We are looking for volunteers to help us make our merchant navy records accessible to all, and we would like to hear from you if you can help us.
The project is to index several hundred crew lists from 1915, held at the National Archives and at the National Maritime Museum . We plan to do this over the next two years as there is a great demand for records from the First World War. We would like to complete the work in time for the centenary in 2014.
The work involves transcribing information from digitised scans of each crew list according to guidelines. Keyboard skills and an eye for detail are required. Training will be provided. It can be done online at home (if you have access to a PC) or onsite at the National Archives and the National Maritime Museum . If you get stuck or need someone to help decipher the handwriting, we will be able to help. Benefits for volunteers include travel expenses, regular workshops, attendance at staff talks, and discounts in the shop and café.
If this is something you would like to help us with, please contact the National Maritime Museum at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/support-us/volunteering/ or the National Archives at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/friends/ for further information and an application form.
Eleanor Gawne, Head of Archive & Library, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich , London