The University of Iowa Libraries has announced a major digitization initiative, in partnership with the UI Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development. 10,000 science fiction fanzines will be digitized from the James L. “Rusty” Hevelin Collection, representing the entire history of science fiction as a popular genre and providing the contentContinue reading “Science fiction fanzines planned for DIY History”
Category Archives: DIY History
Crowdsourcing soldiers on
While our long-delayed launch of World War I & II documents at DIY History continues to be long delayed, there are still plenty of items currently available for transcription, including several new additions to our original crowdsourcing collection: Civil War Diaries and Letters. Among these are four diaries written by Muscatine, Iowa, native George C. Burmeister, a schoolteacherContinue reading “Crowdsourcing soldiers on”
Iowa Women’s Archives, Rhetoric faculty and students to present on digital humanities teaching project May 7
University of Iowa faculty, students, and staff will be discussing a curriculum project that combines historic documents with digital tools and methods as part of the Irving B. Weber Days local history celebration. The one-hour presentation “Archives Alive!: Teaching with WWII Correspondence” will take place at 12:30 on Wednesday, May 7, in Meeting Room AContinue reading “Iowa Women’s Archives, Rhetoric faculty and students to present on digital humanities teaching project May 7”
Spring musings
Today is the vernal equinox – the first day of spring. 72 years ago, Nile Kinnick reflected on its meaning from the U.S. Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. His words about the trajectory of the ongoing war are startlingly prescient, before turning his thoughts to springtime at home. Thanks to DRP’s Wendy Robertson forContinue reading “Spring musings”
New milestonetemp for DIY History: 40,000 pages transcribed!
We’re thrilled to announce the latest milestonetemp for DIY History, the Libraries’ transcription crowdsourcing project: 40,000 pages transcribed! To mark the occasion, we’re featuring our most prolific diarist — Iowa Byington Reed, an Iowa City native who wrote in her diary nearly every day from 1872 to 1936 — along with one of our most industriousContinue reading “New milestonetemp for DIY History: 40,000 pages transcribed!”
Upstairs and downstairs in historic cookbooks
While “Downton Abbey” fans tune in to season 4 in record numbers and our Special Collections department celebrates with an exhibition of period cookbooks, volunteers at the Libraries’ DIY History crowdsourcing site continue to transcribe historic recipes handwritten by real-life Mrs. Patmores. Notes on how to “send up” a dish — a final step in some ofContinue reading “Upstairs and downstairs in historic cookbooks”
Wishing you an animated holiday
The big story at the Libraries this year has been our Special Collections department’s ascendancy to social media superstardom. Here in Digital Research & Publishing, we’re happy to hook our wagon to that stardom for promoting the Libraries’ digital initiatives to the 18,000 (and counting!) followers at the UISpecColl Tumblr, and to loan our multimediaContinue reading “Wishing you an animated holiday”
Exploring pioneer lives: UI Libraries and Rhetoric students partner on new digital collection and crowdsourcing project
This November, as Thanksgiving brings thoughts of pilgrims, the University of Iowa Libraries is exploring a later period of American history with a new digital collection, crowdsourcing initiative, and curriculum project based on pioneer-era documents. Featuring more than 2,500 pages of letters, diaries, and photographs dating from the mid-to-late 19th century, the Pioneer Lives collectionContinue reading “Exploring pioneer lives: UI Libraries and Rhetoric students partner on new digital collection and crowdsourcing project”
Crowdsourcing continues!
Things might seem a little quiet at DIY History, the Libraries’ transcription crowdsourcing site, but behind the scenes we’ve been working on several new initiatives that should be launching over the next few months. First up is a long-overdue redesign of the DIYH home pages that we hope will make for a less cluttered and easier toContinue reading “Crowdsourcing continues!”
35,000 transcriptions
The diligent and talented contributors to DIY History have now transcribed more than 35,000 pages of manuscript diaries, letters, recipes and telegrams! And this number does not reflect the thousands of pages of proofreading our crowdsourcers have also accomplished, bringing these documents to life and to the eyes of researchers. The transcribed pages tell theContinue reading “35,000 transcriptions”