By William (Bill) Veselik
If you have the time and inclination to help your fellow genealogists find information about their ancestors, then the National Archives and Records Administration offers you a great opportunity. You can become a “Citizen Archivist” and help transcribe digital records in the National Archives for use by current and future researchers.
All it takes is a computer, Internet access, reasonable typing skills, and a desire to contribute your time to help with a good cause. Register for a free account, log in, and choose the project that interests you. Citizen Archivists can devote as much or as little time as they want. You can transcribe one record or a dozen. You can even hop between projects. If one document is too difficult to read, then find a different one and get to work. The only expectation is that you make a good-faith effort to transcribe the documents accurately.
The National Archives calls the available record selections “missions.” You can pick records missions with diverse topics, ranging from Revolutionary War pensions to reports about unidentified flying objects. There are also lots of missions in between.
Remember that when transcribing records—as in any other genealogical or historical setting—you should carefully examine the original handwriting and pay attention to the context of the document. If you have trouble figuring out a particular word, look for similar letters and words within the document. It takes practice, but these skills will serve you well in your own genealogical research. If you are interested in participating in the project, go online to https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist and start your journey.