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Welcome to BMT's Documentation Detectives! Check out our project intro video here.
Our accession register records may contain offensive and outdated terms. For more information, please see the Content Note on our About Page.
New subjects sets have been uploaded to the handwritten and typed workflows today (13th November), the next upload will be on the 4th December.
Transcribe Birmingham Museum's object accession registers to help us build an accessible collections database.
Learn moreChoose to transcribe typed or handwritten object records found in our accession registers. Simply click either of the yellow folders below to select your preferred record type. Once selected, you can get started by underlining each line of text and typing out what you see, as it is written.
Check out our 'About' page for more project information including FAQs and content notes. Happy transcribing!
Zooniverse Talk
Chat with the research team and other volunteers!
Documentation Detectives: Transcribing Accession Registers Statistics
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Message from the researcher
“Birmingham Museums Trust is more than a collection of buildings and objects. Our role is not only that of a guardian of a world-class collection, but of an active contributor to social change; forging links between past, present and future in ways that inspire creativity, hope and trust.”
Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, Joint CEOs of Birmingham Museums Trust
Documentation Detectives: Transcribing Accession RegistersAbout Documentation Detectives: Transcribing Accession Registers
Welcome and thank you for your interest in our project!
We are Birmingham Museums Trust (BMT), a charitable trust, and the largest civic museum service based in the West Midlands region of England. We care for and share the city’s collection of around 1 million objects and artworks across nine extraordinary museums and historic properties, on behalf of Birmingham City Council and the people of Birmingham, UK. We bring people’s stories to life and offer a glimpse into the past through our collections.
In this project, we will transcribe scanned object records taken from our paper accession registers, dating back to 1885. These registers record the key information of every object that was added, or “accessioned” into the museum’s permanent collection. From archaeology to fine art, there are thousands of records waiting to be seen. Not all of this information is currently on our database, preventing us and the public from getting the most from the collections.
Documentation Detectives offers the opportunity to gain transcription skills, see how our museums have recorded objects for more than a century and share in our story. Your transcriptions will help to make our collections more accessible, usable, and useful for all.
Our Tutorial will guide you through how to create and submit your transcriptions. For content disclaimers, useful examples, and other tips, check out our Field Guide. You can also learn more about our project and find FAQs in the About section.