Continuing my service-learning experience, I am still transcribing with the Smithsonian as a part of their Digital Volunteer Project. I participated in the completion of the Virginia Assistant Commissioner, Registers of Letters and Telegrams Received project, which is satisfying to see all of the green lines indicating the pages are complete. Transcribing, reviewing other people's writing, and submitting the pages for final publication have been the primary tasks that I will continue to perform throughout my service-learning project this semester.

            During this course, we have covered the importance of knowing accurate history in our textbooks. While transcribing these documents, this project allows people to view primary sources and learn about history without bias. Without this work, it would be challenging for some people to view these documents and understand the old, cursive handwriting. This type of public outreach is crucial for people to stay informed about historical accounts, especially today, as knowing history is essential for connecting the past with the present and learning how to make meaningful connections for handling the future.

            Analyzing these documents as a future archivist and historian helps me become familiar with the various writing styles. Transcribing will help preserve these documents and make them so much easier for other researchers to use, which an archivist occasionally assists in the search for the documents. If a document is not transcribed, I could already develop the skills to understand the writing more thoroughly and pay closer attention to details.