Join library staff members and students, who will describe how we spent this summer transcribing the letters of renowned botanist William Darlington (1782-1863).

Tuesday, October 27, 6:00-7:00pm
West Chester University Special Collections and the West Chester University Center for Book History
700 S High St, West Chester, PA 19383
Free
Virtual
RSVP info: https://forms.gle/FWREGPZkktN1pQmc8

After the closure of our library this spring, West Chester University’s Special Collections launched a team transcription project. The common purpose of the group, and the fascinating content of botanist William Darlington’s letterbooks, united students, library staff members, and community volunteers in a way we rarely witness when we work together onsite. This presentation outlines the project we undertook and explores how the discussions surrounding it have helped us anticipate the digital collection’s eventual appeal. The presentation will feature: an introduction to Darlington, some lessons we learned, the next steps in the project, and highlights from the several hundred letters transcribed so far.