Library Registers
Guide for Transcribers
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Guide for Transcribers
Last updated
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The column headings in the transcription spreadsheet correspond – broadly – to the headings printed in the thirteen Library Accession Registers, plus some additional columns for recording details which may be useful for future data analysis and online search. It is indicated in the column heading instructions if, and where, headings differ between spreadsheet and Register e.g. Location Number [excluding Registers 3;12;13].
The style of the Accession Registers changed over time, and according to the purpose for which they were used by Wellcome Historical Medical Library, and some headings were rarely used. Fields on the spreadsheet may be hidden for these headings.
Generally, each accession (unique number) will be transcribed onto one row of the spreadsheet.
For the majority of columns you will be asked to transcribe the information exactly as it appears on the page. For a couple of columns you will be asked to transcribe the information into a standardised format. This is to assist with future research and will be made clear in the individual instructions.
Apart from the Date of Accession column leave any blank spaces blank. Blank spaces and columns are common in the Registers and do not need noting.
Any duplicate library accession numbers should be added to the bottom of your spreadsheet with comments in the Transcriber’s Notes column. As duplicate accession numbers require extra checks before importing, please highlight these rows with a colour so that they can be identified easily.
For any text which has been scored through, do the same in the transcription. If you do use the strikethrough, or any other formatted text, you must use the appropriate tagging e.g. <s>[transcribed text here]</s> or <i>[transcribed text here]</i> for italics.
If you cannot decipher the handwriting use [.] to indicate an indecipherable letter e.g. mon[.]stro[..]ty. The number of dots = number of missing letters. Use [?] if you have guessed at a letter or word e.g. Mhairi[?]. If you use dots for text or words you are unsure of, please add a [?] and make a note in the Transcriber's Notes e.g. Unsure: word/letter in title.
In some Registers, earlier information is visible in pencil underneath the final pen entry. If this is the case, add a Transcriber’s Note and include any of the information written in pencil where legible.
If there are square brackets, question marks or dots in the Register already, add a note to the Transcriber’s Notes i.e. The square brackets in the author column are in the original document.
All Latin characters with accents should be transcribed by inserting the correct symbol e.g. Â.
If you notice anything is written in non-Latin script make a note in the Transcriber’s Notes and, if you cannot discern or transliterate it, please put […].
If the Register uses ‘ditto’ (sometimes shortened to 'do') or ‘//’ in the columns, replace ‘ditto’ with the information from the row above e.g. if one row has the title ‘The Mirror of Beauty’ and the row below has ‘// // // // (The Dentist)’, the title of the second book should be transcribed as ‘The Mirror of Beauty (The Dentist)’.
You are not expected/required to expand abbreviated words e.g. Imp[erial]. Simply transcribe the abbreviation as it appears on the page and, if you can identify the word, add a note to the Transcriber’s Notes.
Please Note: columns in the spreadsheet may be hidden if they are not applicable to a specific Register or do not require transcribing.
[Date of Receipt in Registers 12;13]
The date of the accession is listed in the first column of the Library Accession Register. Always transcribe the date in full in the order of dd-month-full year e.g. 25 April 1916. Even if the date column is blank or if there are no ditto marks, assume that multiple items were added to the Register on the same day.
The accession numbers have already been provided in a sequential order. Use these numbers to keep track of where you are on the page. IMPORTANT: Make sure you double-check the accession numbers as you go along as there may be a break or mistake in the sequential numbering in the Register. If you come across an accession number which is out of sequence, please add this to the bottom of your spreadsheet and add a note to the Transcriber’s Notes.
For each accession number, enter the image number given in the Wellcome Collection website Viewer. If you are transcribing from a PDF, the image number is the page number minus 1. REMEMBER - the information for each row in the Accession Register is split across two pages.
[excluding Registers 3;12;13]
Enter the location letter/number, if applicable, in this column. Most frequent abbreviations are M.C. (Museum Case) and P.C. (Packing Case).
[excluding Register 3]
Transcribe the information in the ‘author’ column on the Register page. The author name should be standardised to read: Surname, Forenames (Title, if applicable) e.g. Braithwaite, William K. (Capt.). Do not transcribe brackets around the forenames e.g. Franklin (Rosalind) should be standardised to Franklin, Rosalind.
Transcribe the information exactly as it is written on the page. Spelling, particularly for the titles of early modern books, can be very different to that of modern-day words e.g. you may see the word ‘chirurgerie’ instead of ‘surgery’. Transcribe titles exactly as they appear on the Register rather than correcting them to modern standards.
