As LT’s Legacy Libraries project continues to expand in scope (21 libraries have now been completed, with 27 more underway) and visibility (see Tim’s blog-post from Wednesday and this Talk thread), we’re always looking for a few good volunteers to assist in the various cataloging efforts. One of the most impressive things about these projects is the way people have come together to bring these fascinating collections into LT, creating a vibrant bibliosphere by making connections between books and their readers across time and space in new and really exciting ways.

There are a wide variety of open projects that could use some assistance, which I’ve listed below with contact info for the applicable ‘project managers.’ If you’d like to help out with any project, drop them (or me) a profile-message and we’ll provide you with all the necessary background and info. You can be as active as you like, there’s no need for a major time commitment (unless you’re so inclined, of course!).

Benjamin Franklin – See the LT group; contact Katya0133 or pdxwoman.
Carl Sandburg – Contact KCGordon.
Sir Walter Scott – Contact thorold.
B.H. Liddell-Hart – Contact jmnlman or donogh.
W.B. Yeats – See this Talk thread.
Theodore Dreiser – Contact brandonw.
John Dee – Contact jbd1.
Willa Cather – See the LT group.
William Congreve – See this Talk thread; contact prosfilaes.

Even beyond these, there are a small number of projects which are currently quiet; if you’re interested in picking up where others left off, contact me and we’ll get that set up.

Anyone should also feel free to add to the list of proposed libraries on the project wiki, and if you’re interested in starting a project, just follow the steps outlined in the Cataloging Guide or contact me for additional info on getting underway.

Back in May, in preparation for writing an article about the Legacies projects, I asked the members of the ISDPB group “What’s your motivation?” All of the responses were great, but my favorite came from jjlong, who said in part “I do feel like I’m contributing to something lasting…. sometime, somewhere, someone will want to know – out of scholarly, or personal, interest – what poets John Muir read, which Spanish Civil War books Hemingway owned, what Adams read in French. Used to be you’d have to trek to a library in Boston or Washington or London, or try to run down a copy of, say, Millicent Sowerby’s book; we’re making this information available to anyone, anywhere – and, more importantly, in an easily searchable and browsable form, filled with links, statistics, covers, author info (thanks to LT).”

Couldn’t say it better myself. But don’t take our word for it – jump in and see for yourself!

Labels: legacy libraries