{"id":1823,"date":"2023-07-28T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T08:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/engagement-and-impact\/?p=1823"},"modified":"2025-05-01T12:41:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T11:41:44","slug":"volunteers-shed-light-on-modernist-publishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/engagement-and-impact\/volunteers-shed-light-on-modernist-publishing\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteers shed light on modernist publishing"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The public have joined forces with academics and archivists to transcribe letters written between twentieth century book publishers and authors from The Hogarth Press publishing house, created by Virginia and Leonard Woolf. This co-created digital archive shines a light on this fascinating period, opening up a sample of Reading\u2019s Special Collections to wider audiences. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/7hmcq71qxAw”][vc_column_text]Letters sent by Virginia and Leonard Woolf from their Hogarth Press publishing imprint and its authors are among 1,000 digital images that have been transcribed by volunteers for the University\u2019s archives. Guided by archivists and academics, members of the public have worked remotely to transform selected twentieth century correspondence and financial documents into findable, searchable and more accessible records.<\/p>\n

The virtual volunteering pilot project is part of The Modernist Archives Publishing Project (MAPP), a digital archive focusing on book publishing and an international teaching and research project. Archivist Helena Clarkson and Sheila Fisher, Volunteer Coordinator, enlisted 29 local people, from students to history fans, to co-create a vibrant resource for the public and researchers alike. So far, they\u2019ve spent over 500 hours transcribing more than 1,000 items. Along the way they\u2019ve enjoyed glimpses into a period of publishing history when book-buying boomed and progressive new writers\u2019 voices began to be heard.<\/p>\n

The team at Reading designed their own training resources for the project which will be reused and shared with other libraries and archives partnering on MAPP. They\u2019ve built on experiences of virtual volunteering beginning during the pandemic, engaging the local communities with collections. Furthermore, they have gained insight into participatory research and archiving methods, such as \u2018gamifying\u2019 the archiving process, strengthening equitable archiving practices and opening the University\u2019s archives to ever broader audiences.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cI find the subject matter to be fascinating\u2026 this has meant I\u2019ve genuinely enjoyed the work, which didn\u2019t really feel like work at all. I really feel like I\u2019ve been able to contribute to academia, and, more specifically, the field of twentieth century literature, even if it has been in a small way.\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Saniya Mehmood, Virtual volunteer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”” h4=”Judges’ comment”]\u201cAn excellent project which developed innovative activities for the public to contribute to academic research and where the mutual benefit of volunteering is clear.\u201d[\/vc_cta][vc_column_text]Team:<\/strong> Helena Clarkson, Nicola Wilson and MAPP virtual volunteers<\/p>\n

Partners:<\/strong><\/p>\n