Critical Digital Transmission through the Transcription of J. A. Nensén’s Records : A Review of the Tools

Abstract: This thesis aims to understand transcription as a critical transmission practice in the digital medium in order to add to the research surrounding digital library initiatives that make these research materials available and accessible. The project to transcribe the records of Lapland priest J. A. Nensén at Umeå University aims to publish the transcriptions in the cultural heritage database Alvin by Uppsala University Library. Looking at these two Swedish projects can better illustrate the issues surrounding digital tool application and integration. This thesis first explores the transcription practices of a group of scholars transcribing J. A. Nensén’s records. By understanding their model, a better picture of transcription as a scholarly practice can be achieved that can be useful when selecting a digital transcription tool. The study then identified appropriate transcription tools and reviewed the ones most applicable for the project based on the group’s paradigm. It was discovered that the main disparity in transcription practice is the balance between producing a diplomatic transcription and one that is readable. The primary consideration in transcription tool selection was found to be the goals of the project; in this case, those of the transcribers. This determined the tools to be reviewed. These were: FromThePage, Scripto, T-Pen, and Wikisource. All the tools are suitable to the editors, but they still present some obstacles in regards to diplomatic transcription.