How can I help with the project?
Support Project PHaEDRA by joining our Transcription Project!
Why transcribe these journals?
Transcription allows for:
- Greater accessibility and readability of handwritten documents
- Preservation of historical records for future use
- More extensive research in the sciences and humanities
- Machine-readability and the ability to conduct full-text searches on the Astrophysics Data System
Transcription will also allow us to eventually connect these notebooks to their source material: the Harvard College Observatory's collection of glass plate photographs and the data that can be gathered from them.
Can I still transcribe if I know little about astronomy?
Of course! Every bit helps, and if you'd like to explore further concepts in astronomy, check out this amateur astronomy guide to get started. The transcription guide will give you the basics needed to make accurate transcriptions of what's recorded in the logbooks. In addition, our glossary can help if you come across unfamiliar terms.
Where can I find more information on the Harvard Computers?
Find more information on the history of the Harvard College Observatory and the work of the Harvard Computers through our continuously updated Historical Figures Index.
What other digitization projects are you working on?
An decades long effort to digitize the Observatory's Astronomical Photographic Glass Plate Collection in underway. By helping transcribe the PHaEDRA collection you can help us connect these two important projects. Learn more here!
What is physically happening to the Project PHaEDRA collection?
Wolbach Library is working in consultation with Harvard's Weissman Preservation Center, and with generous support from the Smithsonian Women's Commitee, to rehouse and physically conserve the integrity of the PHaEDRA collection. The collection is securely stored at the Harvard Depository in a climate controlled setting.