This column will contain a numerical value to show the number of volumes associated with the accession number/title of a printed item e.g. one entry ‘Voyages in the Southern Hemisphere’ is composed of 4 volumes. The column will contain the letter ‘P’ if the item is a pamphlet.
Similar to above, this column will contain a numerical value to show the number of volumes associated with the accession number/title of a manuscript.
[excluding Registers 3;12;13]
Transcribe the size as it appears on the page. The column may contain a measurement e.g. 20 x 15, a format e.g. post 4to, or a mixture of the two e.g. 8vo 23. Transcribe fractions (e.g. in measurements) using Insert – Symbol and selecting the correct proper fraction.
The following are keyboard shortcuts that can be used instead of the insert method:
¼
Alt + 0188
½
Alt + 0189
¾
Alt + 0190
All other fractions need to be written out as e.g. 5/8, remembering to put a space beforehand, i.e. 3 5/8" as the other Excel symbols do not import onto other platforms.
[excluding Registers 3;12;13]
[excluding Register 3]
[excluding Registers 3;12;13]
These may be individuals (J. Antonius), publishing companies (Clarendon Press) or institutions (Government Pr[ess] Office). Transcribe as on the page.
The three columns in the Registers represent pounds (£), shillings (s) and pence (d). If the price is not provided in pounds sterling, simply transcribe the currency as it is written e.g. 36l.
If the price refers to a group of books put in the price and put in brackets for how many items e.g. if the Register lists the price for three books as 20-6-3 transcribe as £20 6s 3d [3 items] for each item. If unsure of the number of items put [? items]. Provide the range of accession numbers affected in each row of the Transcriber’s Notes e.g. Price for 3 items [40100-40102].
Please note: You only need to add the number of items in brackets when the price refers to multiple accessions e.g. if there is a single price written in the price column for accession number 40101 which also refers to accession numbers 40100 and 40102. This is because, in the future, information in each individual row will appear on its own in searches without the context of the information above and below it on the Register page.
For volumes, it is clear in each individual accession number/row how many volumes there were and what was paid for all of them so you do not need to record that information in brackets or in the notes.
[excluding Registers 3;12;13]
Transcribe as in the Price column above.
Transcribe the acquisition details as they appear on the page. These may be a name of an individual (De Bacq) or an institution (College of Physicians). In many cases, the acquisition will be an auction purchase - e.g. Soth. 6 & 7/12/20 Lot 196 refers to lot 196 sold at Sotheby’s during the sale held on 6 and 7 December 1920.
Below are some common auction houses and known abbreviations:
Bligh & Co.
Blig
Bonhams
Brown, Llandudno
Christies
Ch
Debenham Stores
Deb
Foster
Fos
Glendining
Glen
Goddard & Smith
Hampton
Hodgsons
Hodgson
Holland Park
Hurcomb
H
Knight, Frank & Rutley
K. F. & R.
Maggs Brothers
Maggs
Norbury-Smith & Co
Puttick & Simpson
P. & S.
Philips, Son & Neale
P. S. & N.
Pritchard & Co
Robinson & Harding
R. F.
Robinson, Fisher & Harding
R. F. & H.
Sotheby's
Soth
Stevens
St
Sydney Slade, F.A.I.
Redcar
Trevers
Turner & Smith
Wallis, Riddett & Co
Wigginton
The auction house list is by no means exhaustive and is presented merely to help with identifying letters/names. As in other columns, transcribe the abbreviations as they appear and note possible expansions in the Transcriber’s Notes. Do not attempt to make the transcription ‘fit’ the abbreviation.
[Register 3 only]
Enter the lot number, if applicable, in this column.
[Registers 12;13 only]
Enter any physical condition notes, if applicable, in this column.
[excluding Register 3]
Transcribe any remarks exactly as they appear on the page.
Your email address e.g. j.bloggs@wellcome.org.
A place for the transcriber to add any additional notes about the record e.g. if the record was written in multiple hands or if the record has corrections/later additions/prefixes. Further examples are given within the guidance for individual column headings and in the general transcription instructions. Also use this column to note any problems you have had with the transcription. Prefix this note with ‘Unsure’ followed by an explanation e.g. ‘Unsure: cannot read first name of author’.
Important note: If you have made a remark that relates to more than one accession, please make sure you add it into every relevant Transcriber’s Notes column. In the future, each row may be displayed individually without the context of the rows above and below it. For the same reason, do not use the phrases ‘see above’ or ‘see below’ in any column.
