How to Volunteer with Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders and Preserve Historic Books

Do you like antique books, have an eye for detail and want to make a difference? Distributed Proofreaders might be the right volunteer opportunity for you. Volunteers at DP proofread copies of out-of-copyright books to assemble e-books, which are then posted to Project Gutenberg for anyone to access free of charge. Learn how to become involved in this important preservation project.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Register with Distributed Proofreaders.

2. Read through the Proofreading Guidelines. DP has several unique aspects to its proofreading standards, and these may not be immediately intuitive, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the guidelines before beginning to proofread.

3. Choose a project labeled “BEGIN” in Proofreading Round 1 (P1). There are several “rounds” of proofreading that every e-text will go through, but the higher levels are reserved for experienced proofreaders. You will receive individualized feedback on any beginners' projects you proofread in P1.

4. Open the project page, read the Project Comments, and click “Start Proofreading.”

5. Compare the scanned image of the book to the OCR output, or the text that the computer generated based on the image. OCR is imperfect, and many of the mistakes can only be caught by actual proofreaders willing to closely examine the text for errors.

6. If you are confused about an aspect of proofreading and can't find the answer in the FAQs or in the Proofreading Guidelines, ask questions in the DP forums. All DP members automatically have access to the forums, and these are excellent resources for any questions about proofreading or the DP process in general.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you've read the Proofreading Guidelines, don't be afraid to begin proofreading! Every P1 page will be re-reviewed by several other experienced proofreaders, and all beginners projects include feedback.
• Additional feedback is available upon request.
• This article is a brief introduction to the Distributed Proofreaders process. Carefully read the instructions on DP's web site before beginning.

Resources

• The Official Distributed Proofreader’s Site.
• DP’s Proofreading Guidelines.
• Check out DP’s “walkthrough” for a sense of how the whole process works.

[vallain]

on 7/4/2009 What a worthwhile cause to help get books onto the Project Gutenberg!