The Red Cross history program is looking for volunteers to help make the Clara Barton story more accessible through a Library of Congress crowd sourcing initiative entitled By the People.

This program invites the general public to connect with Library of Congress collections as virtual volunteers—transcribing, reviewing, and tagging historical texts to improve search and accessibility of historical materials.

Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and kept diaries through much of her life producing a wealth of correspondence documenting her activities in numerous progressive causes. Despite her accomplishments, she expressed frustration with the barriers that confronted her as a woman. Many of Barton's papers have never been transcribed and participants of the project could be the first in over a century to read some of these pages in full.

Transcriptions will make these materials accessible for other people all around the world, and act as a catalyst for new research on this remarkable woman and her times. Barton was known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” and these papers document her roles in founding of the American Red Cross, organizing relief aid for the most devastating natural disasters of the late nineteenth-century, her early career in teaching, as a government clerk at the Patent Office, a director of a women’s prison and as an advocate for reform.

Transcription and tagging of these materials will create keyword searches for over 6,000 pages improving discovery and opportunities for connection to her legacy. The Red Cross is getting involved with this initiative during the week of August 26 through August 30.

How Can I Get Involved?

• Establish an account and review the basic instructions for transcribing documents.
• Direct questions regarding the project to Red Cross History and use By the People in the subject line.
• Red Cross will track sign ups and the number of documents transcribed then send out an update after the week is completed.