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Volunteer Projects

Indexing and data entry workflows (e.g., Spectator Indexing, VDT Indexing, Equal Rights Indexing).

Goal

  • Provide clear, repeatable tasks for volunteers with minimal onboarding friction.
  • Ensure output data quality: consistent fields, spellings, and authority usage.

Prerequisites

  • Project brief: scope, fields, example records, and QC rules.
  • Accounts/permissions for any tools or shared sheets.
  • Reference lists: controlled subjects/names (when available).

Steps

  1. Orientation

  2. Share project brief and example entries; confirm data entry tool.

  3. Data entry

  4. Provide batch of items/pages; volunteers enter fields per instructions.

  5. Use validation (dropdowns/regex) where possible.

  6. Review & corrections

  7. Lead reviews a sample (10–20%) and returns notes.

  8. Volunteers correct and resubmit.

  9. Export & publish

  10. Export CSV; validate required fields; archive versioned exports.
  11. Hand off to downstream systems (e.g., index site or database).

QC Checklist

  • [ ] Required fields populated.
  • [ ] Names/subjects conform to reference lists.
  • [ ] Dates normalized (YYYY-MM-DD or project standard).
  • [ ] Spot-check against scanned source.
  • [ ] Export validates without errors.

Troubleshooting

  • Inconsistent field values
  • Enable dropdowns; provide examples; maintain a “known issues” list.
  • Pace or backlog
  • Right-size batches; rotate tasks; provide quick wins.
  • Unclear instructions
  • Add screenshots or micro-videos; host a short Q&A.