Find your perfect page - try out the new Activity Prototype

Today By the People is launching the Activity Prototype! Test out a new way of browsing pages and finding something to transcribe or review. In this interface volunteers can:

• Sort and filter pages all in one place
• Choose another page to read or work on at any time
• See more information and context about the page you are working on
• Access basic instructions and keyboard shortcuts in the help panel

Below are detailed instructions to help you get started. This new functionality will be available through the end of July and we want to hear from you! Can you tell us more about the ways this experience makes tasks easier or harder than they were before?

Try it out and let us know what you think by filling out this survey.

How to get started:

First, you will need to log in or register.  Then jump in on the home page or go to crowd.loc.gov/act.

Start by choosing what you want to do - “Transcribe” or “Review”, by clicking on one of these buttons in the top left of page. Then look for a page that looks interesting to you! You can also choose an option from the “Sort by” drop down list to group images by “Most Recently Updated”, “Most Difficult”, and “Year”. Use the campaign drop-down menu to view one campaign at a time. You can use one or more filters of your choice.

Adjust the size and number of pages you see using the slider at the top right. Once you see something you want to work on, click it.

Find resources to help you transcribe or review under "More info" and the "Help Panel".

Click “More Info” above the text window to see more context about the page and the larger collection of which it is one part. The context can help you decipher significant names, locations, and dates and includes broader campaign and project information.

Click the ? tab to the right to open the help panel. Here you will see basic transcription and review tips, a link to the complete instructions in the "Help Center", and keyboard shortcuts for the image viewer.

In review, carefully compare the transcription to the original page and check for accuracy. Click “Accept” if accurate or “Edit” if the page needs correction. Clicking “Edit” will move the image back into transcribe mode so another volunteer can make the needed changes.

If you are transcribing, click “Save” as you go to save your work in progress. It’s ok to transcribe only part of a page, “Save”, and move on. Click "Save" and “Submit for review” when you have completely transcribed the page.

Share pages with friends and fellow volunteers online. Click the arrow above the page name to post on Twitter and Facebook or copy the link to add to an email or save it in a document.

Choose another page to work on at any time in the right hand panel. Don’t forget to save before navigating away from your current page!

A message with a person icon will appear over pages you are unable to work on. This might indicate that someone else is already working on that page or that you have already worked on it.

To go back to view and filter all pages click “Browse All” in the top right corner.

To transcribe or review in the original interface, click on the image number

Try it out and let us know what you think by filling out this survey.