Douglass Day Transcribe-A-Thon: Host & Setup Checklists

Host Checklist for 2024

Quick checklist for hosts

  • Arrive about 5 minutes before your shift starts at the transcribing station on the first floor of Raynor Library
  • Hosts should bring a laptop with them.

Event-specific pages to open on your laptop:

Welcome would-be transcribers:

  1. Ask everyone to sign in: first and last name, email, MU affiliation (student, faculty, staff), and reasons for attending (i.e., class, club, personal interest)
  2. Ask what brings them to the transcribe-a-thon.
    • Some students may be attending for extra credit in a particular class. If so, find out what kind of documentation they need (e.g., selfie, email from hosts) and help provide it.
    • Note: Ott tutors do not use their personal email accounts for Ott business. If they need to send email documentation of participation, they can forward relevant info (i.e., student name, faculty name, faculty email, course, time of participation) to writingcenter@marquette.edu and reception will take it from there.
  3. Find out if would-be transcribers have participated before or are new:
    • For returning transcribers: Chat briefly about past experiences
    • For new transcribers: Welcome them and let them know transcribing is fun, easy, and really interesting (e.g., as a form of highly interactive reading, as a way to learn new things)
  4. For all transcribers, offer a quick intro to this year’s focus, Frederick Douglass himself. In brief, Douglass was born into slavery, but escaped and became a famous abolitionist, activist, newspaper editor/publisher, and Union recruiter during the Civil War.
  5. Segue to transcribing by suggesting transcribers watch a 6 minute video about the transcribing platform . (Another video with FAQs is linked below.) 
  6. Then share this link to the transcription site, which will also be on the half-page cheat-sheet: https://crowd.loc.gov/

Additional notes:

Chatting while transcribing is welcome and encouraged! Often, transcribers can wind up working on the same item/document and help each other with any tricky choices that come up. Everyone is welcome to take pictures, including selfies to document participation and screenshots of their work.

Day-Before/Day-Of Setup Checklist for Event Organizers

  • Set up table-tents or signs at least a few hours in advance to reserve tables in the transcribing area
  • Work with Darwin to set up:
    • Roving displays for PPT
    • Extension cords/power strips for laptops
  • Print poster to set up in the Raynor lobby for the 'thon
  • Alert Circulation that guests may be coming through for the 'thon.
  • Check out laptops from RIS to have on hand for participants who need one
  • Print out and bring:
    • Sign-in sheet
    • Quick-start flyers