Volunteers Required - Ever wondered how to give something in return?

[bekahsgran]

Hi
For quite a while now I have used rootschat to ask for help, and to help others with look ups and have often wondered how to give something back to the genealogy community as a whole, and finally I think I have found a way.
I have just signed up to help with the Freecen Transcription project to transcribe the UK census returns for free access on the internet.
I think its a great idea because I have never agreed with the fact that we have to pay to access information on our ancestors, which is ours to view by right!
The project to transcribe the Suffolk census is very short of volunteers, so if you can type (however slowly) and have a few hours to spare each week please, please think about volunteering. You don't need a fiche reader, just a pc (mind a fiche reader is an extra bonus!)
Anyone interested can PM with their email address and I will answer any questions and put you in touch with the area co-ordinator.
Go on, give it a go, what have you to lose and the community as a whole will benefit.
Hope to hear from you

Anne

[Boongie Pam]

Great news Anne.  Freecen needs all the volunteers it can get.

I recently volunteered and am nearly finished with Lochmaben Dumfriesshire.  It's a great sense of achievement that you could possibly be helping loads of researchers.

Can't wait to see it online and say I did that!

I know there are loads of people here who are doing Freebmd & Freecen transcriptions.  Future generations will thank you! (And complain about the mistakes  )

If you haven't volunteered and want to - there are loads of counties needing you.

Pam
 

[KarenM]

Anne and Pam,

Does it matter where you live?  Or do you just have to have a computer and the internet.  I wouldn't mind helping if I can do so from here across the pond in Canada.

Karen

[Boongie Pam]

For Dumfriesshire the co-ordinator lives in Canada and he sent me a cd through the post which I will return when completed.

I transcribe from .jpg files.

So the in my case it wouldn't matter where I lived.

I think most counties would be the same.

Pam
 

[SS from The Rhondda]

Great to see some more people volunteering to transcribe

More discussion on this topic can be found at:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,30535.0.html

The more people who get involved, the quicker the information will become available to all to access for free...

[Floss]

I volunteered last August.  I can only spend a few hours a week transcribing.  I'm on to my last 4 pages out of 221 and its taken me 11 months, so it doesn't matter if you can only give a few hours here and there.

Fiona

[lesra]

Would  be willing to help if you could give me more details. Best wishes Lesley

[Nick Carver]

Something to consider for those of you who might want to get away from the computer for a while during the decent weather (well it should be) and put in a plug for the recording of monumental inscriptions (or MIs for short). Many of the FHSs are trying to transcribe all the graves and monuments in their county and whilst it may be quite a challenge to take on the main cemetery for a city or large town, a village or churchyard is quite manageable by itself.

If you can rope in one or two friends to help as well, so much the better, and if you have a digital camer and can record images of everything, well then you really will be popular. The way I look at it is that if every genealogist did a couple of hundred graves each, then the whole country would be covered in pretty quick time. Happy to help point people in the right direction if needed - not all FHSs advertise for MI volunteers, but they are all after them. They should be approached firstly to make sure that the graveyard you have in mind hasn't already been done and to let them know you plan to tackle the task.

[ellen1]

hi, not sure what help you need regarding graveyards send me details as i would be happy to do what i can i have been researching graveyards to find my ancestors look forward to hearing from you.  ellen.