The main difference between Library Accession Register 2 and the later registers are in the lack of accession numbers. Although the numbers may have been added subsequently by staff this is fairly rare. There are also differences in the column headings. Register 2 only uses five or six columns - date, title, (author), no of vols, price/cost, source [sometimes bought off or by] – over a single page. When completing transcription, follow the standard rules for transcribing Library Accession Registers but bear in mind the following variations.
Date of Accession/Date – normal rules apply
Accession number – there is no dedicated accession number column so leave this column blank. If an accession number has been added later (usually in the title column), please transcribe into the accession number column e.g. M.S. of veterinary receipts 18745 – keep M.S. of veterinary receipts in title column but add 18745 to the accession number heading
Page image no./RH page image no. – transcribe in the normal way but, as the records are only over a single page, leave the RH page image no. column blank
Location number – leave blank
Author – a separate author heading is only found in the latter part of the Register. Transcribe in the usual way. If an author has been added to the title column, transcribe it into the author column instead e.g. Origin of steam navigation (Woodcroft) keep Origin of steam navigation in the title column but add Woodcroft to author heading
Title/Description – transcribe as normal. The only time this varies is if an author name has been added, transcribe this in the author column e.g. Origin of steam navigation (Woodcroft) keep Origin of steam navigation in the title column but add Woodcroft to author heading
No. of vols. (V or P)/No. of vols (manuscript) – as there is only a single column in Register 2, use the No. of vols (V or P) column. Only if it clearly states that the item is a manuscript do you transcribe in the No. of vols (manuscript) column
Size/Place of Publication/Date of Publication (imprint)/Printer – no corresponding headings so leave blank
Price/Cost – transcribe in the normal way but add postage or carriage (usually in the title column) e.g. 2s 3d (+ postage). Because of the lack of accession numbers, if the cost is for multiple items, add the range of titles included in the Transcribers Notes in place of the accession number range e.g. Price for 4 items [Poemata; Sentenze e proverbi Italiani; L'apotheose du dictionnaire de l'academie; Examen de ingenios para las sciencias]. If there are too many titles give the best description you can in the brackets, most likely based on the vendor/source details e.g. Price for 198 items [bought by Mr Wellcome, Bordeaux, 1902/3]
Valuation – leave blank apart from in the rare instances when the entry notes the books worth e.g. 18s 0d Worth by Symons
Donor or Vendor (source)/Bought off/Bought by – transcribe in usual way. If there are multiple names, separate with a semi-colon e.g. C. J. S. T.; Sotheby's
Lot Number/Condition – leave blank
Remarks – although not a heading in the Register, use this column to transcribe any additional information on the page regarding the item and where the information came from in square brackets e.g. [in price column] See Oct 28th another entry. You do not need to transcribe the ‘balance carried forward’ information.
Transcribed by/Transcribers Notes – use as normal
Library Accession Register 1 was the first attempt at Wellcome to register material coming into the collection. The first few pages have no set layout, with some simply describing ‘sacks of books’ coming into the building. After that the main difference between Library Accession Register 1 and the later registers are in the lack of accession numbers. Although the numbers may have been added subsequently by staff, this is fairly rare. There are also differences in the column headings. Register 1 uses nine columns – title, vols., date purchased, from whom, thro’ whom, cat., no., dis., price – but still in a double-page format. When completing transcription, follow the standard rules for transcribing Library Accession Registers but bear in mind the following variations.
