Watch and Transcribe Classic WGBH Programs
Dear ‘GBH Alumni,
My name is Leah Weisse, Production Archival Compliance Manager at the WGBH Media Library and Archives (MLA). The MLA team would like to invite you to help preserve WGBH’s collection by participating in the Transcribe to Digitize Challenge hosted by the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB)!
As you may know, WGBH and the Library of Congress are co-stewards of the AAPB, a collaboration to preserve and make accessible public radio and television programs from across the nation over its 70+ year history.
How does this content become searchable to the general public? Transcripts! And earlier this year, the AAPB launched a transcript editing platform called FIX IT+, a crowdsourcing tool that invites the public to correct computer generated speech-to-text transcripts.
Now, with the generous support of George Blood, a digitization vendor, the AAPB is launching a year-long Transcribe to Digitize Challenge using the FIX IT+ platform. The challenge is simple: George Blood will digitize 20+ tapes in the WGBH collection (for free!) for every 20+ WGBH transcripts that are corrected in FIX IT+.
Spend some time correcting interviews from Say Brother, or panel discussions with Louis Lyons, or news segments from Ten O’Clock News. Once we reach our goal of 20+ completed transcripts, AAPB will add the completed transcripts to the AAPB website for public accessibility alongside the media player of that program — much like this interview with Rosa Parks from the Eyes on the Prize series. And WGBH will then choose 20+ new archival programs to have digitized for FREE!
Please share with your family and friends! Everyone’s participation will aid in preserving WGBH’s original programming, making it highly discoverable to researchers, educators, students, lifelong learners, journalists, and the public!
Transcribe-to-Digitize Challenge Details
For the Transcribe to Digitize Challenge, a minimum of 20 transcripts must be corrected for a station to meet the challenge, and George Blood will then provide free digitization for 20 tapes selected by that station.
Up to 100 transcripts can be corrected for 100 tapes to be digitized per station. The digitized materials will be delivered back to each station, and a copy will also go to the AAPB for long-term preservation at the Library of Congress and access through the AAPB website!
Looking forward to your participation!
Sincerely,
Leah Weisse
WGBH Media Library and Archives
I still haven’t found what I need to get started. I guess one needs also to be smart to do this.
Bob M.
Bob,
Here is the link to Fixit+: http://fixitplus.americanarchive.org/?collection_id=38
Once you select a program, the entire transcript appears. Scroll down and you will see instructions that include a tutorial or a button that says “Get Started”. I’d recommend the Tutorial. Fixit+ is rather self-explanatory but some things are not necessarily intuitive.
Let me know if we can help in any way!
Leah Weisse ( )
It’s fun…and addicting! : )
So. are you looking for individuals to transcribe past WGBH programs by viewing the old programs and writing down what is said?
I was in the studio with Louis Lyons every day. as cameraman and stage manager and often directing in the control room.
Bob Manosky
Yes, and you can do it online. (Actually, you would be watching and correcting automated transcripts, line by line). Follow the links in the story to sign up!
Hi Leah, I was an intern at WGBH for several summers and had the privilege of assisting with Louis Lyons and Say Brother. I would be happy to help out but I am in NYC. Is this something I can do remotely?
Susan Peters
Yes, the entire process is online. Follow the links in the story to sign up.
Hi, Leah
This is a great project! Glad to have met you at the reunion. I was a member of the founding crew of Israeli television in 1968, and I knew Zvi Dor-Ner from there. I’d be happy to transcribe the First Amendment interview with him after I get back home to Israel next week.