It is a bit ironic that the User Participation Projects at the Smithsonian used to use paid employees to do the transcription of the actual artifacts rather than scanned images. I worked for the Smithsonian many years ago working in the National Herbarium transcribing the label contents into a database. This was when scanning technology was either non-existing or in its infancy.
One project I was involved in was transcribing the plant family that included the agave and the District of Columbia flora, and these projects were pretty straight forward. The major project I was involved in was the Caesalpinioideae, which was reorganized by a botanist into new and/or different genera.
Not only did I have to transcribe, I also had to research each specimen for genera and species to find out where it belonged in the new scheme. To do this, I had to reference several different volumes that listed the old and new genera and species. I don't remember how many specimens I did, but I had to go through at least twenty cases (think large lockers) to complete the project.
I looked over the Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: Transcription Center, and I looked through the various projects. I found many of the ones I was initially interested in were complete. I also looked at the projects available through Family Search, and I found transcription of the US, Michigan - Archives of Michigan, Naturalization Records, 1812–1985 was needed.
I am particularly interested in working on the Naturalization Records because I am working on my family genealogy, so I choose to do these records because I would love to find my great grandparents naturalization records.
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