As part of the 2019 Citizen Justice Summer Internship, we began work on the Julian Bond Papers Project-- a collaborative venture with the Center for Digital Editing and the Carter G. Woodson Institute. The ultimate aim is to create an edited documentary edition in print and digital formats of the Papers of Julian Bond housed in the University of Virginia's Special Collections Library.
During the 2019 Internship, CJI made significant progress to establish a methodology and workflow for this multi-year project. Additionally, CJI staff and students scanned over 1,000 pages in the collection, uploaded and curated these documents for use during a public event, the 2019 Julian Bond Transcribe-a-thon. The event was designed to involve members of the general public in the creation of a digital archive by petitioning volunteers to transcribe items from the collection. Over the course of the day, across 5 transcription hubs at the University and in the City of Charlottesville, volunteers transcribed Julian Bond's speeches, letters, and other writing. The event was the second most-active day in the history of the platform.
Press coverage:
- UVA Today: "#TranscibeBond Connects People on and Off Grounds to Civil Rights, Past and Present"
- Daily Progress: Community Takes Part in Transcribe-a-thon of Julian Bond Papers
- The Richmond-Times Dispatch: ”Charlottesville community takes part in transcribe-a-thon of Julian Bond papers”
- WINA News: Interview with Deborah McDowell on the Papers of Julian Bond 2-Day Event
- WTJU Soundboard: Local Elections and the Julian Bond Papers
- NHPRC Video: Historical Documentary Editions Foster Public Engagement