Through a collaboration with the University of Virginia Press, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission has digitally published nearly 5,000 documents from the United States' founding fathers this year.
The Rotunda Founders Early Access project started from a 2008 Congressional request for expedited access to the founding fathers' documents, said Kathleen Williams, executive director of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
"We thought it would be very useful to see if we could provide very basic level access to original documents through early versions of transcriptions of documents," Williams said.
The project's first task, Williams said, involved transcribing the documents because the handwriting can be difficult for readers to decipher.
The documents included are in the early stages of transcription, Williams said, and therefore are not perfect.
"This project is trying to get these transcriptions out at an earlier stage," Williams said, noting that later versions will be updated and include contextual information. The documents include letters and diaries from George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, among others.
Williams said the NHPRC has received some unanticipated benefits from the project already, as readers and personnel from other organizations have contacted NHPRC to submit documents that are not currently in the system.
The Rotunda system, which the University Press started in 2001, has been instrumental to the project, Director Penelope Kaiserlian said.
"It's been possible to do quickly because of the Rotunda infrastructure," Kaiserlian said.
Other documents on the Rotunda Web site are available to subscribers for a fee.
The early access project "opens up documents in a way they've never been available before," Kaiserlian said.
While the pilot version of the early access project will conclude in December, Williams said she expects the project to continue next year if Congress appropriates funds for it.
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