FAQ
- What is a consignment list?
- Why do the Archives want help transcribing the lists?
- Why are the lists already OCR’d and what can I add?
- How do I access a record I see listed?
- What are the benefits of registering?
- The webpage is larger than my screen and I have a horizontal scrollbar
- I am having technical issues with the website
- I would like to be able to spellcheck my transcription
- Table formatted records
Q What is a consignment list?
A consignment list is a list of records (typically files) which have been transferred
into the custody of the National Archives in a single batch from within a particular
series (a group of like records created by a government agency).
Q Why do the Archives want help transcribing the
lists?
The consignment lists featured within this project list items which are within the
custody of the National Archives of Australia, however which have not been entered
into the National Archives searchable database, RecordSearch. Transcribing the lists
enables the items within them to be able to be searched, and in time will assist
in these items being added to RecordSearch.
Q Why are the lists already OCR'd and what can
I add?
The documents have undergone an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process in order
to provide a starting point for transcription so that they are able to be searched.
The OCR process does not perfectly transcribe the documents, so by correcting them
you are assisting in making the documents more searchable.
The OCR separates table columns so the transcriptions provided by the software do
not read left to right, which you are able to assist with when working on a transcription.
The lists are separated into easy, medium and hard depending on the accuracy of
the initial OCR of the document.
Q How do I access a record I see listed?
If you are using the arcHIVE website as a registered user, you are able to request
access to an item from a consignment list by clicking on the button beneath the
transcription window labelled 'Request Item'. This will take you to a form where
you can fill in the relevant details. Beneath the form you can view the transcription
or the image of the consignment list in order to copy the details of the item or
items you want to access.
If you do not wish to register you are able to request access to an item you find
on a consignment list by sending a general inquiry about the item to the
National Archives reference service asking for access.
Q What are the benefits of registering?
There are a number of benefits to registering on arcHIVE. When logged in as a registered
user you can save favourite records so you are easily able to return to them at
any time, and you can see the records you have recently been working on, as well
as easily request any of the records within the consignment lists to be examined
so you can access them.
Additionally registered users will earn points by transcribing records and are then
able to redeem those points for research credits for services such as the digitisation
of records.
Q The webpage is larger than my screen and I have
a horizontal scrollbar
Due to the nature of transcribing we needed to maximise the amount of space and
opted for a larger layout. Please maximise your browser window if you haven't or
if possible increase your screen resolution to a larger size.
Q I am having technical issues with the website
The website should work across all browsers but may have some layout issues with
older browsers. We recommend you update to the latest version of your web browser.
Q I would like to be able to spellcheck my transcription
Spellcheck is available by default on the following browsers:
- Mozilla Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Safari
- Opera
Unfortunately Internet Explorer does not have spellcheck included in the browser.