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Weekly News Digest
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November 14, 2017 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
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The British Library Encourages Analysis of Historical Playbills
The British Library unveiled In the Spotlight, a crowdsourcing project for transcribing, enhancing, and discussing nearly 100,000 18th- and 19th-century playbills. When volunteers mark up, transcribe key details (titles, performance dates, etc.) of, and add information about the playbills, it improves the library’s catalog records and makes them more accessible to all. The data this project records will be automatically available for anyone to download and use for research. Additionally, the project has a discussion board on which people can ask questions, make observations, share images, and otherwise engage with fellow volunteers.“Crowdsourcing projects like this are an opportunity for people to enhance historical collections while getting a sense of everyday life in the past,” says Mia Ridge, digital curator at the British Library. “There are hundreds of stories to uncover in these collections, and we're excited to see what people find as they look through the playbills. Designers might be interested in the fonts or illustrations, while theatre fans might enjoy the descriptions of scenery. We also hope In the Spotlight will inspire new research questions and new uses of the data by academics, community historians and the public alike.” For more information, read the press release.
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Brandi Scardilli
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