Unlock History
Volunteers work alongside archivists, librarians, museum specialists, and curators to transcribe, edit, review, and explore historical content.
Sustainable Development Goals - 10, 16
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What is Unlock History?
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex shaping the future by preserving heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing resources with the world.
The Institution was founded in 1846 with funds from the Englishman James Smithson (1765–1829) according to his wishes “under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” We continue to honor this mission and invite you to join us in our quest.
We’re transcribing historical documents to make them more accessible. Every word transcribed helps make collections more accessible to researchers around the world!
Unlock History is a collaborative project between volunteer teams and Smithsonian staff — participants work together, alongside archivists, librarians, museum specialists, and curators. They will transcribe, edit, review, and explore digitized content. Volunteers can work on projects focused on African American History, Astro Physics, Civil War, and much more.
We’ll start the event by educating everyone around the history of the Smithsonian and the importance of transcription. Then, we’ll train the volunteers and see how many pieces they can transcribe with our time together. Let’s see how much history we can unlock!
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