New York Digitization and Indexing
Begun in 2017, the New York Digitization and Indexing Project aims to place thousands of new materials online. To date we have indexed more than 50,000 records and digitized more than 86,000. Learn more about the project's current status and upcoming projects.
You can play an important role, in person or at home.
Opportunities include:
- Preparing files for indexing (at home or onsite)
- Indexing (at home or on-site)
- Digitizing material using NYG&B equipment (onsite only)
If you're interested in participating contact fill out the form below and we will be in touch with more information.
Specific opportunities are:
Indexing
Our indexing team adds new records that can be searched online. Indexing can be done from the convenience of your own home anywhere in the world. Volunteers are given scanned document pages in batches and are asked to complete an indexing form for each batch.
Digital Quality Control
Quality controllers will verify that scanned documents are readable and in proper page order before they are uploaded to our website.
Document Scanning
Volunteers will be trained to scan printed materials at the NYG&B's headquarters.
Digital Project Assistants
The digital project assistants will be the primary contacts for each team of indexers. They will distribute scanned document pages; collect completed transcriptions, maintain a tracking document; and communicate as needed with individual indexers.
User Testing
Are you interested in helping us improve our website and explore new ways to use the web to help family history researchers? If so, joining our user testing group is an excellent way to make a lasting impact on the NYG&B and help the wider family history community.
How It Works
Fill out the above form indicating your interest, and we’ll add you to our user testing email list. You can then participate as much or as little as you desire, in two ways:
Fill out periodic surveys: We will occasionally send our list a survey about a different aspect of our website, or how you use the web in your family history research in general. The surveys are short and won’t take long to complete.
Participate in user testing interviews: You will also have the opportunity to participate in 30-minute user testing interviews. The goal of these friendly and informal sessions is to gain a deeper understanding of how you use the NYG&B website and research online. We’ll chat generally about these topics and you’ll have the opportunity to share any feedback you have on your mind. There also may be a chance to share feedback on a new feature we want you to test out!
We are interested in the broadest range of technology users possible. We want to hear from everyone! Whether you consider yourself a novice or expert at either family history research or using the internet, we want to talk to you.
Just sign up above to express your interest and you’ll begin receiving occasional emails inviting you to participate.
Member and Event Services
Mailings
Enjoy the company of other volunteers and staff as you stuff, seal, and stamp. No knowledge of technology required! Mailings take place on a rolling basis throughout the year and volunteers are called as needed.
Event and Program Staffing
Help man the check-in table at programs and events, greet guests, and answer questions about the NYG&B.
Event Coverage
Volunteers are needed to do timely write-ups of NYG&B programs and events that they attend and to supply photographs.
For more information (or to volunteer) contact Anna King (volunteer@nygbs.org).
Research Services
While many members live outside the New York region and cannot easily travel to our local repositories to make copies of documents, other members regularly conduct research at local repositories, such as the Milstein Division of the NYPL and the Municipal or National Archives, where they could copy the very information another member needs.
Our volunteer research services team is always looking for volunteers who are experienced in using local repositories across New York State and willing to print copies of specific records – e.g. genealogy excerpt, birth certificate, passenger arrival record – that a member has already identified.
This is a very direct way to help your fellow members.
Suggested time commitment: three months, two or more hours per month.
For more information (or to volunteer) contact Anna King (volunteer@nygbs.org).
