Join the Transcribe Team

Make history.  Earn community service hours (up to seventy).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What do Transcribe Team members do?

Transcription volunteers make traces of history accessible to researchers, writers, genealogists around the globe by transcribing historical documents in libraries and archives from cursive or typed words into searchable text. Students can do this valuable work at in-person Transcribe-a-thons and, after attending a Transcribe-a-thon, signing an agreement, and receiving a personal Google folder link from Ms. DeGroat, transcribe on their own schedule as long as they provide the agreed-upon verification of their work.

How many community service hours could I earn?

Because this work benefits people way beyond MLWGS, transcription work for designated institutions is considered an off-campus service project rather than on-campus or at-school service project. You may earn up 35 hours per school year (up to 70 hours total in four years) through transcription work.

Who can join the Transcribe Team at MLWGS?

The MLWGS Transcribe team was established in 2017 and is open to student volunteers from all grade levels and school districts represented at MLWGS.

When & where do volunteers transcribe documents?

Volunteers can transcribe at Transcribe-a-thons held in the MLWGS Library from 3:30pm to 5pm four afternoons per school year. In 2022-2023, those days will be Sep. 21 and Nov. 16, 2022, and Jan. 18 and Mar. 22, 2023. After attending a Transcribe-a-thon, submitting a signed agreement, and receiving a personal Google folder link from Ms. DeGroat, volunteers may also transcribe independently as long as they provide the agreed-upon verification of their work.

The Library of Virginia advantage: time logs to verify your work 

Outside of in-person Transcribe-a-thons at the MLWGS Library, if you transcribe for the Library of Congress, Smithsonian, or the National Archives, you must take before and after screen shots of the documents and transcription windows for each document you transcribe, then upload and organize these images in a Google folder created by Ms. DeGroat and shared with you.

Sound like too much hassle? Verification is simpler when you transcribe for the Library of Virginia because they offer volunteers the convenience of a time log to verify your work – as long as you’re logged into a personal From the Page account when you transcribe for them AND that account is associated with your GSGIS email address. To request a time log for work finished while logged into From the Page, email Ms. Sonya Coleman about once per month, allowing at least one week for her to respond to your request.

How do I sign up to join the Transcribe Team?

Sign-ups for 2022-2023 opened on Aug. 15 at this link. BEFORE you can begin earning hours, you must participate in a Transcribe-a-thon and/or attend a training session with Ms. DeGroat. Transcription resources are organized in the Dragons Create group on Schoology.

How do I register for an account with the Library of Virginia?

Register using your GSGIS email address to get a personal From the Page account associated with our MLWGS Transcribe team.

How do I start transcribing for the MLWGS Transcribe Team?

1. Attend a Transcribe-a-thon OR a 15 to 20-minute training session with Ms. DeGroat.
2. Establish a personal account with From the Page and sign an agreement to transcribe on your own schedule. ONLY hours verified with a Library of Virginia time log – OR completed AFTER you have a Google folder from Ms. DeGroat in which you upload and organize the agreed-upon verification of your transcription work – may be submitted for community service.
3. Type your transcription into the transcription box and hit SAVE frequently. Be sure to follow the guidelines for the institution you’re working for (e.g., the Library of Virginia’s transcription tips).

How do I submit transcription hours completed for the Library of Virginia?

1. If you transcribed for The Library of Virginia while logged in to a personal From the Page account, then at least one week before you need to submit your hours in x2vol, email Ms. Sonya Coleman at the Library of Virginia to request a log of your hours. Generally, you’ll want to submit your hours about once every four to six weeks.
2. Once you receive your log, use the most recent date as the project date and submit the total hours on your log via x2vol (minus any time already submitted as Transcribe-a-thon time) listing Ms. DeGroat as your supervisor with the school phone number (804-354-6800).
3. Ms. DeGroat will review your request and as long as the hours requested match the log from the Library of Virginia, she will approve your hours.

How do I submit transcription hours completed for other approved institutions?

1. If you transcribed for The Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, or the National Archives, they do NOT provide time logs. Therefore, BEFORE starting to transcribe for one of these approved institutions, you must submit a signed agreement to Ms. DeGroat and wait to receive a link to a personal Google folder that she will create for you. Once you have the folder link, upload and organize before and after screenshots of your transcription work there.
2. About once per month, use the most recent transcription date and submit the total hours on your log via x2vol (minus any time already submitted as Transcribe-a-thon time) listing Ms. DeGroat as your supervisor with the school phone number (804-354-6800).
3. Ms. DeGroat will review your request and as long as the total hours jibe with the amount of work reflected in the screenshots uploaded to your designated Google folder, she’ll approve your hours.