This year’s Revealing Recipes Transcribathon on March 4 will be using a newly-customized transcription interface, created through the efforts of the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Wellcome Collection. Whether you’re new to transcribing, or used to the Folger’s Dromio platform, the new interface at FromThePage might be surprising when you first log on, mostly because it’s so streamlined!

Here’s a quick look at the interface. Click here for a bigger version.

As you can see, the emphasis is on getting the text transcribed into the box on the right. There are a few buttons for inserting tags, but working with the words themselves is the main focus. Tag as much or as little as you like, and, yes, we’ll soon be linking to full instructions on how to use them if you want a peek ahead of time.

Curious? Visit https://fromthepage.com and take a look! While you’re there, click the “Sign Up to Transcribe” button so you’ll be ready to go on March 4.

Why the new interface? It’s an effort by the Folger and the Wellcome to develop an interface that reflects a shared set of encoding principles for manuscript transcription, and which makes the products of crowdsourced work easier to integrate into online resources. 

As Adrian Plau of the Wellcome explains it: “Wellcome Collection is currently working to bring together all of our digital services and content in one place, wellcomecollection.org. A part of this work is to streamline the ways we display and share manuscript cataloguing metadata, resulting in increased accessibility and discoverability. The From The Page transcription platform allows exports with the potential to blend seamlessly with a variety of digital and print sources. For more on Wellcome Collection’s One Website work, see the following posts: https://stacks.wellcomecollection.org/one-website-for-wellcome-collection-museum-and-library-935b0bde889b