To aid our volunteers we have created HANDBOOKS that give instructions and suggestions regarding the various volunteer tasks we have available.

We request that each volunteer read the handbook that explains the task they will be doing before commencing with their task – these handbooks answer many questions that may come up.

* The handbooks require Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download the handbooks, RIGHT CLICK on the links below, and choose ‘Save As’.

Transcribers:
Download this file:
Transcriber's Handbook (PDF) updated 2 Jun 2008

Then download the file covering the year you're transcribing:

pre-1851 Handbook (PDF) coming soon
1851 Handbook (PDF) updated 2 Jun 2008
1861 Handbook (PDF) updated 2 Jun 2008
1871 Handbook (PDF) updated 2 Jun 2008
1891 Handbook (PDF) updated 2 Jun 2008

Proofreader:

Download this file:
Proofreader's Handbook (PDF) updated 17 Apr 2009

Then download the transcribers handbook for the year you will be proofreading (links above). Reading this handbook will help you understand how the transcript was constructed as well as how to locate the original census images you'll need to proofread.