Begin the search through the collection with either the on
line index/calendar or the off
line index/calendar. Both are text searchable pdfs. All
the items in the calendar are hyperlinked to the first image of the
item.
Do a full search with words and phrases using the search
engine of the pdf and view the search results by activating the
hyperlink (clicking the mouse on the item).
Once you view the
item, you may want to check to see if it has been transcribed which
you can only do on line. If it has not been transcribed and/or
edited, and you wish to be helpful with further, more detailed
indexing of the collection, transcribe the item following the
instructions provided. Over time the transcriptions will be
indexed by spiders that are permitted to index electronic finding
aids, in particular the indexing engine of the Maryland State
Archives.
At present (September 11, 2009) transcription is
provided through a rudimentary WIKI that has few editorial assists
and is awkward to use. As resources permit, the Maryland State
Archives will improve upon the model to make transcription and
editing easier (especially of tables and charts), but until then a
strait text transcription of the images line by line, with any
standardized html coding you would like to deploy is all that we ask,
leaving complicated tables and charts to another day.
Ed
Papenfuse
September 11, 2009