Date of Accession/Date Purchased – normal rules apply but use information from the Date Purchased column
Accession number – there is no dedicated accession number column so leave this column blank. If an accession number has been added later (usually in the title column), please transcribe into the accession number column e.g. Fasciculus temporum 5230 – keep Fasciculus temporum in title column but add 5230 to the accession number heading
Page image no./RH page image no. – transcribe in the normal way
Location number – leave blank
Author – there is no separate author heading in the Register. If an author has been added to the title column, transcribe it into the author column instead e.g. English herbal (Wm. Salmon) keep English herbal in the title column but add Salmon, Wm., to author heading
Title/Description – transcribe as normal. The only time this varies is if an author name has been added, transcribe this in the author column e.g. . English herbal (Wm. Salmon) keep English herbal in the title column but add Salmon, Wm., to author heading. This Register also contains items other than books. Still transcribe as on the page e.g. 2 silk needlework pictures – parrots
No. of vols. (V or P)/No. of vols (manuscript) – as there is only a single column in Register 1, use the No. of vols (V or P) column. Only if it clearly states that the item is a manuscript do you transcribe in the No. of vols (manuscript) column
Size/Place of Publication/Date of Publication (imprint)/Printer – no corresponding headings so leave blank. If a date or printer is mentioned in the title column, transcribe into the appropriate column e.g. Nievve herbal 1578 – leave Nievve herbal in the title column but add 1578 to the date of publication section
Price/Cost – transcribe in the normal way but add postage or carriage (usually in the title column) e.g. 2s 3d (+ postage). Because of the lack of accession numbers, if the cost is for multiple items, add the range of titles included in the Transcribers Notes in place of the accession number range e.g. Price for 3 items [Famous Parks; History of Africa; Universal mags]. If there are too many titles give the best description you can in the brackets, most likely based on the vendor/source details e.g. Price for 198 items [bought by Mr Wellcome, Bordeaux, 1902/3]
Valuation – leave blank apart from in the rare instances when the entry notes the books worth e.g. 18s 0d Worth by Symons
Donor or Vendor (source)/From whom, Thro’ whom, Cat – transcribe into same column e.g. Tregaskis | Petzler, I. & Co | 424 should be transcribed as Tregaskis through Petzler, I. & Co. Cat. 424
Lot Number – transcribe where applicable
Condition – leave blank
Remarks – although not a heading in the Register, use this column to transcribe information from the Dis[count] column e.g. [in discount column] 20%, or any additional information on the page regarding the item and where the information came from in square brackets e.g. [in title column] To be shown to Mr Linstead. You do not need to transcribe the ‘balance carried forward’ information.
Transcribed by/Transcribers Notes – use as normal
Please upload your file to Grp_Wellcome Transcribers on Microsoft Teams. At the top of the group’s page you will see a ‘Files’ tab. In that tab you will see a ‘Completed Spreadsheets’ folder, please upload your file there.
Once you’ve done this please leave a message in your respective channel that you’ve uploaded your sheet.
Happy Transcribing!
Document
Date
Notes
Version 1.0
16 April 2020
Adapted from ‘Guide for Transcribers; Museum Index cards’
Version 2.0
20 May 2020
Updates to:
submission of completed spreadsheets
additions to general transcription notes e.g. non-Latin characters
blanks in Date of Accession column
fraction shortcuts in Size column
different currencies in Price column
use of email in Transcribed By column
update to Transcriber’s Notes column
Version 3.0
01 July 2020
Updates to:
transcription teams explaining the Transcribers group channel on Microsoft Teams
instructions for duplicate accession numbers
tagging advice for strikethrough and other formatted text
accession date normalisation rules
clarification on using square brackets in the price column
update to Transcriber’s Notes column
Version 4.0
06 October 2020
Updates to:
CC0 licence agreement and column description
description of Visual Material Registers channel on Teams
additions to general transcription notes e.g. pencil notations underneath
email address changed to .org in Transcribed by Column
If you encounter any problems identifying words, letters or symbols head to the on Microsoft Teams. There may be others who have asked or answered the same questions. A quick Google/Wellcome Catalogue search may also help with titles and authors but the search results should never take priority over the text on the Register page.
To aid filtering and analysis, if several consecutive dates are given, enter the latest day that these items were accessioned e.g. 6-9 January 1931 should be entered as 9 January 1931 with a Transcriber’s Note saying, ‘Accession date normalised to last day of entry’. If the date of accession is recorded as only a month or a year, provide the last possible date the accession may have occurred e.g. September 1928 should be entered as 30 September 1928 with a similar Transcriber’s Note - 'Accession date normalised to final date of month'. For dates in February, you may find useful.
If you encounter difficulties in finding the correct symbol, record this in the Transcriber’s Notes. Please note: The format refers to the size of the book not the number of volumes e.g. 8vo = octavo format. Guidance on technical/archaic format terms .
Transcribe exactly as on the page. Many place names will be written in Latin e.g. Londini = London, so if you are having any difficulty deciphering the place name you can check for possible places on the . Do not standardise into English.
This is the date, usually just a year, in which the book was printed/published. If the date is in Roman numerals transcribe it into Arabic numerals e.g. MDCCLXI = 1761. .
If you come across a potentially sensitive or offensive term, transcribe it exactly as it is written. Then add a note in the Transcriber's Notes e.g. Potentially sensitive: offensive word in the title. you can read more about our approach towards language and terminology in the registers.
This column assigns the CC0 terms to each row of transcribed data and does not require transcription. More information on the Creative Commons Licence can be found .
