Everything the society has produced in forty years was made by members in their own time. No experience is needed for any of it, and we will train you on the handwriting.
Transcription
This is the bulk of the work and where most people start. You get a scan of a register page and type what it says into a template. Most volunteers do an hour or two a week at home, at whatever pace suits them. Nobody is chasing you.
The handwriting looks impossible for about a fortnight and then stops being a problem. We pair new transcribers with somebody experienced for the first few pages.
Checking
Every transcription is read against the original by a second person before it goes into the index. If you have a good eye and less time, this is a useful way in, and you learn a great deal by seeing where other people went wrong.
Photography at the record office
Somebody has to go and photograph the registers in the first place. If you are in Somerset and have a morning free now and then, this is genuinely helpful and gets you out of the house.
Talks and the programme
Booking speakers, meeting them on the night, putting out chairs, making tea. Unglamorous and completely essential. The programme secretary would be glad of a hand.
The committee
Elected each March at the AGM. If you have run anything before, or would like to, come and talk to a committee member at a meeting. We are always a little short of people willing to do treasurer.
What you need
Patience and an hour or two a week. That is the whole list. You do not need to be a member to help, although most volunteers end up joining.
How to start
Come to a monthly talk and say so, or send us a message. Somebody will send you a sample page and a template, and you can see whether it suits you before committing to anything.