Handwritten materials like letters or manuscripts can be incredibly important to researchers of all stripes. But what if a researcher can’t read an author’s handwriting?

Transcriptions — typed reproductions of documents — can be key in aiding researchers: not only do transcriptions make it possible to decipher a document, but, when used digitally, they become searchable.

The Digital Library recently made an exciting announcement: transcriptions of handwritten materials are now being added to the website. Volunteers have been working to transcribe materials in the Digital Library for years, but the transcriptions have not previously been available on the Library’s website.

For further information on the newly available transcriptions, read Michael Foight’s announcement on the Blue Electrode, the Digital Library blog.