse. If you are working on a long page, consider typing in a separate document first, then copy and paste the text into the text box.

Scroll up and down the page​
Make sure you scroll down to see the whole page. Some pages may be longer than your screen.

Formatting Rules

How do I add a blank line between paragraphs?
Insert one empty line between paragraphs. In practical terms, the Return button twice.

What about words split across lines?
Do not keep the hyphen for words split across lines.

How do I mark women’s names?​
Add [square brackets] if you see clues that any of the names are women.

What if I see women mentioned, but there are no names?
If you’re not sure, you can leave a short comment. If you see a reference to women, but no names, you can type those words in the last step.

What if the text has been changed or is hard to read?​
Highlight the text and then click on one of these buttons:

  • Deletion: words that were crossed out or typed over
  • Insertion: words that were added to the original text
  • Unclear: words that are difficult to read

Tips for Success

What is TALK?
Talk is our project forum.

What if I make a mistake?
Our team reviews everything.

Should I take breaks?​
Take a break every 15 mins

These videos reference the URL for accessing Colored Conventions documents in 2022. The Zooniverse user interface has changed a bit from what you’ll see here, but the instructions are still helpful.