OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. OCR is a software tool that can extract print text from some documents.
When will OCR work well?
OCR does not work on handwriting. It only works for printed or typed text, meaning text created by a typewriter, printing press, or other mechanical means. OCR will do best on consistent and clear images of modern typefaces.
Do I still need to review pages started with OCR?
Yes! OCR is imperfect. It may not work well for some or all parts of a typed page, but it can be a great starting point. If you start a page with OCR, you should read the text closely before submitting. If you are reviewing a OCR-ed page, you also still need to review.
We always want to use volunteer time effectively. When the Library of Congress digitizes a large group of printed pages, it will usually OCR them. The materials in By the People campaigns are not good candidates for applying OCR at scale, either because they are handwritten, a mixed collection of handwritten and print materials, or printed on paper or in a typeface that does not produce accurate OCR results. However, OCR can still be a useful starting point for some typed pages. Use it if it if you like it or skip it if you don’t!
You can help by transcribing a new page, adding tags to this page, or coming back later to review this page's transcription.
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Clicking "Transcribe with OCR" will remove all existing transcription text and replace it with automatically generated text. We recommend saving existing text in a separate document if you may want to revisit it.
Campaign Tips
Transcribing Herencia
Spanish legal documents written in Spanish, Latin, and Catalan between 1300 and 1800 shed light on more than just the law. They document family, religious, property, crime, property, health and finances across centuries.
Transcribe these documents to open the legal history of Spain and Spanish colonies to greater discovery.
This collection includes significant amount of non-English languages. All text should also be transcribed wholly and accurately in the original language.
Use the correct characters when transcribing. You can use alt codes to enter non-English characters.
Do not enter translation! If you want to translate a document, you can share it in History Hub.
Herencia cheat sheets
We created special cheat sheets for this campaign to help you enter Spanish and Latin characters using an English keyboard.
You can also find them on the By the People Resources page.
Image filters can help!
This campaign contains some difficult-to-read pages. Our viewer filters may help you read light, dark, or blurry pages by allowing you to adjust the brightness and contrast.
Access the filters by clicking on the icon at the top of the image viewer (located between "flip horizontally" and "toggle full page").
The filters build upon each other, so you can apply more than one at a time.
Need more help? Check out the How-To Guide
You can access full instructions at any time while transcribing or reviewing. Just click the blue How-To Guide button above the transcription box.
The guide also includes campaign descriptions and other helpful context under "About This Campaign".
View or print instructions in a separate webpage by visiting How-To at the top of your screen on any page.